Week 4 Check-In: The Mid-Lent Slump is Real (A.K.A. How Much Longer?)

Wednesday, 18 March 2026.

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve officially hit that point in the Lenten journey where the initial adrenaline has evaporated. The energy of Ash Wednesday is a distant memory, the sacrifices you picked feel harder with each day, and the finish line still feels a million miles away.

For the record, it’s ten days until Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.

I keep reminding myself that this is the messy middle. This is where the real work happens, where the sacrifice really starts to feel hard because it’s supposed to be hard. And to be honest I’m not sure which is the stronger force keeping me from caving right now: my strong faith or my sheer stubborn pigheadedness.

And while I’m still turning up to Mass in my sunday best, the harsh reality of fasting is very different.

When I can’t have something why is it all I want? One of the things I gave up was alcohol, and to be clear I’m not a huge drinker, but it’s literally all I can think about now. I’ve also been wanting to delete all social media for a while now, so I deactivated Facebook (after the friend cull) and Instagram and removed all social apps off my phone. And for the last week or so there’s been a constant mental battle with myself not to reinstall or log in on a browser. Like I said, that stubbornness has a lot to answer for.

Questioning The Why: By week four I definitely start questioning why we’re even doing this. Is fasting actually making me holier, or am I just more annoyed?

But then there are the quiet wins. I gave up music, alcohol, and social media (which, let’s be honest, might have been stupidly ambitious). But even though it’s been hard and I’ve been tempted, whether through faith or stubbornness, I’m still hanging in there. I haven’t looked at Instagram even once. My prayer life continues to grow, and I’m on track with the Bible In A Year podcast as well as ready the daily Mass readings. I know that, even though I’m being tested, the Holy Spirit continues to give me strength.

This week’s upcoming Gospel about Lazarus also reminds us that Jesus doesn’t show up according to our schedule, He shows up when things feel a bit stagnant and smelly.

A Little Midweek Encouragement

Don’t let the seeming perfectionism that this world tries to spin rob us of the reward awaiting us at the end of Holy Week: the eternal salvation found in that empty tomb. We’re in the final stretch, but we don’t need to sprint. It’s okay to walk, to stagger, to crawl to the finish line.

Pomalo, friends. We’re getting there.