Prayer, Fasting, and Alms Giving

In the church, it is the season on Lent.  A season of repentance.  A season of preparing for the Resurrection of the Lord. A time when we reflect on our lives.

In the Catholic Church, Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and alms giving.  As I've gotten older, the meanings of these words have changed.  

As a child, Lent is the time when you give up chocolate, soda, saying mean things, etc....but does giving up chocolate really help you to grow closer to God? 

Lent is a time, where through prayer, we can grow deeper in our relationship with Christ.  It's a time when we can give back and do our part.  It is a time where we can eliminate something negative in our lives that is holding us back in our relationship with God.

Lent is a time when the Church encourages you to repent for your sins.  The Church "requires" you to go to Confession once a year, and you will often hear priests encourage members to go during this time of repentance.  Confession is an idea that I have struggled with understanding for many years, and each Lent, the idea of Confession tugs at my heart.  I struggle with the concept of having to tell a priest my sins in order to be forgiven because I have many friends who aren't Catholic that have sinned and been forgiven...so why do I need to tell a priest my sins to be forgiven? 

As I prepared for this season of Lent and began praying about what my Lenten promise would be, I really began to think about the idea of Confession.  It has constantly been on my mind..do I go or do I not go? If I really needed to go to Confession, wouldn't God have already taken me through that journey? Why would He keep testing my faith with the idea of Confession?

But as I began praying about this idea, I realized that this was the most I had thought about this idea in a long time.  Here I am, a young adult who attends church nearly every weekend, and yet I feel conflicted because I struggle with the idea of Confession.  

I was reminded that when you give yourself to God, He will not lead you astray.  He will lead you exactly where you are supposed to go. He will take you on the amazing journey that He has created for you.  So I encourage all my family and friends who are struggling with something in their faith to pray.  Tell God what you are struggling with, because He wants to help you. 

"If you want to know what God wants you to do-ask him, and He will gladly tell you." James 1:5