Lent

Prayer

Resolve this Lent to pray more. Avoid telling yourself there is no time for prayer. Be inventive. As you get ready for the day, in the shower, on your way to work, during lunch on your way home, while preparing dinner – there are always a few moments for prayer. Lenten devotions every Wednesday evening are meditations extended over 14 reflections on Lenten themes set against the back drop of moments in Jesus’ suffering and death. Your daily meditation booklet will assist in your prayer with brief Lenten meditations for each day in the coming seven weeks.

Fasting

Resolve this Lent to fast. Start your fasting with small things:

• no meat eaten on Wednesdays and Fridays,
• no jam on your toast,
• no soft drink for lunch,
• no afternoon snack,
• no dessert with dinner on selected days of your choosing or on everyday of the season of Lent.

Fasting has been called “the prayer of the body.” When we consciously deny ourselves some small pleasure, we almost automatically become more attentive to things that really matter – like our relationship with God.

Almsgiving

Resolve this Lent to remember the needy. We think of fasting as giving something up. Think of almsgiving (or charity toward the poor) as giving something back. Designate your snack money for a charity that mails a solicitation to your home. Giving of our time is equally valuable. Volunteering at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter will make us more aware of the needs of the poor and build solidarity with them.

There will be days when our best intentions fall short. But acknowledging our failures and moving on is also a part of this holy season. With God’s help, our Lenten resolutions could become life long habits.