Stephanie Schuckenbrock- Good to read at all times!

Lenten Reflection
It all started on Friday, the day we don’t eat meat, my family decided to go out and eat fish. After trying to eat at several places only to find they were super crowded, we ended up eating at a sushi place, which is my absolute favorite place to eat. They have this one sushi roll that is a little slice of perfection wrapped up in rice and doused with a rich sauce. The point I’m trying to make is that I love eating sushi. You might be wondering, how is this relevant to Lent? Well, let’s begin with the reason we don’t eat meat on Fridays. Back around the time the Bible was written, meat was considered a luxury while fish was the common man’s food because the wealthy owned land and could raise farm animals while the sea belonged to everyone. So eating fish signifies modesty and sacrifice because while we have the ability to eat meat we don’t. As I was indulging in the best raw fish wrapped in rice on this planet, I realized eating this sushi wasn’t a sacrifice for me nor was it modest. The whole reason for not eating meat was to contribute the sacrifice to the capital of grace and there I was devouring some irresistible sushi. As I continued to munch, I felt bad that I wasn’t truly capturing the meaning of Lent. Even though I was technically following the rules for Lent, it felt the same as not telling a lie, but not fully telling the truth. But then it dawned on me that just feeling bad about it was changing anything because I was still chowing down on the sushi. I think many of us suffer from not living our Lent to its fullest potential whether it’s caused by spoiling ourselves with whatever we gave up or rarely meditating on what Jesus did for us. In order to combat this horrible problem, I’d like to encourage you to seize Holy week. Holy week is an opportunity to take your goals for the Lenten season and live them to the fullest. For example, if you gave up eating candy, don’t eat sweets during Holy week. Or if you were going to strive to eat healthy, avoid eating fatty foods and exercise every day. If you were going to try to limit the time you spent watching TV, only use technology such as computers or TV’s when necessary. But most importantly include time to pray and reflect. Try to think about exactly what Jesus did. Think about how difficult it must have been for him. Try to picture yourself in his sandals and how you never could have done it. Truly appreciate and thank God for all of your blessing and the best present he ever gave you, His Son. So when you’re having a difficult time living your Lenten goals to the extreme during Holy Week remember we’re not the only ones, who gave up something we value during Lent and that what we’ve given up is completely insignificant compared to what God sacrificed for us.
-Stephanie Schuckenbrock