Here are four pieces of practical advice I offer to those who ask how they can have a holy and productive Lent that helps them embrace the call to repentance and conversion and come to a deeper relationship with Christ.
Silence
As we seek to respond to God’s call during Lent, there are time-tested and effective spiritual disciplines that can assist us. Prayer is fundamental to that process and requires silence to hear the voice of the Lord speaking, for it is in silence God shares his wisdom, direction, consolation and reassurance. This is why the devil hates our time in silent prayer because he knows that, through it, the Lord speaks directly to us. For this reason, we should strive to find time every day to quiet our minds in the presence of the Lord.
Take the opportunity during this Lenten season to deepen your relationship with Jesus. Go to that deserted place each day where you can be still and quiet and listen to him. Spend more time this Lent simply being with the Lord in silent prayer and listening for his voice.
Simplify your life
Consider detaching yourself from those things you truly do not need so that you can create an even greater space in your life for God and others. Often, material goods or events can weigh us down or distract us from our real purpose, which is to grow in holiness and love of God and our neighbor.
Search for all the things you have not used in a long time and consider how those items might be a blessing to the poor. Rid yourself of clutter and distraction while simultaneously blessing those who are in need. When we simplify our lives and unburden ourselves of material goods, God fills our heart and helps us to realize that he is all we really need.
Take it day by day
With the help of Mary our Mother, we set out on this Lenten journey with purpose and effort as we seek to unite ourselves more closely to her Son, being faithful to the Gospel, dying to sin and embracing virtue, so that we may return to the Lord our God with all our heart.
If we think of Lent as 40 days, it can be overwhelming at times. If we fail to fulfill our disciplines one day, we might be discouraged and not wish to continue. However, if we understand Lent as a day-by-day journey, we can leave our daily missteps and failures behind and awake each day renewed and recommitted to growing closer to Our Lord.
Regularly receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation can help strengthen your resolve and commitment. Silent prayer, living simply, and taking it one day at a time is enhanced by ridding yourself of any sin that weighs you down. Confession relieves your burden of sin and makes your Lenten walk more joyful and draws you closer to the Lord. Remember there is no sin greater than God’s mercy.
Sacrifice
Sometimes I am asked if you should add a discipline to your life, such as attending Stations of the Cross weekly or praying a daily Rosary instead of giving something up. Certainly, adding prayerful and spiritual devotions to your life will result in abundant blessings. We must also remember it is not “old fashioned” to offer up sacrifices as part of our Lenten observance.
The point of giving up something that you enjoy — such as television, coffee, dessert, or something similar — is not to make Lent arduous but rather to have a daily reminder that God alone satisfies.
Sacrifices will require discipline and cause some discomfort, but we grow through this discipline, much like athletes training for a competition. By regularly enduring our own sufferings — big and small — in imitation of Christ, we become more of the person God desires us to be. Even small sacrifices unite us to him and his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
I offer these practical suggestions along with the prayer that our Lord Jesus will bless you and sustain you with his love and mercy throughout this sacred season and always.
