My St. Michael’s Lent

San Michele Arcangelo, ora pro nobis

As St. Michael’s Lent draws to a close, I have been thinking less about what I accomplished and more about where I fell short. Traditionally observed in the weeks leading up to the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, this period of voluntary prayer and penance offers an opportunity to impose a little more discipline upon ourselves and turn our attention back toward God.

I began with good intentions, trying to pray more consistently, practice greater self-denial, and become more conscious of the small comforts I normally take for granted. Some days went better than others.

Fasting proved especially difficult. The Feast of San Gennaro fell right in the middle of my observance, and anyone familiar with the street fare can probably appreciate the temptation. My resolve was not always as strong as I had imagined it would be.

At first, it is easy to regard that as failure. Yet perhaps recognizing how easily our resolutions collapse is itself part of the value of voluntary penance, leaving us more conscious of our weaknesses, more aware of the need for discipline, and with a renewed desire to do better.

And so, on this Michaelmas, I am grateful not because I completed the devotion perfectly, but because I attempted it at all, and because next year, God willing, I will attempt it again. Evviva San Michele Arcangelo!

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, September 28th, Feast of San Venceslao I