Lent Madness

When most people think about the end of April, they think about basketball, March Madness, and their brackets.

A friend pointed me to a different kind of madness earlier this week, and I wanted to share it with you today.

It's Lent Madness.

Lent Madness began in 2010.  Rev. Tim Schenk is the genius behind this wonderful way to celebrate Lent.

At the beginning of Lent, 32 saints are placed into a single elimination bracket.  The same kind of bracket you'd find for basket ball.  Each pairing remains open for one day.  Followers of Lent Madness vote for their favorite saint.  16 saints make it to the round of Saintly Sixteen, 8 go on to the Elite Eight, four make it to the Faithful Four, but only ONE makes it to the end and wins the Golden Halo.

The very cool thing about Lent Madness is that the saints that are featured are not just what we think of as the "traditional" Catholic saints.  No indeed.  These are people who have made a difference in the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth.  Johann Sebastian Bach, Thomas Galludet, and Harriet Beecher Stowe are among some of the saints that have already been featured this year.

The Lent Madness blog entries are well written.  They are funny.  They are informative.  I have found out about people who have made a huge difference in the world around me that I never, ever knew about before.

It's a devotional, it's fun, and it's very well written.

I do have to state here that Lent Madness began as an idea in the Episcopal Church.  However, the Lent Madness movement itself has become Ecumenical and has transcended all boundaries of religion.

I'm going to quote here from the Lent Madness Website, just a little more information about the purpose of Lent Madness:

As Lent Madness continues to grow and evolve, what won’t change is the essence of Lent Madness: allowing people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and reminding one another that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline. If this helps people connect with the risen Christ during this season of penitence and renewal, and have a bit of fun in the process, then it continues to be worthwhile.

It's not too late to join in the fun for this Lenten season!