The focus of Lent is fourfold:
- Preparing for the liturgical celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ, especially through the Triduum liturgies of Holy Week.
- Atoning for our sins through penitential practices.
- Becoming spiritually purified so that we can be more fully opened to the presence of Christ in our daily lives.
- Preparing ourselves and the world for the Second Coming of Christ.
In this article, I will explore 12 disciplines that can help us to set out on a path of life-giving transformation during the Lenten season. The first three of these, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, are especially encouraged by the Church during this penitential season.
1) Prayer: Lent is a great time to get into the habit of more regular prayer. If we establish a custom of prayer over the 40 days of Lent, we have a good chance of continuing beyond the season. Below are some suggestions for making Lent more prayerful:
- If you don’t already pray the Rosary, commit to praying one full Rosary every day during Lent. If that does not seem possible, then at first commit to saying at least one decade of the Rosary per day.
- Pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary, a special prayer focused on reflecting on Our Lady's suffering. The Blessed Virgin Mary has an especially significant role in the theology of Lent. During Lent, the Church focuses on the suffering of Christ. Mary, by virtue of being the Mother of God, is more closely united to Christ than anyone else. Therefore, she participated in the suffering of her son in a special way, experiencing more suffering than any other created being, other than the human nature of Christ. Thus, Mary, who is the Mother of the Church and the Mother of All Christians, knows our pain when we face the vicissitudes of life, and she is more than ready to help us when we call upon her. (Please see my guide to the Seven Sorrows Rosary for further details on this devotion.)
- Follow the Mass readings of each day of the Lent season. You can find various reflections on the daily readings, such as those of Bishop Barron.
- You might also follow another program of Scripture readings designed for Lent. You can find various sets online, often with commentary.
- Read more Scripture in some other way, for example, by reading one chapter from the Gospels each day.
- Commit to praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet each day during Lent.
- Pray the Stations of the Cross daily or at least on the Fridays of Lent.
2) Fasting: Fasting is an ancient discipline of great spiritual power. Fasting is especially helpful in four ways:
I.) Fasting builds self-control. Food and drink are basic to our survival as human beings, and we have all come to rely on certain types of food and drink for our sense of comfort. We all know how easily the desires of the body can weigh us down and derail us from our goals. In order to be able to live a spiritually, psychologically, and physically healthy life, we have to be able to have to control over our physical desires. By denying ourselves something that plays such a significant role in our day-to-day sense of well-being, we are able to gain much greater control over our bodies.
II.) Fasting helps us make room for God. When we seek succor, comfort, or stress-relief, we very often turn to food and drink. When we remove these go-to creature comforts, we have to confront a sense of emptiness within us. Experiencing that sense of emptiness is a great opportunity to turn to God and invite him into our hearts.
III.) Fasting is a powerful way of atoning for our sins.
IV.) Fasting is a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare. The closer we get to God, the more our spiritual enemies will seek to attack and derail us. Fasting helps to break the power of evil spirits over us and over those we are praying for. In fact, exorcists often fast when they are engaged in exorcisms. In Mark 9:29, Jesus tells us that some demons can only be driven out through "prayer and fasting." (Unfortunately, recently biblical editors have been leaving out the word "fasting" from the passage, due to some manuscript differences, but the significance of the words of Jesus remains.)
So how should we fast? In bye-gone times, our Catholic ancestors observed a much stricter regimen of fasting and abstinence than what the Church mandates today. At one point, many Catholics maintained an essentially vegan diet during the season. Today's rules are much softer. Catholics 14 and older are required to abstain from meat and poultry (but not all animal products) on the Fridays of Lent and Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Catholics between the ages of 18 and 60 are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting here is defined as having one full meal, plus two smaller meals that do not add up to one full meal. Snacking between meals is not allowed, but liquids such as coffee, milk, tea, or juice, are.
Today's fasting regulations still have us eating better than much of the rest of the world on a good day. In fact, it's hard to think of eating three meals a day, however, small those might be, with no limit on liquids, as fasting. On the other hand, if we are used to stress eating or just munching throughout the day, even the prescribed fast can be a real trial.
To foster the discipline of fasting during Lent, I would recommend the following. To begin, be sure to observe the rules of fasting and abstinence required by the Church. However, these rules are a minimum. Individual Catholics are welcome to go beyond these requirements, and I would recommend that you do so, by undertaking one or more of these suggestions:
- On the Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent, fast on bread and water only. If two days are two daunting, fast on every Friday during the season. If one full day does not seem possible, fast for portions of one or more days.
- Commit to having only three meals a day, with no snacking in between on more days than just Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these additional days, you could eat three full meals but would limit yourself by not snacking between meals.
- Give up a food or drink you especially love, from Ash Wednesday until after you attend Easter Mass.
Some people suggest that instead of fasting from food, you could fast from forms of entertainment, like music or movies or social media. While giving up things other than food and drink in order to foster a sense of discipline can also be highly beneficial, still at the heart of fasting is depriving ourselves of physical sustenance. No other deprivation will have the same transformative effect and spiritual power. Catholic tradition is very clear. If we want to make significant spiritual progress, we have to engage in some form of regular physical fasting.
We should note, however, that the fasting and abstinence rules make exceptions for some categories of people, for example pregnant mothers, workers who have to eat regularly to be able to fulfill their duties, or individuals with medical conditions that necessitate a certain diet. However, even in some of these situations, some degree of physical self-denial might be possible. For example, we might select types of food and drink that we like less than what we would normally have, or we might not season our food in the way that we would normally enjoy.
But in any case, use prudence. The Church does not expect us to harm ourselves through our discipline. Do not do anything that would jeopardize your well-being or that of others. If your physical condition makes it truly impossible to fast, you will achieve the same spiritual growth by enduring your physical limitations with a good grace.
Also, if you are new to fasting, start small, with doable goals. One danger is to start with sweeping plans, which can then lead to failure and giving up. Instead, start small. Once you have reached that goal, you can always add to it. Above all, make sure that your fasting doesn't turn you into a terrible person to be around. If your discipline is causing you to violate the most basic principles of charity, then you are doing things wrong.
3) Almsgiving: During the season of Lent, the Church encourages us to focus on almsgiving more than during the rest of the year. To do so, we should start by examining how we use our resources. Do we waste a lot of money on pointless things? If we find ourselves engaging in excess spending, could we not cut back a little in order to share some of those resources with others in need?
Lent is also a great time to examine our possessions. Do we have a lot of accumulated stuff that we don't use but that others might find valuable? During Lent, try to set aside one unused item in good condition every day or every other day or at least once a week to give away to others who might need them.
4) Repentance and Spiritual Cleansing: As we get closer to God, our spiritual enemies will work extra hard to try to derail our progress. They especially want to draw us away from moments in which we can experience the grace of God in a powerful way. We can expect intensified spiritual attacks during Lent. Therefore, it is especially important to use the time of Lent to turn away from sin and to seek the healing power of Christ to cleanse us from negative spiritual influences. I suggest the following spiritual practices:
- Examination of Conscience: Reflect daily on ways in which you have fallen away from Christ, and pray for the grace of complete repentance.
- Confession: Catholics are bound to go to Confession at least once a year during Lent, if conscious of a mortal sin. However, it is very beneficial to go to Confession much more often than that. In any case, go to Confession at least once during the season of Lent.
- Say spiritual binding prayers to cast our evil spirits that are attacking you and your family. For example, say aloud daily: “I repent of (name sin), and I close all doors that I may have opened through this sin. In the Holy Name of Jesus, I bind, rebuke, and cast out all demons that are attacking me and my family. I invite in the Holy Spirit into my family, into our hearts, our homes, and our lives. I invoke the protection of our Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy angels, especially our guardian angels, and all the saints, especially the martyrs who shed their blood for the Lord.”
5) Giving Something Up: Many people give something up for Lent. The sentence "What are you giving up for Lent this year?" is a frequent conversation started among Catholics. If this Lenten sacrifice is to be meaningful, it should take on one of two forms:
I.) You should give up something that plays a significant role in your day-to-day life, in order to develop a greater sense of control and discipline or to offer the sacrifice as a form of atonement for sin.
II.) You should give up something that constitutes a bad habit, which you are hoping not to go back to after Lent. In fact, Lent is a season during which we have a structured way to uproot bad habits. If we can refrain from a negative habit for six and a half weeks, we have a good chance of not falling back into it.
6) Take on a Good Habit: As the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. If you give up a bad habit, something else will take its place in your life. Make sure that a good habit replaces the bad one. As you decide to uproot a bad habit, be intentional about fostering a good habit in its place.
7) Draw Closer to the Sacraments: The Seven Sacraments are at the heart of the Catholic life. The culmination of the Lenten preparations is the Triduum, the holiest time of the liturgical year. The Triduum, literally meaning three days, goes from the evening of Holy Thursday through the evening of Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper, in the course of which Christ instituted the Eucharist. On Good Friday, we reflect on the crucifixion of Christ, through which he offered the sacrifice that reconciled humanity with God. As we pray together on Good Friday, we also remember that every Mass is a mystical participation in the sacrifice offered by Christ on the Cross. The next day, on Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil begins our celebration of the resurrection. At the Easter Vigil, we also celebrate the full initiation of the elect through baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion. Validly baptized converts from other Christian denominations are also given Confirmation and the Eucharist at this Mass.
Given the sacramental focus of the season, use Lent to draw closer to each of the sacraments either through your participation or through your prayers. I would recommend the following:
- Make a commitment to participating in the Triduum liturgies on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
- Pray for all those who will be initiated into the full communion of the Church at the Easter Vigil.
- Make a commitment to attending Mass more often than just on Sunday during Lent.
- On days when you cannot attend Mass, unite yourself spiritually with the Eucharist.
- Go to Adoration at least once a week during Lent.
- As mentioned above, go to Confession at least once during the season of Lent.
- During Lent, reflect on your baptism and Confirmation. Reflect on the following questions: “How would my life be different if I had not been baptized and Confirmed? What blessings have I received through my baptism and Confirmation? How can I share those blessings with others?”
- Pray for a priest by name (or several priests) during the season of Lent, as well as for vocations to the priesthood. Pray for all of our ordained ministers and the healing of the Church during these times of crisis.
- Pray for all those who are ill in mind or body, especially those who do not have access to the Anointing of the Sick for whatever reason. Pray in a special way for those who are struggling with loss or grief during this time.
- If you are married, focus on ways that you can enrich your marriage during Lent. Here some suggestions:
I.) Pray together every night. It is very important for married couples to spend at least a few minutes in prayer together every day. If you are not already praying together daily, make this a part of your Lenten discipline.
II.) During your prayer time, name one thing each day that acknowledges some sort of sacrifice that the other person has made for you over the years. You can also alternate, by having one of you name a sacrifice on odd days, and the other on even days.
III.) Consecrate your marriage to our Blessed Mother every Saturday during Lent (Saturdays being days specially set aside for our Holy Mother). As mentioned above, the Blessed Virgin Mary has an especially significant role in Lent. Our Lady has experienced more suffering than any other created being, other than the human nature of Christ. Being our Mother, she is always ready to help us when we face anguish, sorrow, or challenges in life.
IV.) Say a blessing over each other every day during Lent, preferably in person, but if that is not possible, from a distance. Pray to each other's guardian angel for blessings.
V.) If you have kids, pray a blessing over your children every day during Lent, preferably while they are present, but you can do so in their absence too. Consecrate your children to the protection of our Holy Mother every Saturday during Lent. Pray to the guardian angels of your children to help them be fully open to the love of God in their lives.
Below are some sample prayers you can use:
Prayer of Consecration to Our Lady for Couples
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Queen of Angels, Queen of Peace,
Queen of Martyrs and of All the Saints,
Today we consecrate our marriage to you.
Guide us, guard us, help us, and protect us.
Keep us safe from all attacks of the enemy,
All evil spirits seeking to destroy us.
Dear Mother,
Guide all our thoughts, words, and actions,
So that in all things we may live out God's will in our lives,
And that at all times we may draw closer to your Divine Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Help us help each other grow in holiness, advancing each day
On the way of salvation and sanctification
So that we may join you and all the holy angels and saints
In giving glory, honor, and praise to our God
With our whole being, with all that we are.
Amen
Prayer of Consecrating Our Children to Our Lady
(Adapt as needed)
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Queen of Angels, Queen of Peace,
Queen of Martyrs and of All the Saints,
Today I consecrate my children to you.
Guide them, guard them, help them, and protect them.
Keep them safe from all attacks of the enemy,
All evil spirits seeking to destroy them.
Dear Mother,
Guide all their thoughts, words, and actions,
So that in all things they may live out God's will in their lives,
And that at all times they may draw closer to your Divine Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Help me help them grow in holiness, advancing each day
On the way of salvation and sanctification
So that they may join you and all the holy angels and saints
In giving glory, honor, and praise to our God
With their whole being, with all that they are.
Amen
Prayer of Blessing (Female Version)
Lord Jesus Christ, glorious King of Kings,
I pray that you bless [name] my [wife or daughter].
Send your Holy Spirit upon her, and anoint her.
Cleanse her spiritually,
Keep her safe from all evil, all attacks of the enemy.
Heal her and keep her whole in body, mind, and spirit,
Help her love you with her whole heart, soul, strength, and mind.
Let her experience your infinite love for her,
Let her always say yes to the promptings of your Holy Spirit,
And let her be a shining beacon of your love in the world.
I pray also for the protection of our Holy Mother,
The Blessed Virgin Mary over [name],
And of all the holy angels, martyrs, and saints.
I ask all the holy souls in Purgatory to pray for her.
I also ask you, holy guardian angel of [name]
To watch over her, help her, guide her, and protect her,
And help to lead her to full union with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Prayer of Blessing (Male Version)
Lord Jesus Christ, glorious King of Kings,
I pray that you bless [name] my [husband or son].
Send your Holy Spirit upon him, and anoint him.
Cleanse him spiritually,
Keep him safe from all evil, all attacks of the enemy.
Heal him and keep him whole in body, mind, and spirit,
Help him love you with his whole heart, soul, strength, and mind.
Let him experience your infinite love for him,
Let him always say yes to the promptings of your Holy Spirit,
And let him be a shining beacon of your love in the world.
I pray also for the protection of our Holy Mother,
The Blessed Virgin Mary over [name],
And of all the holy angels, martyrs, and saints.
I ask all the holy souls in Purgatory to pray for him.
I also ask you, holy guardian angel of [name]
To watch over him, help him, guide him, and protect him,
And help to lead him to full union with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
8) Simplifying Your Life: Lent is a great time to reflect on how you spend your time. Do you feel overwhelmed by everything you have to get done? Do you feel like you are always rushing from one thing to another? Write down the many things that occupy your time. Examine the list and see if you can't eliminate at least some of them. Use the time and energy you free up to focus on Christ more fully.
9) Offer up Your Suffering: During Lent, the Church focusses on the Passion of Christ. Not only did Christ accept the Cross for our sake, but he also told us to take up our cross and follow him. If we want to be Christ's disciples, we have to accept suffering. If we want to be able to grow, to transcend our selfishness and to be able to love God with our whole being, as well as to love all of his children with his love, then we have to embrace our cross in life. As I like to say, the gate of Heaven is in the shape of the cross.
Of course, there is much suffering that we can overcome or prevent through simple measures, such as a headache easily cured with some painkillers. In these cases, we should not hesitate to try to make the suffering cease or to try to forestall it. In other cases, suffering is caused by injustices, which we should challenge. But in every person's life, there will be some form of profound suffering that is inevitable. Such suffering we should accept with a good grace and see in it a potential for positive transformation and growth.
What is more, an important principle of Catholic spirituality is that we can take the spiritual value of suffering accepted with good grace and we can offer it up for another person, who will receive graces through our gift of the spiritual fruit of our suffering. In offering our suffering for the benefit of others, we are imitating Christ himself, who offered the spiritual fruits of the ultimate sacrifice, his death upon the Cross, for the salvation of humanity. In fact, we might say, that offering up our suffering for others is the most Christ-like thing we can do.
10) Remember Our Mortality: Lent is a good opportunity to reflect on the temporal nature of our sojourn here on earth. We are all going to die. That is what the ashes symbolize on Ash Wednesday. During the distribution of ashes, the priest has the option of saying: "Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return." Some Catholics place a replica of a skull on their desk or in their prayer space during Lent as a reminder of the inevitability of death.
You might wonder why we should be so morbid during this time. The answer is that some focus on death can help us to set our priorities straight. We are not going to live in our current earthly setting forever. With regard to the stuff we accumulate, as the title of the play says, "you can't take it with you." The only thing we can take with us is what we have built up in our souls, for good or for ill. In the season of Lent, let us bear in mind that we are all going to die, and let us ponder in what spiritual state we would like to be when we cross over to the other side.
11) Pray for the Souls in Purgatory: The souls in Purgatory are people who have died in a state of grace but still need a certain amount of purification before they can reach full union with God in Heaven. These souls have been saved, and therefore they are called holy. They are certain to make it to Heaven, but only after their time of purging is over. The Church teaches that our prayers can help the holy souls in Purgatory reach Heaven faster. The souls in Purgatory can also pray for us. We can also be assured that once these souls have left Purgatory and made it to Heaven, in part at least due to our prayers, they will be delighted to pray for us in turn.
During the season of Lent, take a few minutes each day to pray for these souls. The article below has some good suggestions for how:
20 Ways to Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
12) Celebrate the Feast Days: Though Lent is a time of penitential self-denial, a few days of feasting fall during the season. One is St. Patrick's Day (March 17), which has become hugely important in American culture. Another is the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19), which also entails cultural celebrations, though on a lower scale, at least in the United States. Thirdly, we have the Feast of the Annunciation, which sometimes falls during Lent, but at other times might fall outside of it. Feasting is definitely appropriate on all of these days.
Traditionally, Laetare Sunday was another day when the Lenten discipline was relaxed. Laetare Sunday marks the halfway point toward Lent, and priests often wear rose colored vestments to highlight the occasion. This day can function as something of a halftime between the two halves of Lent.
What is more, every Sunday of Lent is considered a feast, in that Sundays can never be penitential, since they are a celebration of the resurrection. Technically, our Lenten discipline does not apply to Sundays. However, some debate exists in the Church as to whether or not we should stop our penitential practices during Sundays in Lent. Personally, I think that depends on what those practices are. If we are seeking to uproot a bad habit, we should not return to it on the Sundays of Lent. If we are seeking to establish a new good habit, like praying daily, we should not discontinue what we are doing on Sundays. But if we gave up something like chocolate, we could theoretically go back to it on Sundays. However, we should bear in mind, that for many, it's easier to give things up for the whole duration of Lent then to go back to them here and there.
Share Your Own Ideas: I hope that the above list has given you some good ideas for your Lenten discipline. If you have Lenten ideas of your own, please share them with me, so that I can expand this list (giving you due credit of course).
Photo Credit: Our Lady of Sorrows inside the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2017