Sacraments.

With Ash Wednesday only a few days away and Lent to follow, sacraments were the main topic of today's meeting.

In middle school and high school, Lent was about giving something up - pop, junk food, bad language, etc. This weekend I was thinking about the different things that I could give up for Lent - fast food, television shows - but at our meeting this morning we discussed how sometimes adding something to your daily life could be better than giving something up. Lent is supposed to be a period of soul-searching and repentance, a time to reflect on your life and make sacrifices to remember the 40 days and 40 nights that Christ spent in the desert. Giving up "The O.C." is unlikely to help me reflect and remember Christ.

God is the provider. My personal relationship with God is based largely on appreciation of the life that he as provided for me. My family, friends, education, etc. are all things that I attribute to God's will. So, this year I am going to spent Lent expressing my thankfulness to those around me. Every week, sometimes twice a week, I'm going to focus on one person or aspect of my life and express my gratitude through a letter.

Encarta defines grace as an unearned favor, freely bestowed by God on individuals. Sacraments are consider the "vehicles of grace" and how better do receive grace than to do courteous favors for those we care about?