It’s that time of the year again! Basketball’s biggest annual event is upon us: March Madness. The NCAA college basketball tournament is filled with die-hard fans cheering on their favorite teams, brackets and bets being made, possible Cinderella stories, and one national champion coming out on top. With all the excitement and estimated 37 million people who fill out tournament brackets, ‘March Madness’ is certainly an appropriate title. We also find ourselves in the throes of the Lenten season, which carries with it a different kind of “March Madness”. With Lent upon us, many of us are fasting or making sacrifices, trying to imitate the life of Christ and bring ourselves closer to Him in the process. However, as many of us come to find, this can often feel maddening. Both March Madness and our Lenten challenges make it clear that this time of the year has definitely earned its name.

When we fast for Lent, the idea is not so much to give up immoral things such as cursing or gossiping but rather to give up things that are inherently good. It can be beneficial to limit or abstain from these goods in order to put them in their natural place and enjoy them for what they are. Often, these good gifts can gradually become a bit of a roadblock in our spiritual life if we find ourselves becoming more attached to these worldly items than God. As humans, it’s far too easy for us to slip into getting our priorities out of order. We know that we should place our Lord first, but with all the goods he has given us in the world, like food, drink, music, sports, movies, and more, it’s easy to get distracted and essentially, make those things “our God”. Of course, it’s not wrong to enjoy them. God gave us all of these for our nourishment and pleasure. We sometimes just need a reminder that He should be first on our list. Lent is an opportunity for us to sacrifice just as He did for us in order to get back that right relationship with Him.

How do we know what goods of this world might be weighing us down? If we examine our everyday lives, we can begin to see how we spend our time and what we think about or do most often. Some of us may find that our love of food and drink has led us into unhealthy habits of excess. Others of us may listen to music nonstop and as a result, miss the quiet time we could’ve spent in prayer. Perhaps others of us love to watch movies or scroll on our phones, leading us to binge watch or consume content until we’ve lost track of time (this one is a particular challenge for me). Whatever pastime or pleasure you love to indulge in, it doesn’t take long to see an area in your life where you may need to put on the brakes and see how much importance you place on it. If we’re not careful, these things can hinder our self-control and can enslave our hearts and minds. If God isn’t at the center of our life, something else is sure to take His place. Like an addict getting clean or sober, limiting or completely giving up our attachments can be quite the struggle. Lent can be a good time to fight this spiritual battle of attachments, strengthen the will, and gain self-mastery.

Over the course of Lent, you may find yourself slipping in your fasting. Maybe you feel as though you haven’t made much progress, or that you were doing so well when suddenly, you tripped up on your commitments. Whether you fly through Lent or grapple with it, the important thing is to not give up. The most maddening thing you can do is to think that you won’t fall at some point. That kind of thinking may be the result of pride, which can frustrate you even more. Instead of aggravating yourself, pick yourself up and try again. There is a story that Venerable Fulton Sheen, an American bishop who was known for his TV show, told in one of his talks that fascinates me. In it, he tells the true story of a New York woman who would hide her alcoholic addiction from her husband by concealing it around their apartment with the help of a servant. Eventually, she decided to quit and tried to place God first, but one night she found a bottle of alcohol in one of the rooms of her house. She said that in that moment, she wanted it more than anything else in the world. Then she heard a voice ask, “Do you love this more than me?” She prayed, fought against the temptation, and finally became free. For the rest of her life she took care of other alcoholics. We may not struggle with the addictions that she battled against. Nevertheless, stories like these can inspire us in our own quest to free ourselves from attachments in our own lives. Whether mild or serious, we must always remember that God can purify our attachments and help us appreciate them in a healthy way. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself if there’s anything in your life that you love more than God. Maybe you’ve decided to give it up for Lent, and you’re finding your efforts a bit maddening. If you want your “March Madness” to be a little more sane, just be sure to take some inspiration from St. Augustine: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord.”