why I love Holy Week

#MARY

 #HEART

 #PETITIONS

 #PRAYER

 #FAITHFUL

 #SILENCE

 #HOSANNA

 #FROZEN

 #SACRIFICE

#FREEDOM

I look at Palm Sunday as a sort of reset button.

No matter what this Lent has been about, no matter what I’ve done or not done well, no matter what my intentions were five weeks ago—I can give myself fully to this coming week.

So if you are like me and you’re wondering if it’s too late, I’m here to remind you that it’s only the beginning.

This is Holy Week.

Look at this week with new eyes.

Say yes to the quiet moments. They’re everywhere!

Look at your Bible (or daily readings) before you look at your phone in the mornings (Pope Francis’ suggestion, not mine!).

Take time to read the Passion story.

Pray.

Spread joy -- in whatever circumstance you find yourself in this week.

Celebrate the Triduum… Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper… Friday’s Adoration of the Cross… and yes, if at all possible, go to the Easter Vigil.  It is the most beautiful liturgy in the Catholic Church.

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Note #1:   The photos you see here are from my #LentPhotoaDay efforts, a part of my #LentenWalk this year! 

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Note #2:   In order to enter fully into my “reset efforts” this week, I am signing off all social media!  

Know that I will hold you and yours in my prayers throughout these holy days! 

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“We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

for he is our salvation,

our life,

and our resurrection;

 through him we are saved and made free.”

~Galatians 6:14

 #WAIT

 #ABANDON

 #EMPTY

 #SAINT

#TRUST

 #JOY

 #BEGINNINGS

 #GIFT

 #PEACE

 #SUNRISE

 #SPRING

 #LOVE

#MATERNITY

as in the Camino, so in life

All photos © Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda,
the Camino de Santiago, 2003

I really enjoyed the opportunity during this Lent to ponder and expand on a topic I wrote a few years ago for the New York Times section, "Room for Debate."  The original question I was asked was, "What is the Purpose of Lent?"

When I was invited to write a reflection on Lent or a particular Lenten practice for the North Texas Catholic Newsmagazine this year, I used that previous discussion as a spark to reflect further, specifically, on fasting...

Here's what I came up with:

   Ten years after my friend Pat and I walked 350 miles of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across northern Spain, we sat at her dining table and laughed about the vigorous women we were then — and how much our lives had changed.

   Pat was battling brain cancer, and I was learning to function with a chronic autoimmune condition. Exactly one week after marking the 10th anniversary of our arrival at the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, Pat completed her earthly pilgrimage.

   During that last year of her life, as I walked with Pat through her chemo, then radiation, and then finally facing her impending death, we used to talk about and ponder how the physical trials of our daily life mirrored the struggles and challenges we went through on the Camino.

   In truth, however, it’s the other way around. Our Camino pilgrimage was — and is — a metaphor for our lives: I can’t anticipate what struggles today will bring, but anything is doable one step at a time; Every uphill has a downhill; Hardships become manageable with a friend; Every single thing that I carry weighs me down, so I must choose wisely what is in my backpack. And accepting that there will always be hardships and trials in our daily walk is the path to, ultimately, learn to notice the unexpected blessings along the way.

   In our culture, however, things like pain, suffering, worries, difficulties, grieving, are all things to conquer — and above all — to anesthetize as quickly as possible. Each of us becomes an addict looking for a quick fix. Drugs. Food. Exercise. Sex. Alcohol. Shopping. Television. Disposable relationships. Whatever it takes in order to not feel bad, sad, or hurt.

   Lent offers me a unique opportunity in my quest to open my heart without reservation to what God wants to give me each day. I fast to get out of my comfort zone. But mainly I fast as a continuation of my pilgrimage, out of my desire to become deliberate in my daily living.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my reflection in the North Texas Catholic.