Ash Wednesday is in five days. How did that happen?!
I’m both really excited for Lent this year, and kind of nervous about it at the same time. The past few years, I’ve had a hard time coming up with something to give up. Usually I wait to the last minute and then end up just committing to spending more time with some particular spiritual practice. This year, however, I hit on something about a month ago and it caught fire in my brain. I’m going to give up shaving and make this a #RazorlessLent.
A beard is something I have never had nor wanted. I have always loved the look and feel of a cleanly-shaven face, and a couple days of growth is all it takes for it to become uncomfortable and itchy. So already a #RazorlessLent will entail some mortification of both the eyes and the flesh. What really got me hooked on the idea, though, was a conversation I had with a friend of mine. I happened to casually mention how one of the things that would make me not want to join certain religious orders would be the requirement to grow a beard. Full disclosure: I am not feeling a call to any such thing at the moment, but it still struck me that here was a thing with the potential to stand between me and God, and that Lent would provide a wonderful opportunity to bring it under submission. So that is what I am going to do.
Still, I’m nervous, because ever since I made up my mind to do this, I’ve been hyper-aware of even a little stubble on my chin. This is definitely going to be a challenge for me!
St. Valentine’s Day is on Thursday! As I know the Internet will be overrun on that day by the sound of a thousand wambulances whining at full volume, I want to take this opportunity to make a PSA to the other single men out there: Guys, stop freakin’ complaining about the Friendzone already!
Firstly, it betrays a lack of trust in God’s plan for your life. There is only one woman in your life whom you need to fall head-over-heels romantically in love with you, and that is your wife. And she will. If you prayerfully seek to draw ever closer to Christ, then one day He is going to take an ember from His Most Sacred Heart and use it to make the heart of your intended burst into flames with love of you.
Secondly, you’re selling yourself short! Think about the sheer number of jerks and cretins who circulate among the male population and pollute the dating pool. They do enormous damage and make it hard for a lot of women to trust men. If a woman in your life judges that you are her friend, trusts you enough to be open and vulnerable with you, and allows an emotional closeness to develop between the two of you, because she believes that you will never manipulate that bond for your own advantage…it means, in her eyes, that you’re pretty damn special, even if no romantic draw exists. Don’t disparage it or yourself. It’s a testament to your character and your ability to love selflessly. When the woman you are meant to marry does come into your life, she is going to be blown away and thankful beyond words to find that God has led her to a man who is already well-practiced at joyfully loving with a heart that earnestly seeks only the happiness and well-being of the Other to which it is bound.
On the subject of St. Valentine’s Day, if you are unattached and feeling left out by a day devoted to romance, you can always schedule a special date night with Our Lord by spending an hour or two in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. An alternative, if that is not available or if you are otherwise inclined, might be to make a private Stations of the Cross, call up a friend with whom you haven’t spoken recently, visit an elderly neighbor, or find some way to reach out to someone who is feeling lonely or abandoned. Mother Teresa said that the greatest poverty in the world was that of “being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for.” Maybe the ache in your heart has less to do with thirsting for someone to love you, and more to do with a need to share the love you have with others. Be not afraid to do so.
Don’t forget as well, there is no reason why you shouldn’t fast and pray for your future spouse, even if you haven’t met him or her yet. Just because you can’t spend this February 14 with them, that doesn’t mean you can’t spend it for them.
The trailer for Light of Love is out!
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Imagine Sisters is only $9,000 away from their fundraising goal to produce this film; if you want to make sure Light of Love becomes more than just a trailer, you can make a donation here.
A couple days ago, I got turned on to this band RED. Screaming hard rock is not usually my thing, but these guys are pretty kick-ass, and I’ve been rocking out to them something fierce. Plus, they’re Christian! Their band name refers to the Blood of Our Lord. Here is their latest music video, Release The Panic.
RED – Release The Panic from RED on Vimeo.
I know, right?! That’s pretty aweso…wait a second…
HOLY JUMPING FANBOYS, BATMAN! That’s Molly Quinn, of ABC’s Castle!
An Irish-American girl who works with Nathan Fillion, cosplayed as Malcolm Reynolds at ComicCon, and appears in hard rock music videos. Your argument is invalid.
I know in #3, I gave some suggestions as to what one might do in the absence of St. Valentine’s Day plans, and I highly encourage you to look at those options first.
But…if none of that appeals to you, there might be…a certain film coming out on that day.
Yippie-kay-yay, gentle readers.
A friend of mine recently took a trip out to Arizona and was overawed by the scenery and how powerfully the desert and the mountains testified to God’s presence and magnificence. It reminded me of this cover by one of my favorite bluegrass bands, The Infamous Stringdusters. Enjoy!
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