Reflection 46: When Lent Doesn't Go As Planned

Holy Week is here, and with it comes the opportunity to reflect on the Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

This season invites us to look back on our Lenten journey, our sacrifices, our prayer, and the ways we have tried to grow in faith through penance and charity. But if I am being honest, this Lent did not go the way I had planned.

Instead of giving something up, I committed to praying the Liturgy of the Hours each morning and evening. I wanted to begin and end my day giving glory to God, building a rhythm of prayer that would draw me closer to Him.

And I failed.

Over the past few days, that realization has been weighing on me. As we enter Holy Week, I found myself thinking, I did not do what I set out to do. I did not follow through in the way I had hoped.

But in that reflection, something shifted.

Instead of sitting in frustration, I started searching for what God might be inviting me into next. That led me to the writings of Saint Louis de Montfort and his True Devotion to Mary, specifically the practice of the 33 day consecration.

So I decided to begin.

This is not about making up for failure. It is about responding to grace.

Consecrating myself to the Virgin Mary is a step toward deepening my relationship with her Son. For many outside the Catholic faith, this devotion can be misunderstood. It can seem like we are placing too much emphasis on Mary.

But the reality is this: everything about Mary points to Christ.

It was through her “yes” that Jesus Christ entered the world. God chose her, and she responded with complete trust and surrender. Because of that, she holds a unique place in salvation history, not above Christ, but always leading us to Him.

And for many of us, approaching Christ through the lens of a mother can open something in our hearts that we did not even realize was closed.

Reflecting on Mary and Joseph, their sacrifices, their trust, and their role in raising Jesus, gives us a deeper understanding of what it means to live faithfully. It challenges us as parents, as spouses, and as disciples.

Lent may not have gone the way I intended. But that does not mean it was wasted.

God is not limited by our failures. In fact, He often works most powerfully through them.

We set plans. We create goals. But sometimes God allows us to fall short so that we rely less on our own strength and more on His grace.

As we move through Holy Week and into the Easter season, I am choosing to lean into that grace. To recommit. To be open. To follow where God is leading, even if it looks different than I expected.

Because ultimately, this journey is not about perfect discipline.

It is about a willing heart.

And my prayer now is simple: that through this next step, through this consecration, and through whatever crosses come, I may grow closer to Christ and lead my family closer to Him as well.