How to Choose a Sacrifice this Lent

“The Glory of God is a human fully alive.” – St. Irenaeus of Lyons

So, you’re thinking about giving up sweets for Lent…again.

How’d that go for you last year? Did you become a galvanized spiritual soldier whose wisdom mimics that of Solomon and whose devotion is like that of St. Joseph?

I kid. I kid.

Lenten sacrifices are such a sliding scale both physically and spiritually that, sometimes, it’s hard to figure out our true motive for making them. Do I fast to lose a couple pounds or to build up my spiritual reserves (Mt. 17:21)? Do I pick up a Lenten devotional because that’s what everyone else in my parish is doing or because I truly desire holiness? Do I give a little bit more to my tithe so that I can get more back on my tax refund or because my diocese can fund our local soup kitchen?

The answers to these questions, of course, are deeply personal. They are also complex, paradoxical, even.

Lent, a time of dryness, abstinence, penance, and sacrifice sounds like self-inflicted pain, a net negative on the mind, body, and soul (and wallet, if you’re tithing). So, where’s the net positive? Shouldn’t our preparation for Easter strengthen, enliven, and animate our holiness? Why is this season so synonymous with doom and gloom as opposed to being more fully alive?

The answer, of course, is the famously Catholic philosophy of “both/and,” but if you consider Lent to be a difficult, exhausting, and spiritually dry experience of the Church’s liturgical calendar, allow me to challenge that mindset.

Let me show you how to become more fully alive this Lent.

In every aspect of your life, you are on a spectrum. Physically, you are somewhere between lifelessly weak or superhumanly strong. Emotionally, your passions are in the middle of unfettered or controlled. Intellectually, you are somewhere in the median of newborn baby and St. Thomas Aquinas.

You have a unique capacity to do, and be, greater than you currently are. You also have the possibility of becoming less than you currently are.

According to St. Irenaeus, God wants us to be fully alive. Because that’s ultimately our final destination—the beatific vision, when we see God and become perfect in our connection to Him in heaven. In paradise, our spectrums are maxed out completely; we’ll be the most intelligent we could ever be. We’ll be the strongest we’ll ever be. We’ll be the holiest we could ever be. And we’ll be the happiest we can possibly be for all eternity.

This is the secret of the saints. They increase their strength across all of their life spectrums to the point that the lines that divide heaven and earth, the physical from the metaphysical, are blurred. This is why the holiest among us tend to exude a superiority in virtue, wisdom, and collectedness that has its union in God. To be fully alive in this way, one must become one with He Who gives life.

Before you choose your Lenten sacrifice, ask yourself this question: “What will lead me toward becoming more fully alive?”

Use the following questions to ponder what that sacrifice might be:

Physical Sacrifices

Are you too exhausted, physically drained, and/or unable to find the energy to do the work God has called you to do?

Does your current diet help you attain the body weight, mental clarity, and interior health needed both to contemplate and to share the fruits of your contemplation?

Does your exercise routine help make your body, which is the temple of the holy Spirit, strong in its foundation?

Are you fasting from time to time to allow your body to reset itself nutritionally? Did you know that you can sanctify this motive with redemptive suffering, thus giving it physical and spiritual merit?

Are you getting enough sleep so your body can heal and recover from your day-to-day activities and mental strain?

Emotional Sacrifices

Are your relationships healthy? Do you need to forgive someone, or ask forgiveness from someone, so that there is unity within your family and communities?

Are you mentally exhausted due to decision fatigue or strenuous cerebral work? Is there something you need to take off your plate so you can properly love others and yourself?

Is there a negative emotion that overtakes your mental state more often than it should? Are you able to regulate that emotion and sanctify it through prayer and/or retreat?

Worldly Sacrifices

Does literature you read advance your sanctity either by direct instruction (non-fiction) or inferential deduction (fiction)?

Does the music you listen to affect your soul positively or negatively? Are others affected by what you fill the soundwaves with?

Are the television shows and movies you watch helpful to your spiritual advancement? Are they helping you relax, truly?

Is your digital wellbeing superior? In other words, do you have a healthy relationship with screens and your current reality?

My hope is that your answer to these questions will help you discern a proper Lenten practice that will make you more fully alive than simply “giving up sweets.” Intentions around this time are always good, but putting them into practice that produces true holiness is something you can only do with the help of God. Where human effort finds its limit, God’s mercy gives the soul wings so that it can see from the heavens what needs to be done below.

Be careful up there, you might find yourself radically conformed to Christ…

And fully alive.

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash