Lent is here! This past Ash Wednesday marked my one year anniversary with attending daily mass! For Lent last year I decided to stray away from my traditional “giving up” of a loved worldly item, like eating out or going on Facebook. (One year I gave up all junk food, sweets, and soda. My diet drastically changed during those 40 days and Easter was truly a glorious day). I knew I wanted to shake things up a little and make this year’s Lenten sacrifice more meaningful. A priest told me that for Lent you should give up or take on something lasting – something that can go beyond Easter Sunday.
The answer came to me loud and clear. Daily Mass.
I went to my Diocesan Youth Conference where Jackie Francios introduced me to the great gift of daily Mass. I already went to mass every Sunday and Life Teen weekly, but looking back I realize just how lukewarm my faith had become. Jackie shared her experience with attending daily Mass and this stuck with me as I traveled home and began to think about what I could sacrifice. As I thought and prayed about other things I could do for Lent, nothing seemed to stand out the way daily Mass had. It was a difficult decision, but a decision that changed my life.
Attending daily Mass meant waking up at 6:00 a.m. to be at my church by 7:00 a.m. At school my classmates would complain that they were tired and I wanted to say “Oh you’re so tired?” I had to realize that, no matter what you give up for Lent, we are supposed to give it up joyfully and out of love for our Lord and Savior. It says in Scripture:
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you” (Matthew 6:16-18).
I didn’t make a sacrifice for Lent to show everyone how “holy” I was. I did it to show God how much I loved Him. I did it to be in communion with Jesus’s sacrifice and suffering in a small way. I began Lent with Mass at 7:00 a.m. on Ash Wednesday. I received my ashes and strange looks for the rest of the day from people who thought I had dirt on my forehead.
At first it was a struggle. I would come home from school and want to take a nap. On days I had to work I would be gone from 7:00a.m. until 7:00pm. The sacrifice was seemingly unimportant. Every morning my alarm would go off and I would roll over and wish for more hours of sleep. At first I was so focused on the change in my routine and forgot why I was even doing this.
Although the challenge of waking up early didn’t magically go away, my love for the Mass grew and the challenge diminished. I focused on giving Mass my everything. I bought a Magnificat and started reading the readings, I started to focus on the words the priest said and welcomed the silent moments daily Mass gave me. Every day I reflected on my relationship with God and every day I reflected on the previous day.
Daily Mass became the most meaningful part of my day because, even on sleepy mornings, God always showed up. I fell in love. Seeing and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist every single day brought me such joy and love. I began to appreciate the Mass more and more and Sunday liturgy came to life. The Mass is the source and summit of our Faith and I get to go every day. I get to receive the gift of the Eucharist while others across the world die for it.
One morning, towards the end of Lent a lady came up to me after Mass and told me she was proud of me. She handed me a beautiful Bible and walked away. After Easter Sunday I slept in on Monday morning and the extra sleep was great but it wasn’t worth it. I missed Mass. Ever since then I’ve been attending daily Mass. Somedays I hit the off button on my alarm and miss Mass because hey, I’m human. But daily Mass is a staple in my life; it’s the best part of my day.
Lent can have a lasting effect on us if we make a commitment that is both realistic and specific. We may struggle and mess up along the way but that’s okay.Fall seven times and get up eight, and keep sacrificing joyfully for “your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Editor’s Note: “In My Own Words” is a section of blogs on LifeTeen.com that contains submissions from our readers. If you love reading LifeTeen.com and want to contribute a blog about how you, as a teen, live out your Catholic Faith in your life, feel free to email your submission to Christina at [email protected]. Please keep submissions under 750 words.
