ideas for Lent

Feb. 6: Take 30 minutes to pray, ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance, look over this list, and make a few practical Lenten resolutions. Be careful. If you try to do too much, you may not succeed in anything. If you need to get up early or stay up late to get the 30 minutes of quiet, do it. Turn off your phone and computer. Don’t put it off and don’t allow interruptions.

Feb. 7: Get up earlier than anyone else in your house. Spend the first 15 minutes of the day thanking God for the gift of life. Offer your day to Him.

Feb. 9: Thank Him for laying his life down for you.

Feb. 13: Make a good examination of conscience.

Feb. 15: Make a decision to read at least some Scripture every day.

Feb. 18: Pray the liturgy of the hours. You can get it day by day online for free at http://www.universalis.com/.

Feb. 19: Get to know the Fathers of the Church and read selections from them along with Scripture.

Feb. 20: Make the Stations of the Cross each Friday either with a group or by yourself. If you have kids, bring them.

Feb. 25: Make it a habit to stop at least five times a day, raise your heart and mind to God, and say a short prayer such as “Jesus, I love you,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Feb. 29: Pray for the millions of Christians suffering under persecution in various Muslim and Communist countries around the world such as the Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia, China, Viet Nam, and North Korea.

March 1: Pray for Christian unity.

March 3: Pray for the evangelization of all those who have not yet heard and accepted the Good News about Jesus.

March 4: Pray for your enemies. In fact, think of the person who has most hurt you or who most annoys you and spend several minutes each day thanking God for that person and asking God to bless him or her.

March 5: Pray for an end to abortion. Pray for all pregnant women.

March 6: Pray for a just peace in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Holy Land and elsewhere. Pray for those in harm’s way.

March 7: Pray for an end to capital punishment. Pray for those on death row, and for the families of murder victims.

March 8: Find a form of fasting that is appropriate for you, given your age, state of health, and state of life. Some fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some fast from sweets or alcohol throughout Lent. Some fast on one or more days per week from breakfast all the way to dinner, spending lunch hour in prayer. Some cut out all snacks between meals. The money saved from not buying various things should be given to a ministry serving the physically or spiritually poor.

March 10: Prayer is like breathing – you have to do it continually. But sometimes you need to pause and take a very deep breath. That’s what a retreat is. Plan a retreat this Lent. It could be simply a half day, out in nature, or in a Church. Or it could be a full day. Or an overnight. You can certainly read lots of things during your retreat or listen to lots of talks. But try sticking to Scripture, and quiet as much as you can. During or at the end of the retreat, write down what the Holy Spirit seems to be saying.

March 11: Find a written biography of a Saint that particularly appeals to you, and read it during Lent.

March 12: Instead of secular videos for weekend entertainment, try some videos that will enrich your spiritual life. Suggestions: Jesus of Nazareth, by Franco Zeffirelli, The Scarlet and the Black, the Assisi Underground.

March 13: While driving, turn off the secular radio for awhile and use commute time to listen to some teaching on audiocassette or CD.

March 14: Find a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or crisis pregnancy center, and volunteer some time there throughout Lent. Serve the people there with the understanding that in so doing, you are serving Jesus. Try to see Jesus in each person there.

March 15: Visit someone at a nursing home or in the hospital or sick at home. Again, love Jesus in and through the suffering person.

March 17: Is there a widow or divorced person living in your neighborhood? If so, invite that person to your home for dinner, coffee, etc.

March 18: View Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ during Lent on VHS or DVD, if you feel you can handle the violence.

March 19: Invite folks to view The Passion of the Christ with you, especially people whose faith is rather nominal, or who do not practice their faith, or who do not profess Christian faith at all.

March 20: Spend some focused time with your spouse, strengthening your marriage. Start praying together, or make praying together a more frequent occurrence.

March 21: Spend some focused time together with each of your children. Listen. Pray. Maybe even have fun.

http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_category/3/Lent_and_Holy_Week.html