Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 days of preparation for the Easter season when Christians are called to deepen their spiritual lives through the practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The belief is that our consistent participation in these practices — like exercise we do for our physical health — improves our spiritual well-being by stripping away all that is unnecessary and becoming more mindful of how God is working in our lives.
Challenge yourself this year, and go beyond the usual practice of “giving up” something. Now is a great time to take stock of your spiritual life and to grow in it. Not sure where to start? Check out these ideas:
1. Make a commitment to read the Sunday scriptures before you go to Mass.
2. Try a new spiritual practice. Sign up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration. Attend Mass at a parish that’s made up of people from a different racial/ethnic group. Sign up for a silent retreat or spend at least one hour in silent meditation each weekend.
3. Think about what you usually spend your money on. Do you buy too many clothes? Spend too much on dinner out? Pick one type of expenditure that you’ll “fast” from during Lent, and then give the money you would usually spend to a charity.
4. When you first sit down in front of your computer at work, or at the very end of your workday, try a 10-minute guided prayer from Sacred Space.
5. Go to a weekday Mass one day during the week. Daily Masses are often more intimate and shorter than Sunday Mass.
6. Read the entire Gospel of Mark in one sitting. It is the shortest Gospel
7. Attend the Stations of the Cross .
8. Unplug from your iPhone or turn off your car radio on your commute. The silence may be jarring at first, but you may find that you are able to concentrate better and will be more observant of your surroundings.
9. Think about a habit that has kept you from being whom God is calling you to be. Consciously give up that habit for Lent.
10. Spend at least one weekend or evening volunteering during Lent.
11. Participate in a small community of faith.
12. As a part of your Lenten almsgiving, make a point to learn more about a particular social issue (immigration, human trafficking, racism, the environment, public education, child poverty). Give money to an organization related to your chosen issue that supports the dignity of the human person.
13. Use the CRS Rice Bowl app to reflect on the realities of people in need around the world and devote prayers, fasting, and almsgiving to changing the lives of the poor.
14. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
