For seniors, Lent is a time for interior change

OMAHA, Neb. (The Catholic Voice) - Lent is a time to symbolically journey with Christ to Easter and beyond.

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For many people, this journey involves giving up things or doing things. Whether removed from or added to daily life, the exercise should bring about a change in that person's life, said Father Frank Dvorak, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Omaha.

The practice with the greatest impact answers the questions, "What is lacking in my spiritual life right now?" and "How will that affect me Easter Monday?" Father Dvorak said.

Mary Reis, a member of St. Bernadette Parish in Bellevue, said her Lenten work has changed over the years.

"It used to be about denial. We didn't eat sweets - it was more about that I'm not going to do something that revolved around food," the 77-year-old said. "Now I go to Mass and the Stations of the Cross more. I also am doing things like showing compassion and forgiveness to others."

The change from denial to positive improvement comes from her own life changes.

"It seems to me that as a church we used to be a lot more about punishment and guilt. Now we are kinder and have a more loving approach," she said. "It's possible that that's where I am in my life.

"My husband died a year ago. Once you have a broken heart, you are much more compassionate to others and to yourself."

Positive action

Reis read something early in Lent about fasting from selfishness and bitterness. It also talked about doing positive things like forgiving and speaking well about others. "I think this kind of thing helps you grow," she said.

To achieve personal or spiritual growth, Father Dvorak encourages people to do little things every day. Too often, big, unrealistic plans are scrapped like New Year's resolutions, he said.

Living Lent day to day rather than as a six-week marathon can help. If someone doesn't succeed one day, the practice still can be continued. The better attitude is "if today I fail, tomorrow I can try again," he said.

Additionally, he recommends taking incremental steps toward the destination. For example, if someone desires a more consistent prayer life and it's the third week of Lent, adding one minute of prayer a day will either build or add 21 minutes by Easter.

"It's not one big chunk. It's an evolution that I go through," he said, adding this approach helps to sustain the change beyond Easter.

Circumstances differ

For some elders, giving something up or doing something may seem inconsequential or impossible due to their conditions or circumstances.

Margaret Eipperle, also a member of St. Bernadette Parish, has neuropathy, a condition causing constant pain in her legs.

She can't walk. She can't do anything unless sitting, and Feb. 25 was the first time she left home since Christmas.

When she was younger, she used to go to daily Mass and did a lot of volunteer work. Her life revolved around church and school, she said. While she said she can't continue that lifestyle, the spirituality has become second nature.

Today she and her husband Jerry still observe Lent but the doing is not that much different from their daily practice.

"I do have some Lenten books I try to read, but we pray every day anyway. I usually try not to eat between meals anyway," she said. "I try to just go day by day. That seems to help me, and I do try to also stay positive.

"Jerry has to take care of me, the cooking, everything. He never complains. He is so good about doing it all."

In a society focused on doing rather than being, Father Dvorak said the value of their practice of endurance and presence may go undervalued.

"Some of us are not able to be as much as we should because we stay so busy with stuff," he said. "But some elders can be present like no one else because some have more grace time for more being instead of doing."

Whatever the practice, the important piece is choosing to arrive at Easter Monday different than where a person started on Ash Wednesday, Father Dvorak said.

Part of the journey to Easter is to fully celebrate the joy of the resurrection. Reis said she feels this joy more deeply when she has chosen to arrive at a little better place in her life's journey.

"If my goal is to be just a little bit better, I can celebrate that with Christ's victory," she said. "I am not talking about huge things. Most of what I do is baby steps."

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This story was made available to Catholic Online by permission of The Catholic Voice (www.catholicvoiceomaha.com), official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb.