DON’T WASTE YOUR LENT: 7 WAYS TO HAVE A GOOD LENT
Lent is a season of penance and
ascetical warfare. The enemy is concupiscence, the world, and the devil. The
goal is pure hearts so that we can joyfully celebrate the resurrection of
our Lord at Easter, the greatest feast of the liturgical year. In a way, Lent
should be a microcosm of our entire struggle on earth, just as the Paschal
feast of Easter is a microcosm of our heavenly triumph in Christ. Yet, a
good Lent takes focus and discipline, and it can easily be wasted.
In my own experience, I
often begin the lenten season with the best of intentions. I imagine
myself going into full monk mode, fasting and praying as ardently as one of the
monastic fathers in the desert. And maybe for the first week I
succeed through sheer strength of will. Then, just when I am feeling good
about myself, everything falls apart and I come face to face with my own
weakness.
We’ve all been there at some
point, and so today I’d like to share 7 practical ways to have a
good Lent.
1. Have a plan – The fastest way
to ruin Lent is to have good intentions but no plan. Be specific.
“I’m going to pray more,” isn’t good enough. Download this helpful worksheet to get started. Once
you’ve determined what you are going to do, stick to it every single day.
One word of advice: Make it
doable. Often, we are overly ambitious and commit to way too much. When we fail
in our lenten goals, we grow discouraged and give up completely. This is a
victory for the devil. Make your commitments modest and practical, and your
Lent will be the better for it.
2. Read a good book – The
saints are constantly exhorting us to read good spiritual books, and there is
no better time to begin this practice than during Lent. Reading Scripture
or the writings of the saints is a great place to start. Here are some
suggestions for Lenten reading:
3. Examine yourself - Lent is an
excellent time to take an inventory of the state of your soul. What are your
predominant faults? Do you have any hidden idols in your life? What is keeping
you from following the will of God with all your heart? Use a
thorough examination of conscience to help you assess
your spiritual health.
Remember, Lent is not ultimately
about giving up sweets or other things we enjoy, it is first and foremost about
repentance, which means giving up up sin and returning to God, our loving
Father. While taking inventory of your sins may be painful, it is a healthy
pain that restores the soul.
4. Confess your sins – After
examining your conscience, the logical next step is to go to
confession. Normally, it can be hard to find a parish with confession readily
available (thirty minutes on a Saturday isn’t enough!), but the good news
is, many parishes have increased confession times during Lent, so it’s a
great time to go.
Before receiving the sacrament of
penance, though, remember the five requirements for a good confession: 1)
Examination of conscience 2) True contrition for having offended God 3) Firm
resolution to sin no more 4) Clear confession (don’t hold any sins back) 5)
Penance for the sins you have committed
5. Pray - Let’s face it, we can
all pray more, and Lent is a great
time to plan and implement a daily prayer rule that can guide
you the rest of the year. During this season, however, we should
especially focus our prayers on repentance and contrition for our sins. Here
are some suggestions for Lenten prayer.
• The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
• The Divine Mercy Chaplet
6. Fast - I’ve written before
about the importance of prayer and fasting, so suffice it to say
that it is something we should be doing all year round, not just during Lent.
Still, Lent is a very good time to refocus our efforts and renew our
commitment. We should especially focus on fasting from things related to our
predominant sins.
Are you addicted to Instagram or
Facebook? Fast from them. Maybe you’re binge watching shows on Netflix. Give it
up. On the other hand, maybe you’re addicted to criticizing others. Make a
special effort to fast from negative speech. The point is, while fasting from
certain foods is an excellent ascetical practice, we do not have to limit our
lenten fasting to things we eat. Remember the words of Jesus: “If your eye
offends you, pluck it out.” Nothing should stand between us and the heavenly
kingdom, and we should be intentional about cutting off those things that are causing
us to sin.
7. Give alms – During Lent,
we especially remember the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
This is the greatest act of generosity in history, for Jesus died not just for
his friends, but for his enemies. “God shows his love for us in that while we
were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
The generosity of God in Christ
should impel us to be generous and merciful to others, especially
those poor and in need.This Lent, find a way to give, whether it is supporting
a religious order or helping at a homeless shelter. Remember the promise of
Jesus, “And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water
because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
YOU CANNOT FAIL
I began this
post by talking about my own failure, and yet, when it comes to lenten
disciplines, true failure is not really possible. I mean that even failing in
our commitments can help us grow in humility and knowledge of our own spiritual
poverty—and growth in these is always spiritual advancement.
This Lent,
do your best. Strive to root out sin and cultivate holiness. But when you fail,
realize that even those who can be considered righteous fall seven times daily
(Prov. 24:16). Let your failure be a lesson in humility that drives you
back to the grace of God flowing from the pierced heart of Jesus—for
that is the true heart of Lent.
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