"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
This Lenten season, which began with Ash Wednesday (February 18) and ends on Easter Sunday (April 5), I decided to try pursuing an aggressive fasting protocol. Fasting is not limited to food. It also pertains to leisure time and entertainment.
The key word is "try." How hard could it be, I reasoned in advance. HA! Nothing will prove how human we are than attempting to forego our favorite refreshments and pastimes.
For example, podcasts. For many months I had been wondering how to address my obsessive reliance on numerous podcasts. Then, presto! Lent arrived and presented me with the perfect opportunity to stop listening to all except Battle Ready with Fr. Dan and The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike. Yes, I thought, this routine would be manageable. Silly me.
It was a good thought, indeed a worthy aim. Although not a complete failure, I've already slipped nearly daily. At least I'm down to one or two pods a day, instead of constant streaming. Progress, not perfection, seems to be achievable. Thank God for small favors, as Mom would've said.
I must say that giving up podcasts has been harder than not drinking wine. I haven't had a glass since Fat Tuesday, but I don't miss that nearly as much as The Shawn Ryan Show or The Nerve (which I admit, I have cheated once or twice to listen to). And Victor Davis Hanson? Well, he's an exception. Whenever he's on air in the midst of his ongoing recovery, I think God understands that I just have to listen to VDH: In This Own Words.
I'm sharing all this holy angst as a reminder that it's not too late to choose a simple pleasure to forego this Lenten season. If you're not already doing so, I challenge you to test yourself. It's a healthy and revealing exercise in self-control. As I did, you may find yourself amazed at how very human we are.
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| My Lenten Challenge 2026 |
