Learning from Lent

You’re looking at the newest occasional contributor over at the lovely Catholic Exchange!  I’m so excited to have the opportunity to work with all of the great people over there. Today I’m writing about how Lent, and in particular fasting, can help us break free from addictions.

“We all have our own suffering, and all but the holiest among us also have something that we turn to when we should be turning to God. For me, food. For others: drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, work, shopping, television. So many gods before God. Nearly all of us are guilty. In his goodness, God gives us Lent. To teach us. Lent is an invitation to let go of those things we put ahead of God. To let God’s love and mercy fill the void that we mindlessly fill with “stuff”. Lent is God’s invitation to us, to let him be God in our lives. Our invitation to turn to him when we want to turn away. To turn us outward when the crippling pain of suffering turns us inward…”

You can read the rest here.

Oh and just for fun, since it’s conclave week: