Somehow our faults and failings seem more obvious during Lent; one of mine is that I spend far too much time reading Scripture and not enough time watching television.
I’m sure that even 15 or 20 minutes of TV a day would be better than nothing at all but, most days, I just don’t get around to it.
I realise there are many educational, informative and uplifting programs on television; even so, I tend to go for weeks at a time without so much as picking up my remote control (isn’t it sad when you must dust it off before using it).
I ought to have the networks, channels and program schedules committed to memory, but that’s so difficult.
Rather than flip indecisively through the listings, I usually give up and turn off the TV. To be honest, I become easily annoyed by those TV-thumpers who can quote channel, program and time-slot at will.
I feel intimidated by their ability, and I’d never dare debate television with them – they know their stuff too well.
Besides a lack of time, part of my problem is that I don’t know where to begin: do I start watching TV at dawn and persevere through every sitcom, drama, talk show, commercial, documentary and newscast, or do I simply select programs here and there?
Watching from beginning to end seems a huge task – on the other hand, I don’t feel capable of choosing a channel or program at random.
I’m not sure you can get anything out of television simply by pressing a button at any old time and watching whatever comes on.
This dilemma is not entirely my fault, however: Catholics have never had a strong tradition of watching TV, so it takes effort to familiarise oneself with it.
Last Lent, in a burst of enthusiasm, I’d subscribed to a TV study magazine. I had hoped it would help me get into the habit of watching on a daily basis and give me a better understanding of the programs (especially the sitcoms and reality shows – it’s so difficult to make sense of them).
I started out well and watched television faithfully every day for a month or two, but then I became lazy and left the TV turned off for days at a time.
Now, issue after issue of TV Guide gets stuffed, unread, into the magazine rack (I probably won’t renew).
I haven’t given up, though – I just need to find what works for me. Maybe I would watch more television if I installed a little set in the kitchen, bathroom or other well-frequented room.
Or perhaps we could acquire a special cabinet for the TV and place it prominently in our family room, possibly where the Bible stand is now.
And it couldn’t hurt to encourage my husband and children, as they seem so reluctant to spend time watching TV.
Anything is worth a try, but ingrained habits are hard to break: it’s too easy to pick up that well-worn Bible and while the day away.
It doesn’t help that all my friends spend a lot of time reading the Word too, and we discuss it over coffee or email.
Some days (I’m almost embarrassed to admit this), I spend four or five hours meditating on Scripture. I start with one book, and before I know it, I’ve read three.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t just sit there all that time. I make sure the housework gets done: it’s just that the Word of God is always ‘there in the background’ as I do my chores.
You might say I’m addicted, but the Word keeps me company throughout the day. It is ever-changing and seems to come alive in a new way each time I read it – in a sense, I never know what will happen next and I’m too curious to quit now.
One of these days, perhaps I’ll try to leave my Bible closed and watch a little more TV. It is Lent, after all.