Four days of Hell

Not really, but whoa, this 'giving up the Internet' for Lent thing is tough. All my habits tend to lead me right back there. My mornings used to be:
5 am alarm
05:01 boot Mac, go to kitchen.
05:03 Put coffee on.
05:07 Dialup server
05:08 Get coffee
05:11 Check e-mail
05:15 Check in at the Cafeteria, then continue blog-surfing until 06:30
06:30 Make breakfast for the kids, coffee for the mate.

And again more during the day, and a couple hours at night after the spawn and spouse go to bed. All my patterns are disrupted. Life, and Lent, will go on.

Other notes:

My son, 5 years old, after discussing the 'Operation Rice Bowl' bowl, got Lent off to a good start by transferring the contents of my change jar into the bowl. He said that since there's lots of kids out there that go hungry, we need to put lots of money into the bowl. He's pledged to be vigilant for any other vagrant coinage.

It is next to impossible to find shoes that are NOT made in China. Out of almost 50 pairs that I looked at, searching for a pair of brown leather casuals, only 3 were made elsewhere. The big shocker was Doc Martens being almost exclusively chinese in make anymore. I ended up with brown leather shoes, with a norweigan name, made in Mexico. Go figure.

A monstrance is a time machine, a window in time to the Last Supper, when Jesus gave us His Body for the first time. It is, and has always been, the same Body of Christ that was given on that day and at every celebration of the Eucharist since. Whoa. Who needs a Delorean with a flux capacitor?

"Vatican II and You" starts tomorrow night, so tune in next Sunday for some impressions. From the description of the lecture, I'm guessing that Sacrosactum Concilium is on the menu as the main course.

Pondering the Stations of the Cross, pt. I:

Station 1, Jesus before Pilate: How often have I asked the question "What is Truth" while willfully ignoring my Savior before me? And then absolving myself of my own sins by abdicating responsibility for them. Yet, Jesus forgives me my selfishness.

Station 2, Jesus receives His Cross: In my sins, am I not the Roman soldier that places the Cross on Jesus' shoulders, and then shoves Him on His way? And yet, Jesus forgives me my selfishness.

More stations as Lent moves on.

We adore you, o Christ and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.