Anticipation & Baseball

As a Mets fan, I can't help but mention that tomorrow is an extremely joyful day for us fans. It is the official reporting day for pitchers and catchers!! All Mets pitchers and catchers must be at training camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida by tomorrow to begin preparing for the 162 game season ahead. It also means that BASEBALL IS OFFICIALLY HERE!!!!!!!

As a fan, I can say from experience that we have been anticipating baseball's return since October. Football has been the main focus of Sportscenters and sports pages everywhere, but now, baseball takes up it's rightful place as America's past-time once again.Let the trades, training, steals, strikeouts, and web gems.........BEGIN!!!!

Even though spring training is not actual baseball, per say, it does make us anticipate the regular season even more. During spring training, these players will dedicate their time to getting back into shape for the season, and getting into a good rhythm.

Tomorrow is also an important day for us a Catholic Christians: it is "fat tuesday", or otherwise said, the last day of ordinary time before Lent begins. Lent itself is just like the church's spring training. We look forward to the very exciting and even more anticipated "regular season" (Easter), by training hard (penance/fasting), and putting in the hard work everyday to prepare ourselves. Maybe we've been slacking off recently in our spiritual life, not really dedicating too much effort to "staying in shape". Lent is our chance to get back into shape, and get back into a good rhythm of life to get the wins we need to make it to the "postseason" (yep, you guessed right.......heaven).

Let's make this Lent fruitful for our spiritual life, and no matter what fasts, penances, or sacrifices we are taking on this season, offer them up as a prayer for the salvation of souls, especially our own and those in most need.

O Lord,
The house of my soul is narrow;
enlarge it that you may enter in.
It is ruinous, O repair it!
It displeases Your sight.
I confess it, I know.
But who shall cleanse it,
to whom shall I cry but to you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord,
and spare Your servant from strange sins.
St. Augustine of Hippo