Some Lenten Suggestions

• Step back from social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) entirely, or in part: altogether, or so many days a week, e.g., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or all weekend, or perhaps after or before dinner, perhaps every night after 8 pm. Spend that extra time with a family, friend, phone conversation, a good spiritual reading book
• If you’re retired, and wake up early anyway, commit to attending morning prayers (7:45 am) and/or Mass (8:00 am), Monday through Friday from Ash Wednesday to Wednesday of Holy Week.
• Take the family every Friday afternoon/evening to the Stations of the Cross, picturing each station in your imagination as richly as you can. Take your time and do it well.
• Set aside Sudoku/crossword/mobile phone games/watching TV. Replace the time you would have spent each day with time in silent prayer, simply being in God’s presence, with the next paragraph/chapter in a Gospel that you read all the way through, or with prayer for the families that live on your block/in your apartment building, one household at a time.
• Determinedly give up gossip, rereading daily Ephesians 4:29-32.
• Give up playing to win. Play hard, but to enjoy. Taunt less (or not at all), and affirm more. Acknowledge others’ successes.
• Give up parking near store entrances. Voluntarily park at a distance and let others have a place of priority, and then pray while you walk to and from the store.
• Give up store bought coffee. Make it at home. Keep an account of what you would have spent, and donate it to St. Vincent de Paul for the needy.
• Keep Sunday holy with habits of talking about the Gospel/homily with family, neighbor, fellow parishioner, finding one person to chat with briefly before Mass/after Mass, being particularly conscious of the names of the sick in the intercessions and pray for them earnestly, looking for something beautiful, be it natural, i.e., sunrise/sunset, musical, artistic or architectural to nourish your spirit, or preparing a special meal each Sunday afternoon for yourself (if alone) or for family/friends
• Go to confession! Be humble. Be prepared. Know how long it’s been since the last confession. Simply name and claim the sin without explanation or excuse (if the priest needs more information he’ll ask).
• Subscribe to a daily prayer site: https://jesuitprayer.org/ or read the daily readings: https://bible.usccb.org/ early in the morning, the night before, or as part of the conclusion of the evening meal before clean up.
• Work to heal one broken relationship. Begin with prayer for the person. Let go of the resentments that are hurting your soul. Surrender the desire for them to apologize – even though, justly, they should apologize. Be quick to apologize yourself. Allow them to remain alienated if they choose, but let them know you are waiting when they are ready. Remain free of resentments even if disappointed by their response.​

May your Lent be filled with grace upon grace!








​Fr. Patrick

---