Lent Day by Day

1. Remember, every person 14 years of age or older must abstain from meat (and items made with meat) on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and every Friday of Lent.

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2. Start Lent by attending an Ash Wednesday service. Being marked with the ashes is both a reminder of our own fragility (Remember, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return) and a way to show our own repentance.

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3. Prayer is one of the three pillars of Lent. Try to start every morning with a prayer, or pray before you fall asleep.

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4. Pray for all to hear the call of God and answer to their vocation. If you are interested in religious life, think about attending our “Come and See” retreat March 13-15 in Columbus, OH.

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5. Most of us decorate for Christmas, and maybe even for Easter. Have you considered decorating for Lent? Purple is the color associated with mourning and anticipates the pain and suffering of the crucifixion. Add a purple table cover or a purple candle in your worship space to remind you of the season. Many churches use desert plants like succulents to recall Christ’s time in the desert.

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6. Turn off your phones and have a meal with your family. Take a couple of moments to watch this short video from Sr. Mary Vuong about the importance of being “present” for family and community meals.

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7. Perform an act of charity every day–do the dishes when it’s not your turn, buy someone a coffee, pick up litter, walk instead of driving.

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8. Purchase and USE a re-usable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. For more ideas on how you can “fast from plastic,” click here.

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9. Pray the Daily Office using Dominican Praise. Dominican Praise is a beautiful, contemporary translation of the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office — the daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours of each day with prayer and meditation. You can find it in the Dominican Praise ebook on Amazon.

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10. Follow a Lenten feature on social media, for instance, Busted Halo’s InstaLent Photo Challenge, which features daily, creative doses of Lenten spirituality. Post a photo each day and encounter the themes of Lent on a visual, personal level.

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11. Fasting is one of the ways to commemorate the 40 days of Lent. Fasting makes us mindful of Jesus’ 40-day journey into the desert. Fasting can mean abstaining from food, or from another luxury.

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12. Pray for religious Sisters, both those in ministry and those in their final ministry of prayer. March 8-14 is Catholic Sisters Week.

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13. Attend the Stations of the Cross somewhere. Many parishes offer these during Lent and often on Fridays.

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14. Try lectio divina, a method of prayerfully reading, meditating on, and even visualizing the events of just one verse of scripture.

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15. Read a chapter of one of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, every day.

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16. Almsgiving is one of the three ways of observing Lent. One way to live almsgiving is to make a point to learn 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.

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17. Spend at least one weekend or evening volunteering during Lent. Serve a meal at your local soup kitchen. Visit the elderly. Stock shelves at a food pantry.

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18. Give someone a compliment every day. Small kindnesses can make a big difference in the life of a friend.

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19. Attend a weekday Mass at least once a week.

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20. Take something on — 40 days of letter writing, 40 acts of kindness, 40 phone calls to the important people in your life.

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21. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Can’t remember how? Here’s a simple guide with some tips. Tell the priest it’s been a while, and ask him to guide you through it.

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22. The Holy Father says that “…a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion…” Use this Lenten season to improve your relationship with creation – fast from driving your own car and take public transportation, bike or walk. You will also help the environment at the same time! For more reflections, questions, prayers, and actions on the theme of ecological conversion, click here for a Lenten Reflection Guide from the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns.

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23. Pray for priests and bishops, and for the Pope.

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24. Attend Mass at a parish that’s made up of people from a different racial/ethnic group. Check the website masstimes.org or download the app to find masses near you.

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25. Fast from saying “yes,” for being busy for the sake of being busy. Take time for contemplation and time alone.

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26. Find a new way to take part in the Rosary. The Dominican Sisters of Peace have a beautiful video of the Sorrowful Mysteries that is perfect for your Lenten devotion.

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27. Read the Works of Mercy as Jesus describes them in Matthew 25:31-46. Then put this teaching into practice and choose an act of service you can perform throughout Lent.

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28. Make a commitment to read the Sunday scriptures before you go to Mass.

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29. Pray for those who lead our nation.

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30. If your health allows it, give blood during Lent. Blood supplies are always low in the winter, and the symbolism is VERY appropriate.

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31. 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. CRS Rice Bowl also has resources specifically focused on the idea of living as a Good Samaritan and reflecting on the question: Who is my neighbor?

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32. Volunteer to help decorate your church for Holy Week and Easter.

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33. Fast from the constant consumption of global news and instead focus on one or two news stories that have moved you. Pray for the people involved and for the renewal of the earth.

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34. 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.

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35. Many of us spend money each month (or even each day) on unnecessary things. Examples include seeing a movie each month, eating out each week, or getting coffee from a coffee shop each day. We can forgo these purchases and give the money to charity instead.

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36. Give up lunch or breakfast. That’s an easy way to offer a mini-fast, and spend that time in prayer or reading your Bible.

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37. Pray the Rosary more frequently. Maybe on the way to work, or each Sunday night after dinner. You can download an app to help you through it.

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38. Watch something other than cat videos on YouTube – the Dominican Sisters of Peace have a YouTube channel that includes reflections, prayers, documentaries and more.

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39. Work for peace – in your own heart, in your family, in your community, and around the world. If you are not sure how to go about it, the Dominican Sisters of Peace have some ideas here.

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40. Every person between the ages of 18 and 59 (your 18th birthday completes your 18th year, and your 59th birthday begins your 60th year) must fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting consists of one full meal per day, with two smaller meals that do not add up to a full meal, and no snacks.

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The Interfaith Immigration Coalition has prepared prayer and action materials for use throughout the Lenten season. This Lent we are raising up the dreams, needs, and concerns of DACA recipients who are awaiting the Supreme Court decision which could lead to their deportation from the only home they have ever known. The Lenten booklet includes scripture, reflection, the story of a dreamer, and suggested actions.

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Click here to see more videos from the Dominican Sisters of Peace