By Jason Godin
Mar 21, 2011
Lent illuminates our need for God. Our little sacrifices remind us of our weak human nature and our struggle to develop virtues. Catholics the world over devote more time in prayer this season. Some have found in Lent a new opportunity to abstain from the variety of activities that have turned them from Christian living. Still others use the 40 days for greater almsgiving in their parishes or as a time to donate more of their income to charitable organizations.
Lent also affords parents an opportunity to deepen their unique role within the family by sacrificing their time, treasure and talent for their children. With better weather coming to most parts of the country, parents will find more chances to play outdoors with their young kids as daylight reaches longer into the evening. If their kids are older, later sunsets will allow more opportunities to get away from the workplace to cheer on their children from the bleachers or auditorium stands. Parents also will discover chances to begin saving whatever extra money they earn toward a family vacation rather than spending it on an item they may have planned to purchase for themselves.
Parents can also exercise greater patience and attention toward their children in these days of penance. This may prove, day to day, to be the most difficult Lenten practice! After all, children add dimensions of seemingly thankless sacrifice to the lives of their mothers and fathers each day – not just during Lent – by simply making demands on their parents’ wisdom, experiences and finances. Yet if parents go the extra mile and give not just things, but something of themselves, they may receive a reciprocal gift from their children – maybe not immediately, but as they mature. Parents who focus on appreciating the talents God has given to their children may very well find their children (even teenagers!) appreciating the talents that God has given their parents, and a new-found reciprocal respect may emerge. Parents who make sacrifices during Lent toward their children may also find that the initial pain becomes a well-spent investment in their family, investments that will bear valuable fruits for generations.
Lent is also a time to remember that every act, even seemingly small ones, can be offered to God in love and generosity. Sometimes it’s the small sacrifices that become the most cherished and have the greatest, long-lasting effect. When we spend time working alongside, relaxing with, or supporting others through their difficulties in life, we should offer up such time as a prayer of sacrifice to God. St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, said that small acts done with great love are pleasing in God’s eyes, and sanctify the giver and the recipient.