Lent-Sarita Madrid

Lent is a unique time of the year because during this penitential season it is suggested to give up something in order to die to self and grow closer to Christ. I really enjoy this time of year (as it recently passed) because it really helps in practicing sacrifice and not being selfish. I honestly think that giving up things should occur year round because it is helpful with selfishness and useful in practicing the virtue of self-control. Last year, something that I gave up for Lent was gossiping. It was not that I struggled necessarily with this problem however I noticed how easy it was to talk about others without thinking about how it could affect them. It made me question everything I started to say about others whether it was good or bad. This was an eye-opening experience because it made me think of what I was saying and how what I am saying could affect how someone thinks of another, even if you are going to that person for help as opposed to solely gossip about another. By speaking about others, you could not influence someone to think less of another person but you could also influence them to join in talking badly about that person. It is just interesting to sit down and reflect on how important it is to think about what you say before you say it and how hard it is to actually do that. During Lent, I payed a lot of attention to what I was saying and stopped talking even at the possibility of gossiping. Most of the things I did not say were probably not bad but this really helped with self-discipline and thinking before speaking or acting.