We all have experienced Lent! We’ve experienced the birthday treats coming out at lunch, while we have to sit back, regretting the decision of giving up sweets for Lent. Sometimes, we may start to revise what we planned to give up, or change our decision completely. By the time Lent ends, you may be disappointed in yourself and feel like Lent was far from what it is supposed to be, but, with these tips, Lent this year can be a much more rewarding time for you and your relationship with God!

During a time of remembrance of Jesus walking through the desert for 40 days, the Catholic Church exercises three main things: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Here are tips on living out all three:

Prayer:

As Jesus walks through the desert, He invites you to join Him in His journey, by entering into prayer with Him. All throughout the year, you may primarily pray to Jesus for intentions you have or if you need help with something. Many times you probably have forgotten to simply talk to Him in love or thank Him. Lenten prayer is a great way to build a better relationship with Him and a habit of keeping Jesus in your life and praying to Him more often. Adding more time for prayer into your day could mean going to Mass instead of enrichment reading and spending a little more time after Mass in the chapel before heading to your next class. At home, you could pray a rosary, spend five minutes in a prayerful reflection, or just say a shorter prayer right before you go to bed or right when you wake up.

Fasting: 

The first thing you should do before thinking about what you would like to sacrifice or “give up” is thinking about what is keeping you from loving God more. Of course keeping from indulging in sweets or media is a big sacrifice, but you could also consider giving up something that will help your relationship with God thrive more, continuously, even after Lent is over. That could mean being more mindful about not committing a sin you find yourself confessing at every confession, such as gossiping or being unkind to others. Even keeping from complaining more could result in more gratitude to God. In the long run, giving up sinful things can help you develop a more pious life. That being said, it is important to keep your sacrifices challenging, but also manageable so you do not find yourself having to change your Lenten plan multiple times during Lent. If ever you feel tempted to just take one bite of that delicious chocolate brownie, even though you are fasting from sweets, just remember the reason why you are fasting and the magnanimous sacrifices Jesus made for you.

Almsgiving:

The almsgiving aspect of Lent is often forgotten but it is one of the best ways to strengthen your relationship with God and others. Almsgiving could mean giving some money or extra food to a local food pantry, or a church near you. If you are not able to do so, almsgiving also means giving time to others. You could spend just a little bit of your time spending time with your family, or dedicating a few extra minutes to studying for that test or doing an extra chore. Even giving a little bit of your time to help someone out or doing a small deed for someone might seem little to you, but it could be big to another. By living out the aspect of almsgiving, you can build a habit of continuing doing these small, yet loving good works all throughout your life. 

I hope that by remembering these tips, your Lenten Journey will result in one of the most rewarding experiences for you and your relationship with Jesus!

By Eloisa Pap ‘30, Clubs and Classes Editor

30@montroseschool.org