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 ascetic 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. 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:
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.
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.”
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 it 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.
The post Don’t Waste Your Lent: 7 Ways to Have a Good Lent appeared first on The Catholic Gentleman.
This article is reprinted with permission from our friends at The Catholic Gentleman.
In my own experience, I often begin the lenten season with the best of intentions. I imagine myself going into full ascetic 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. 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:
- Meditations for Lent by Jacques-Benigne Bossuet
- The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
- Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene
- Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo
- True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
- The Spiritual Combat by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli
- A Lenten Journey with Jesus and St. Paul of the Cross by Fr. Victor Hoaglund
- Happy Are You Poor by Fr. Thomas Dubay
- Letter to Friends of the Cross by St. Louis de Montfort
- Love of Eternal Wisdom by St. Louis de Montfort
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 Prayer of Manasseh
- The Seven Pentitential Psalms
- The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
- The Stations of the Cross
- The Divine Mercy Chaplet
- Prayer before a Crucifix
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 it 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.
The post Don’t Waste Your Lent: 7 Ways to Have a Good Lent appeared first on The Catholic Gentleman.
This article is reprinted with permission from our friends at The Catholic Gentleman.
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