Holy Wednesday 2011

Image by Vinoth Chandar

Since Monday, I've been throwing out suggestions for Holy Week sacrifices.
You might be wondering, which one/s am I doing?

Let me start off by saying that Virtual Assistants have realities that are different
than most people. By this I mean, most people use the internet some of the time.
VAs have to be online ALL OF THE TIME. Only because that's WHERE we
work.Yes, if the web suddenly crashed (and I hope it does not), my work life
will go crashing down with it.

Then there's the fun stuff that one can do online: blogs, videos, forums, games,
FB, Skype, etc etc etc Staying online for too long can quickly turn into a vice
if you let it.

So, I'm definitely cutting down on my computer time this Holy Week. Good
Friday will in fact be a black out day. This will allow me to allocate more time
for praying and for reading religious books.

On Easter Sunday, I hope to emerge a better Catholic--- inspired and renewed
to face the new challenges that are headed my way, and confident that My Lord
and I can accomplish great things together.

Holy Tuesday 2011

Image by Vinoth Chandar

Still trying to figure out what to give up this Holy Week? Here are some suggestions

from One Catholic Life: 

1-10: The Usuals:

1. Give up candy/sweets.
2. Give up television time.
3. Give up eating snacks between meals.
4. Give up or limit soda or coffee.
5. Give up or limit video games.
6. Spend more time with family.
7. Give to the poor.
8. Do an extra chore each day.
9. Perform a random act of kindness.
10. Spend more time in prayer.

11-20: Prayer

1. Pray a book of scripture using lectio divina.
2. Attend Mass on a weekday (every day if possible).
3. Pray the rosary each day, alone or with your family.
4. Prayerfully read Abandonment to Divine Providence.
5. Make a special prayer notebook and list all the people in your life who need prayers; pray for them each day. Add someone new every day.
6. Learn to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
7. Make a commitment to attend Eucharistic Adoration regularly.
8. Commit to examining your conscience each evening.
9. Pray the Jesus Prayer throughout the day.
10. Pray the Angelus each day at noon.

31-40: For Internet Users/Bloggers

1. Set time limits on overall online time.
2. Limit Facebook time.
3. Limit Myspace time.
4. Resist making or adding to lists that rank people.
5. Share one spiritual video with your online network once a week.
6. Blog about the poor once a week.
7. Add a spiritual blog to your blog reader.
8. Subscribe to a prayer podcast like Pray As You Go or Pray Station Portable.
9. Leave an encouraging or positive comment on a different blog each day.
10. Help a new blogger by sending traffic their way.

51-60: For Those With Lives Out of Balance

1. Go for a walk each day with a loved one and talk about life and faith.
2. Take the kids to the park each week for some carefree time.
3. Give up fast food and give the money to charity.
4. Exercise each day.
5. Spend at least half an hour each day in meaningful conversation with your spouse.
6. Go on a Lenten retreat.
7. Pray with Sacred Space each day.
8. Commit to a daily 3 Minute Retreat.
9. Begin the online 34-week Retreat for Everyday Life.
10. Give up your most unhealthy habit.

90-101: Potpourri

1. Begin to receive the Sacrament of Penance weekly.
2. Give up foul language.
3. Give up gossiping.
4. Read and study Healing the Culture.
5. Study the life of a different saint each day.
6. Cook dinner each night for your family if someone else normally does.
7. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
8. Carry extra food in your car, purse or backpack to give to street corner beggars.
9. Begin practicing socially conscious investing.
10. Spend a week meditating on each of the seven principles of Catholic social teaching.
11. Make breakfast each morning for your family.

Click HERE for the entire list.

Holy Monday 2011

Image by Vinoth Chandar

"Fasting, praying and almsgiving are the three penitential practices that we are 

asked to engage in during Lent. In addition to fasting and abstaining with the 

rest of the Church on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent, we are also 

challenged to make individual sacrifices appropriate to our own spiritual condition. 

However, before we choose something to give up for Lent, it’s important to assess 

our current spiritual state:

* What habits do I engage in that are destructive to my spiritual health?

* To what material things am I too attached?

* What areas in my life are unbalanced?

* To what do I devote too much or not enough time?

- One Catholic Life"

In the next few days, I'll be sharing with you some Holy Week Reflections. May
there reflections bring you closer to God.


To start off, what sacrifices are you planning on doing this Holy Week? I know, 
for some, this is a case of too late the hero. We should have been doing sacrifices 
this entire Lent. Sadly, I've had too many things on my mind. It may not be enough, 
it never will be, but I'd like to do what I can this Holy Week.


Nick of One Catholic Life was correct in suggesting that we make a self assessment
before we rush off to our sacrifices. What may be a sacrifice for some, will not always
be a sacrifice to others. It's not about getting this done and over with. It's about 
reconnecting back to Our Lord.