I mean, tough for a wimp like me:
To give up all reading or websurfing while eating, and just take my meals while sitting at a table doing nothing else. How amazingly boring would that be? I never eat without reading. And it would have the added benefit of reminding me three times a day that it's Lent and I'm trying to do penance and refocus on God.
I'm not promising I'll do this, but I'm thinking about it. Now to find an amazing cupcake recipe to make before Lent hits. :) I want something interesting and gourmet but not requiring actual skill.
9 comments:
Hmm...you may want to consult with your spiritual director first and see if he will jump for joy for your new penance :-)
Not only that, but it will remind you three times a day how dependent you are upon God...who daily provides you food...how you cannot exist without a daily meal...how you are not self-sustaining.
Do it.
Discuss it with a priest and/or your spiritual director.
Currently, we have the liberty of selecting our penances, but there will come a time when that ends.
Take courage you're not alone! =)
what's a spiritual director?
I hate to seem like an alarmist, buuuuut have you ever read a report on the amount of germs on the average desk.
It's about the filthiest place in the world. (people eating there is part of the problem)
Not a place for your food or a sea urchin.....
Ado, don't you know that Rachel has a spiritual director now?
As for you, I recommend that you have a long distance or online spiritual director. :-)
I don't have a spiritual director. In a pinch I just buttonhole one of the priests.
Adrienne, when the germ reports come on I cover my ears and sing. :) Thankfully I rarely ever get sick no matter what I eat or where, so I don't need to worry about bacteria yet... wait till I get immune-compromised.
I wouldn't know if it's a suitable penance--I'm not in the habit of assigning penances. What I do know, however is that this (only doing one thing at a time) is a very healthy practice & has the potential to lead to great spiritual & personal growth. I must warn you, though...it's going to be hard. It's going to seem boring at first & you'll be tempted to rush through meals just to get them over so you can go on to the next thing. However, the longer you do it, the more in-touch you'll get with yourself & the more God will be able to speak to you through the mental silence. You'll be more mindful & be grateful for all of the people who helped to bring your meal to your table--from the farmers, to the migrants picking the fruit/vegetable, to the truck drivers taking the food to the processing plant, to the factory workers at the processing plant, to the truck drivers taking the food to your local grocery store, to the workers at the grocery store (and I know I'm leaving some people out!) You'll also probably be more in-touch with your emotions--particularly loneliness, and that's not a bad thing. Often, we Americans tend to medicate our loneliness with busy-ness (if not with drugs & alcohol). I'd say, even if it doesn't qualify as a penance, go for it!
"We Americans tend to medicate our loneliness with busy-ness"-- true. Lack of purpose too. And they're medicated not just with busy-ness but with noise. Seems like the soundtrack hardly ever turns off for some... Of course reading and web-surfing are a kind of interior soundtrack.
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