Jar of Sacrifices

(3/3)  Today I decided to go to mass at a place that was only a 10 minute walk, Cristo Rey.  It wasn't at all what I expected:  There was a huge plain painting of Jesus in pastel colors above the altar, the music was sung by a latino/mariachi band and all of the kids sat up front by the altar.  Communion was hectic and the procession kind of got lost in the crowd, but Mass is Mass and I was happy to not have to walk very far!  Sunday was homework day but I was lucky to be able to do most of it up on the terrace in the bright and warm sun.  I can't wait until it gets warm enough for me to be up there for more than 20 minutes!  We had dinner provided for us and after, I had some roomie time with Anna.  We had decided that it was hard to really get  into Lent this year, especially being in Rome and wanting to experience so much.  So we decided to make a "daily Lenten sacrifice" jar.  We wrote little offerings we could do every day and put them in a box for us to draw from each morning.  They included things such as: "Sleep without your pillow tonight and pray for those who don't have homes", or "Try not to talk about yourself today unless someone asks you," or "Give some money or food to a homeless person today", accompanied by a bible verse or reflection.  I was excited to be able to focus on one thing daily (along with whatever  Lenten sacrifice I made at the beginning of lent), even if it was a couple of weeks in!