"April is the cruelest month" — so said T.S. Eliot. But spiritual and brilliant as he was, the man wasn't Orthodox, and he's certainly not living this Holy and Great Lent with us right here, right now.

With Lent beginning in mid-February and coming to a close in early April, we might say that March is really the cruelest month for us. March is our "crunch time," the difficult period of struggle that falls between the good intentions and high energy of early Lent and the second-wind and rejuvenation many of us experience with the beginning of Holy Week.

This is our time in the trenches. Thirty-one hard-core days of services, preparation, abstinence, fasting, reflection and challenge. This is the critical time when many abort the fast, put aside their prayer books in frustration, decide they can wait until next year for that much-needed Confession and simply let other "items" rise to the top of their priority list.

So here's your pep talk! First off, if you think our priests don't struggle with the same issues, you're very wrong. We all struggle with this process of "self-emptying" and preparation; frankly, knowing you go through many of the same things I go through comforts me, gives me encouragement and lets me know I'm not going through this alone. Never forget, you are a strength to me, and I know you pray for my family as I pray for yours.

Second, it's no secret that anything good in our lives takes effort and sacrifice. Whether it's marriage, raising children, growing friendships, educating ourselves, honing a talent, building a business, pursuing a dream — anything worth our while demands our sacrifice. And this sacrifice makes all the difference: we appreciate God's gifts all the more, we grow and strengthen from the journey itself, and we gain powerful perspective.

Third, don't forget how much I always stress "baby steps" and "building blocks." If you or I want to, say, improve our diets — basically start putting better things in our bodies in appropriate amounts — we don't achieve this over-night. The first week, we try to limit our snacking at night; the second week, we carry on our commitment to snacking and begin walking or hitting the gym three nights per week. In the next week, we try and maintain the existing commitment and create another good habit.

Follow the same rule in your fasting, prayer and other Lenten commitments. If you've never fasted from meat before, begin with Friday dinner one week; the next week, grow it to Wednesday and Friday dinner — and so on. Make an appointment, right now, to volunteer at a helping organization on one specific date during Lent; try for two or three dates next Lent. Pray for 1 minute each morning one week, and then experiment with 2 minutes the following week. I think you get the picture on all fronts.

The key, as I've mentioned before, is this elusive "sustainability." What can you stick with? How can we make it stick? How do we avoid Lenten burn-out? These are questions to ask of yourself and to pray about. Let me help, too — again, if we share our struggles and burdens, we will find strength together.