Looking for a simpler way to grow during Lent without adding another spiritual book to your reading list? The diocesan Office for Family Life
has developed the digital campaign “40Days40Ways,” a daily text message that includes a
reflection and a challenge.
After texting “ways” to 84576, people will receive daily texts from
Ash Wednesday to the day before Palm Sunday. Each text features a challenge and
a link to a reflection inspired from the fourth chapter of Pope Francis’
apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia.”
When Thérèse Bermpohl, director of the Office for Family Life,
read “Amoris Laetitia” she was struck by the
fourth chapter’s dissection of St. Paul’s famous letter to the Corinthians —
“Love is patient, love is kind …”
“(It’s about) how to live out sacrificial love in the family,”
she said. “Treating your neighbor well begins in your family.”
The campaign operates through Flocknote, a Catholic resource that churches and organizations use for newsletters and text messaging. Bermpohl and
Catholic Charities intern William McKenna created 40 challenges paired with
citations from the papal document. Even though St. Paul’s letter is often
associated with married couples, the challenges are inclusive.
Day 27 focuses on your spouse or another family member. “Share
the top 10 things you admire about them.”
Bermpohl wanted to share the insight of Pope Francis’ modern
perspective of St. Paul’s letter in an easy and practical way. Aristotle called
humans creatures of habit, and Bermpohl felt Lent was an opportune time to
prompt people to start a new habit, through a text a day.
“We’re a mobile-first generation,” she said. “Most people get
their information from their phone, and we want to reach as many people as possible.”
Especially millennials, she said. The Office for Family Life hopes to gain
traction on social media from posting challenges. For those wanting to “fast”
from their phones and Facebook this Lent, “40Days40Ways” also will be available
via email.
Bermpohl hopes their first digital campaign will prove to be a
successful avenue for the future.
“Reminding each other of our (good) qualities and losing
negativity,” she said. “That’s going to change the family and change the world;
it’s when we start acting like Christ.”
