The Not-So-Perfect Catholic: Worth Revisiting

It's getting harder and harder to decide what to pick for my Lenten Devotional Journal. Who's with me? There are so many to choose from and not enough time to do it all. How do you decide? For me, there's the huge issue of "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out); I see some that look really great on social media and I want to get them all. Unfortunately, Lent is only 40 days; last year it seemed to fly by. I wasn't ready for it to end because I enjoyed my Lenten journey.
Just a few short years ago I had trouble finding a Catholic Journal. There were plenty of Protestant Journals but none that were specific for Catholics. I think the first one I found was from Blessed is She. Now it seems like I get an offer for a different one every other day. Oh, sure, you can do your own journal by reading the Daily Mass Readings and writing down your thoughts (which is basically what I've started doing) but to me, Lent is different. I want a little more guidance during that liturgically time of the year. What follows is not an exhaustive list; included is some of the journals that I've found that may be of interest.

🕈 To the End: the story of sacrificial love Lenten Journal (Blessed is She). Written by BiS founder Jenna Guizar with Beth Davis and Nell O'Leary helping her out, the journal focuses on the Gospel of John 11-19. Included is a weekly examen and space to journal for Sunday Mass. Cost: $25 with free shipping in the USA. You can't go wrong with any of the journals from Blessed is She!

🕈 Give Up Worry for Lent: 40 Days to Finding Peace in Christ (Gary Zimak- Ave Maria Press). This journal presents scripture and advice based on scripture to let go of things beyond your control through 4 steps: Read, Reflect, Respond, Pray. This isn't technically a "journal" per se because there is no space in the book to write your thoughts. You'd need your own notebook for journaling. I'm going to remember this book for next year. Cost: $13.95 + $2.75 shipping

🕈 BEST LENT EVER Jounal (Dynamic Catholic). This journal is designed to use with the daily Lenten reflections that are delivered to your email box. There isn't a preview available on the website and the "About" section wasn't descriptive enough to be able to say more about it. I do love Matthew Kelly and everything the Dynamic Catholic crew is doing, so it's definitely worth a look. Cost: $14.95 + $5.95 shipping.

🕈 The St. Paul Center is offering a free online study: Genesis to Jesus. It explores how and why we should read the Bible. A participant workbook is offered for $16.00 + free shipping in the USA. Scott Hahn is "da bomb" when it comes to understanding our faith. When purchasing, one option is to also buy Dr. Hahn's book; I already had it. It's not necessary for the study but it appears to be a companion for further reading.

🕈 Remember Your Death A Lenten Devotional (Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP- Pauline Books) This may seem a little morbid, but dying is a fact, and we need to be ready when our time on earth is up. This devotional isn't a journal; however, it does have a section for journaling in your own book. Cost: $16.95 + $3.75 shipping.

🕈 Lenten Gospel Reflections (Bishop Robert Barron- Word on Fire). A friend gave me the Advent version which was awesome so I couldn't pass this up when I saw it. The reflections are based on the Daily Mass Readings with a short reflection by Bishop Barron and a suggestion for meditation and journaling. Space for journaling is included. Cost: FREE with $5.95 shipping.

🕈 If those weren't enough, the crew from Take Up and Read has a new book Hosanna. This journal uses Lectio Divina to delve into the Gospel of Matthew. This is where my FOMO comes in: I saw this all over Instagram and fear I may be missing out. I suppose if I called in sick every day during Lent I would get through everything I wanted to, but obviously, that isn't an option! Cost: $22.00 on Amazon, so if you have Prime you know what that means: free shipping!

🕈 Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) is offering Walk in her Sandals: Experiencing Christ's Passion Through the Eyes of Women (Kelly M. Wahlquist) for their Lenten Book Club. You don't have to be in a "book club" to participate, you can do a self-study or follow along in their Facebook group. This was the book they used for Lent 2018 but the study guide is different. Cost: $15.95 (book only), $14.95 (journal only), or $25 (bundle-includes book, journal, and bookmark - members receive a discount!). Another case of FOMO settling in: Kelly Wahlquist is going to be the keynote speaker for our Diocesan CCW Convention in April, so I feel the need to get this and use it this Lent. Maybe something else will have to be put on the backburner?

🕈 A couple of other books worth mentioning: Scott Hahn's Lenten Reflections from A Father Who Keeps His Promises (Franciscan Media) - which is recommended to accompany the free online study- (I did this last year along with the Blessed is She journal) and What Jesus Saw from the Cross (A.G. Sertillanges- Sophia Institute Press). Lenten Reflections' cost is $15.99 + $1.90 shipping (if you spend $30 from Franciscan Media you receive free shipping); the cost of What Jesus Saw: $18.95 + $5.00 shipping for paperback and $9.95 for ebook.

Okay, Y'all: What did I miss? What are your plans for Lent, or have you not started thinking about yet? If you haven't, better get crackin'! Picking a Lenten Devotional is a very tough decision and it's getting harder with every year.

cell phone displaying social media outlets being held in a hand

Photo by Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels

Social Media can be a good thing if it's used for good. For the most part, the people I follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter do just that. Basically, the people I choose to follow aren't those who post lewd comments/pictures and have positive posts. I'm not saying that every post I see is like that, but you can make that choice to only follow positive influences. It's definitely a choice.

One strange god

The First Commandment states: I am the Lord, thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. Well, social media is definitely one strange god, that's for sure! It can be addictive and it can draw you away from having real relationships. It can definitely keep you from having a real relationship with God. If all of your spare time is focused on seeing what you missed on social media or watching clips from YouTube, where's your time for God? Where is your time for your family? Walk around town and count how many people are constantly checking their phone. Now we have "smartwatches" so all people have to do is look at their wrists to "stay connected". They don't even have to exert any extra energy by pulling their phones out of their pockets/purses...they only have to look at their wrists!

I am by no means saying I'm perfect and have never checked my phone constantly. This past Lent I started putting my phone on silent mode. I was able to be more dedicated to my job and actually didn't mind not being strapped to my phone. It was actually quite freeing! I liked it so much that I continued that practice. Social media is becoming a kind of "god"...some people can't do without it. By spending every bit of free time checking whatever form they prefer, they are worshipping social media.

Think of everything they are missing! While they are on their phones (or watches), the world is passing them by! These lines from the song Hold Out for Love (Francesca Battistelli) say it all:

Take your time, take your time, breathe it in

Just enjoy the moment you're in.

Taking it all in without taking pictures

In Matthew Kelly's book The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity, he discusses social media. He discusses how being so enthralled by social media keeps us from living. I have been so guilty of this: having to take pictures no matter what's going on so I can post it to Facebook, Instagram, or even one of my blogs. I ended up feeling like I didn't really experience what was going on.
A couple of weekends ago one of my sons graduated from law school. I went in armed with my phone and my "big girl camera". I have to say I was quite relieved when I saw my brother-in-law with his camera all set up on a tripod, ready to snap away. I was able to sit back and really take in his graduation without worrying about getting pictures. I put my phone in my pocketbook and didn't take it out until we found my son outside of the arena following the ceremony. I didn't miss a thing, and I definitely didn't miss taking pictures!
None of my 3 adult sons are big into social media, and I like that about them. I like that they are all about "living in the moment" and not feeling the need to record everything they do. One of my sons isn't on any kind of social media at all. He said that it's not "real life". That's exactly what Matthew Kelly says in his book. "Social media robs us of life. It takes our focus off living life and shifts it to presenting a false image of ourselves and our lives to other people." What I wouldn't give for my son to spend some time with Mr. Kelly!

How to use social media for good

1) Check out who is following you. If the person's posts raise eyebrows, block him/her.
2) Only put things on social media that you would want your grandmother to see. Another litmus test: if it was on the front page of your local newspaper, would you be embarrassed?
3) Put your phone down. Better yet, disable all of the notifications (visual and audible) for social media outlets so you aren't tempted.
4) Never, ever buy a smartwatch. I'm actually a bit amazed that people are so attached to their social media or emails that they can't live without one.
5) Limit how long you are on social media. Set a timer if you have to. When the timer goes off, just walk away. It really isn't hard.

So, yes. Social Media can be a good thing if used for good, not evil. I know some people who will completely ban it from their lives during Lent. That's not a bad thing, but you don't have to go to that extreme. If you limit what you're putting out there and limit the time, it doesn't have to take over your life and become a god.