{"id":1190,"date":"2011-04-05T07:48:56","date_gmt":"2011-04-05T12:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=1190"},"modified":"2011-04-05T07:48:56","modified_gmt":"2011-04-05T12:48:56","slug":"pressing-on-the-lenten-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/04\/pressing-on-the-lenten-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressing on the Lenten Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"
When this post goes live, there will be just twenty days remaining before Easter Sunday. <\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help but wonder where the time has gone.<\/p>\n

It seems like just a few days ago when we entered into prayer and fasting on Ash Wednesday. \u00a0The whole season of Lent, with its promises of sacrifice and devotion, laid before us then, as we resolved to strike out, each of us on our individual journey of faith.<\/p>\n

I might be wrong, but I\u2019m guessing I\u2019m not the only one who hasn\u2019t had a perfect lent. I can\u2019t say that I have stayed faithful to every sacrifice of time, effort and devotion that I sought to pursue on that Ash Wednesday. \u00a0Unfortunately, the journey has taken it\u2019s toll and, at times, I have lost my way. \u00a0I suspect I\u2019m not alone because, when you think about it, that\u2019s just how journeys go.<\/p>\n

When we talk about lent as a journey we have to keep the fullness of that metaphor in mind. \u00a0When you start any journey, the promise of what\u2019s beyond the horizon fills you with awe, wonder and excitement. \u00a0There is endless possibility in what\u2019s to come. \u00a0However, with each mile the journey becomes more arduous, filled with difficulty, distraction and a loss of resolve. \u00a0They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step but really, it\u2019s that first step that\u2019s the easiest. \u00a0It\u2019s on step three-thousand four hundred and twelve that the journey is at it\u2019s most difficult.<\/p>\n

In terms of our Lenten journey, we\u2019re somewhere in that three-thousand step range. \u00a0We are at the time in the journey where we start to ask ourselves, \u201cshould I just turn around, head home, and try again next year?\u201d \u00a0Or, perhaps, feeling like we\u2019ve made substantial and acceptable progress, maybe we just stop moving forward, find a nice place to rest and \u201ccoast\u201d until the season of our journey concludes.<\/p>\n

If any of these thoughts have crossed your mind, as they have admittedly crossed mine, then let this be the tool the Holy Spirit uses to snap you out of it and encourage you to keep on pressing forward. \u00a0As the writer of the book of Hebrews \u00a0said, \u201cLet us rid ourselves of every burden…and persevere in running the race that lies before us\u201d (Hebrews 12: 1). \u00a0\u00a0I look forward to seeing you back on the pilgrim trail and to the eventual celebration we will share as we bask in the light of Christ on that Easter Sunday. \u00a0For every hard mile we trod between now and then, the celebration will be that much sweeter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When this post goes live, there will be just twenty days remaining before Easter Sunday.  I can\u2019t help but wonder where the time has gone. It seems like just a few days ago when we entered into prayer and fasting on Ash Wednesday. \u00a0The whole season of Lent, with its promises of sacrifice and devotion,… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36292,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/5-common-misconceptions-about-ash-wednesday\/","url_meta":{"origin":1190,"position":0},"title":"5 Common Misconceptions About Ash Wednesday","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"February 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Ash Wednesday not only marks the beginning of the season of Lent, it is also a time when Catholic new media takes center stage, albeit not in the most obvious ways. This is because Ash Wednesday masses are some of the most attended all year, and most of those mass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"5CommonMisconceptionsAboutAshWednesday","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/5CommonMisconceptionsAboutAshWednesday-630x484.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11962,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/i-kinda-3-lent\/","url_meta":{"origin":1190,"position":1},"title":"I Kinda <3 Lent","author":"Rita Suva","date":"February 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Remember, man you are dust and to dust you will return.\" \u2013Roman Missal, Imposition of Ashes So, I\u2019m a little bit crazy. My favorite \u201cCatholic holiday\u201d is the Easter Triduum, but most especially within that, Good Friday. Yeah, the day Jesus Christ died. Most people think that it\u2019s just a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ash-Wednesday-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38135,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/03\/do-you-count-sundays-in-lent\/","url_meta":{"origin":1190,"position":2},"title":"Do You Count Sundays in Lent?","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"March 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been very amazed to see the amount of Catholics that haven\u2019t been to mass in years yet still feel the need to give something up for Lent. I haven\u2019t seen any official polls, but it seems that this group is even larger than the ones that go to mass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Do You Count Sundays In Lent?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DoYouCountSundaysInLent-630x320.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12256,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/have-you-cheated-yet\/","url_meta":{"origin":1190,"position":3},"title":"Have You Cheated Yet?","author":"Brandon Kraft","date":"February 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Alright folks. One week down. How is everyone doing? Been perfect so far? I admit, I already had a Lenten slip-up. This year, for better or worse, I didn't mention what I was offering up for Lent on my personal site. In retrospect, I usually fail at it, which not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/6098585736_6de8606f39_b-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":387756,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/father-love-lenten-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":1190,"position":4},"title":"To My Father For All His Love: A Lenten Reflection","author":"Anonymous","date":"April 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Guest Post by Deacon Dan Lupo In Chicago, where I grew up, March days are shrouded in gray, blasted by icy wind, and blanketed by snow. Perfect Lent weather. The weather is Lent-perfect because the gray skies evoke a somber mood, which matches the serious attitude Lent fosters. Lent calls\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/deacondan-2-ordination-157x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":92872,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/sunday-says-podcast-march-1-2015-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":1190,"position":5},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – March 1, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"February 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Sunday, March 1, 2015 Second Sunday of Lent Lectionary: 26 Reading 1 Genesis 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 This first reading from Genesis is the pivotal moment when Abraham is put to the final test by the Lord. This is the Akedah, as the Jewish call it, the binding of Isaac\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-630x486.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-630x486.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-630x486.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}