Resolutions during Lent can lead to good habits

Happy New Year!  I hope that your celebration of the birth of Our Lord was a joyful occasion for you and yours.  
A lot of people like to make New Year’s Resolutions.  I am not one of them.  A resolution when done as a New Year Resolution seems to be a “forever” commitment.  Perhaps I resolve to exercise 3 times a week, or to give up a particular junk food item.  Whatever the resolution may be it seems to me that it becomes, essentially a permanent commitment.  I find that hard to accomplish.  I may be able to give up Doritos for a week or even a month, but it is too sad to embrace the idea of giving them up forever.  When temptation hits and I am considering breaking my resolution I find the finality of my resolution works against me.  I find it much more palatable to make a resolution for a particular period of time.  Then, when I am tempted to break my resolution I can take solace in reminding myself that my resolution will only be impinging on me for a “little while longer.”  This helps me get through, as opposed to the idea of giving up some good for ever.
This is why I love the upcoming season of Lent.  I am so weak, and it is difficult for me to make permanent resolutions, but I can make promises for the 40ish days of Lent.  I think this is why God, in His infinite wisdom has given us a particular period of time for our Lenten observances.   We will look at those next time, but for now I want to focus on what Lent can do.
I know people who worship at Mass every day, or virtually every day.  The vast majority of those developed the habit by resolving to go to daily Mass during Lent.  When Lent ended they continued to attend Mass daily because they had formed a habit, and found it a rich experience.
Next time we will look at the three areas that the Church asks us to focus on during Lent, but be aware that as you ponder Lenten disciplines these can be practices that evolve into habitual behaviors.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] 
at mobilefaithformation.org