At Long Last!

Well I finally did it. I made it to Jamaica.

After about a month of being at home and ending the sadness of the Superbowl, I have arrived to this beautiful country of Jamaica. A country known for it’s beaches , resorts, and heat.

The week that I came to Jamaica was the start of Lent with Ash Wednesday mass. Here in Jamaica at Saint Joseph’s, they did something called the day of recollection which I had never done before.

The day of recollection was a half of day event. They had Lectio Divina which is a method of praying where you take a bible passage and read it, meditate, contemplate and pray. We also sang a lot of songs the people of Jamaica love to sing. People gave testimonies about what It means to be a Catholic in Savannah la Mar. Lastly we showed a movie called “Heaven is for Real.” Based on a book by the same title, it focuses on a child who gets very sick and sees heaven. The child tells his father who starts to question his own faith

That is was lent is about—a time of actively trying to grow in our faith. We give up certain aspects of our lives, like having an excess of food, drink or the Internet, giving up comforts such as your bed and we give them to God so he can make us a better versions of ourselves.

That is what we tried to do during the day of recollection by having people talk about how to be a better Catholic in Savannah la Mar. I never heard a clear answer to the question. But that’s  just it; there are no clear, easy answers.

We as Christians are called to pick up our crosses and follow God always but, Lent is special because this is a time when Jesus faced sin himself. He went off into the desert. He denied himself of food, glory and power each time the devil himself tempting him. Jesus did not give in.

That is what we should remember and emulate during lent and redouble our efforts to become closer to God.

Have a blessed Lent and good Luck