It’s that time of year again. You go to Mass on a Wednesday, and the priest marks your head with ashes. You give up sweets without a second thought. By the time Easter rolls around, you’ve either stuck to fasting from all sweets or you’ve refined which sweets you’ve given up. All you know is that next year, you’ll most likely have a different game plan. And you should. Lent is preparation for Easter. It’s really hard to do right. However, there are three solid ways that should all be used for the BEST Lent ever!

Prayer:

You should have a goal to include more prayer in daily life. Prayer is vital to have a closer relationship with God. You can’t have a real relationship with someone you don’t talk to. So, take some time out of your day to pray. Go to Mass. Say a morning offering. Offer up the time you take for schoolwork or work for an intention. Pray a rosary. Sit down and have a heartfelt conversation with God. Tell Him what’s been going on lately. Be open in your conversation. Whatever method or prayer you choose, be meaningful in your choice!

Fasting:

On Holy Days of Obligation during Lent (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) fasting is required for those older than 18. Abstinence from meat is required for kids 14 and up. However, this is not the extent of fasting. Fasting can also be giving up a favorite treat (like chocolate) or bad habit (like TV without moderation). Like any other goal, fasting should be manageable and most likely continued after Lent. You don’t want to fast from a bad habit for a few months just to go back to it afterwards!

Almsgiving:

Last, but certainly not least, almsgiving is often overlooked. Almsgiving can mean many different things to many different people. For some, it means setting a small portion of money aside each day and donating it at church every week or on Easter. For others, it can mean donating food and clothing or volunteering at homeless shelters. Almsgiving can mean giving money, but it can also mean giving goods or time to those who need it. 

Hopefully, these three ways give you some guidelines for how you want to spend Lent!

By Anya Marino ‘24, Staff Writer

24amarino@montroseschool.org