Daily Reflection Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the I have given up season. Every year Catholics all over the world vow to give things up for Lent. I have read posts online saying I am giving up the internet, candy, cookies, the laundry list of "giving ups" is long. But does your giving up cookies really make a difference in your faith or prayer life? Will not eating that cookie bring you closer to God? Probably not.



If whatever we are giving up does not help our prayer life or the life of another, is it really a sacrifice? Let’s say we are giving up Facebook or TikTok are we using the time we would have been on those apps to pray? Are the items we are giving up being donated to charity?



God wants our sacrifices to bring us closer to him. Turn your online hours into hours spent at Adoration, or volunteering at your local soup kitchen or food pantry. Make a retreat and spend a day, weekend, or week with God. Read your bible and if you can’t stay of a device add the Hallow app to it and as they say on Hallow “Stay prayed up.”