Lent begins on March 5th this year with Ash Wednesday. I have caught myself in years past wondering what sort of practices to do for Lent—about 12-24 hours before Lent actually starts. In an effort to dive into Lent as opposed to being dragged against my will, here is my list of suggestions to prepare for the Lenten season.  

1. Start Now with Prayer

In years past, I don’t know that I’ve ever made a habit of asking the Holy Spirit for guidance on Lent. Praying for guidance is a phrase that’s easily thrown around; being receptive to the Holy Spirit, however, is not so easy. For the vast majority of us, the Holy Spirit does not speak in loud pronouncements. Pray about Lent, ask the Holy Spirit, and try to pay attention to the nudges.  

2. Turn Down the Noise

I really believe that one of the biggest obstacles to the spiritual life in today’s culture is noise. Smart phones have the capacity to entertain us at any moment. Satan sees this potential obstacle and doesn’t necessarily have to tempt us to serious sin. For many of us, all Satan has to do is keep us distracted.  

Make a resolution this Lent to combat the noise: give up secular music, sports radio, and any other podcast that does not have God as its center. Devote commute times to holy podcasts, praise and worship music, Gregorian chant, or polyphonic chant. The recent Bible/Catechism/Rosary-in-a-Year podcasts are a great place to start.  

3. Plan for Fasting

Every Friday during Lent, Catholics age 14-58 are asked to give up meat.  Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are special days of fasting and abstinence. The quick version: no meat, two small meals, and one moderate meal (no more than the two small meals put together). For the longer version, take a look at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) website.  

The first way to plan for fasting during Lent, I believe, is a small but important mental shift. Fasting is not going to be pleasant or comfortable; nor is it supposed to be. After all, Our Lord endured far worse for our sake. When I’ve had an extended period of indulging my appetite for food, even a minor fast feels like a heavy lift. Hamburgers never look so good as on a Friday during Lent.  

Second, start thinking of meals now, and add those recipe ingredients to the grocery list. A quick search of the internet or Pinterest yields an incredible amount of vegetarian recipes, or check out a previous blog post on soups and saints for the Lenten season. The better the planning now, the lesser chance you’ll be eating cereal for dinner for the fourth Friday in a row.  

4. Spiritual Reading

For a few years, I would ask my wife to suggest a book for me to read during Lent. Each year, it hit home. If you don’t have a spouse or a loved one that would suggest a book, do an honest self-reflection. Pick a book that addresses a weakness, an aspect of the Catholic faith that’s unfamiliar, or a spiritual classic that’s been collecting dust on the shelf.  

The second side of spiritual reading is the Sacred Scriptures. Don’t know where to start? I recommend checking out the Sacred Scripture Deep Dive series on this blog—they provide introductions to books in the Bible. I also recommend having a commentary available, whether in book form (like the Ignatius Study Bible) or a video series (like the ones on Formed.org).  Thanks to the information age, we can walk through the first gospel with St. John Chrysostum and his homilies on Matthew, or take up Hebrews with St. Thomas Aquinas.

5. Plan for Prayer

Prayer works best when it’s on a regular routine. This was very difficult for me. My natural stubbornness and pride wanted to pray in the evenings so that I could sleep a little extra in the mornings. It didn’t matter that I would frequently start too late and usually fall asleep within a few minutes.  

If you’ve never had a habit of prayer, Lent is a perfect time to start one.  

I recommend a few things from my many failed attempts and my brief successes. Whether morning or evening works better, be honest with your state in life and pick one. Next, bedtime matters! Maybe the saints can pray while they’re dead tired, but I am definitely not a saint. Finally, plan out the prayer time to some degree. It doesn’t need a strict regimen, but having no regimen is just as effective as a draconian one. Bring the Scriptures into your prayer time, as well as the Liturgy of the Hours or daily devotionals.  

6. Almsgiving

The final pillar of Lenten emphases—along with prayer and fasting—is almsgiving. This Lent is a good opportunity to assess your level of tithing; coincidentally, tax day falls right toward the end of Lent. There are more charitable organizations than could ever be supported. If there’s room in the budget, take on a new charity. 

Money is not the only way to give of oneself in almsgiving. One of our most valuable assets we have is time. We can give is through volunteering for a food pantry or Meals on Wheels. Are there any volunteer opportunities that a family could do together? Or a common cause/organization where the family could collectively pool their offerings? 

Have a blessed Lent!