Lent is a symbol of our entire struggle on earth. A good Lent takes focus and discipline. Most of us are very keen at the beginning of the Lenten days. But being consistent in Lent needs good preparation. Here are some suggestions to keep a static Lenten atmosphere in your life.
1. Plan – You may be having good intentions for Lent, but no plan for it. Be specific. “I’m going to pray more,” isn’t good enough. Start this in an immediate way. Once you’ve determined what you are going to do, stick to it every single day.
Make your plans doable. We are overly ambitious and commit to way too much. When we fail in our lenten goals, we grow discouraged and give up completely. This is a victory for the devil. Make your commitments modest and practical, and your Lent will be the better for it.
2. Read a Good Book – The saints can always inspire us. To begin your Lent in a perfect way, just start a good spiritual book. Reading Scripture or the writings of the saints is a great place to start. Here are some suggestions for Lenten reading:
Meditations for Lent by Jacques-Benigne Bossuet
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene
Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
The Spiritual Combat by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli
A Lenten Journey with Jesus and St. Paul of the Cross by Fr. Victor Hoaglund
Happy Are You Poor by Fr. Thomas Dubay
Letter to Friends of the Cross by St. Louis de Montfort
Love of Eternal Wisdom by St. Louis de Montfort
3. Examine – Lent is an excellent time for self-examination. Check our predominant faults, hidden idols of life, and failure in following the will of God in life, etc can be checked.
Remember, Lent is not ultimately about giving up your favorite food items, it is first and foremost about repentance, which means giving up sin and returning to God, our loving Father. While taking inventory of your sins may be painful, it is a healthy pain that restores the soul.
4. Confession – After examining your inner thoughts, the logical next step is to go to confession. Normally, it can be hard to find a parish with confession readily available (thirty minutes on a Saturday isn’t enough!), but the good news is, many parishes have increased confession times during Lent, so it’s a great time to go.
5. Pray – Let’s face it, we can all pray more, and Lent is a great time to plan and implement a daily prayer rule that can guide you the rest of the year. During this season, however, we should especially focus our prayers on repentance and contrition for our sins.
6. Fasting – Prayer and fasting are two sides of the same coin. Not only during Lent, but it is also something we should be doing all year round. If you do not have the habit of fasting Lent is a very good time to refocus your efforts and renew your commitment. We should especially focus on fasting from things related to our predominant sins.
Are you addicted to Instagram or Facebook? Fast from them. Give up your favorite shows. On the other hand, maybe you’re addicted to criticizing others. Make a special effort to fast from negative speech. The point is while fasting from certain foods is an excellent ascetical practice, we do not have to limit our lenten fasting to things we eat. Remember the words of Jesus: “If your eye offends you, pluck it out.” Nothing should stand between us and the heavenly kingdom, and we should be intentional about cutting off those things that are causing us to sin.
Do your best this Lent. Strive to root out sin and cultivate holiness. But when you fail, realize that even those who can be considered righteous fall seven times daily (Prov. 24:16). Let your failure be a lesson in humility that drives you back to the grace of God flowing from the pierced heart of Jesus—for that is the true heart of Lent.