Of Lent and Computer Crashes

It's been an interesting week. My computer crashed last Saturday while we were vacationing in Florida. One minute it was working fine and the next all I could get after the welcome message was a black screen.

You never realize how dependent you are on technology until it fails you. It seems the poor computer was dying. Fortunately, my techie son-in-law could retrieve the data from the hard drive and I now have an Apple (installed tonight) that I need to learn how to use. Oh goodie! He assures me it is more secure than my old laptop and besides four of my children have switched to Apple and think they're great. Who am I to argue with all my smart, tech-savvy kids?

On the cusp of Holy Week

The day before Palm Sunday is a good time to assess your Lent. How have you done with increasing your prayer, fasting, and almsgiving all meant to draw you to a closer walk with the Lord?

 I don't confess in public so I won't go into my own failures during this season of opportunity, but I'm resolved to take full advantage of Holy Week.

If you haven't been to confession, there's still time in these last few days. You can pack a lot into a short time even if your Lent so far leaves you with head bent, ashamed to look the Savior in the face. And you have plenty of friends to keep you company on the journey. Your guardian angel and patron saints are guides who know the way and they are eager to help if you ask.

First Sunday of Lent: How are you doing?

Lent is five days old. Have you made a plan yet? When will you go to Confession? Have you already? Do you plan to go every two weeks as part of your Lenten journey? If you do, you will have one of the requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence every day. Do you know what the requirements are?

• a particular work that carries the indulgence, for example saying the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament or in company with at least one other person
• Communion and Confession within eight days of the work
• detachment from sin, even venial sin

Wouldn't it be wonderful if your almsgiving included a plenary indulgence every day for someone other than yourself? Think of how grateful a relative in Purgatory would be if you freed him in time to celebrate Easter in Heaven. Think how eager that soul would be to solicit your own quick exit from Purgatory when the time comes.

We'd all like to think we'll go straight to heaven when we die, but how many of us will really be ready to see Christ? Our salvation is secured by Him, of course, but will we have made full reparation in atonement for our sins? Protestants say Jesus does it all, but St. Paul says we need to make up what's lacking in the suffering of Christ. What's lacking but our own act of the will to offer our sufferings in union with him and in atonement for sin, our own sins and those of others?

As Catholics we know that forgiveness isn't all that's needed. We need to repair the damage from sin. Like a child who breaks a window there's still something to be done even if the owner forgives the transgression. The window is still broken.  Perfect contrition for our sins is a perfect repair, but many of us won't have it when we die. That's what the mercy of Purgatory is for - the opportunity to repair the brokenness of our cold hearts. Joining our prayers to the sufferings of those in Purgatory is an act of communion with the Church Suffering and an act of charity. It's like the dad who picks up his tools and helps his child fix the window.

This Lent why not pick up the tools for those who can no longer do it for themselves. Now the only really hard part is to eliminate the love for our vices that keeps us from being detached from sin. Ultimately, that's what Lent is all about.