Jesus went into the desert to pray (Mt. 4:1-11). There, He faced the Devil’s temptations, fought against them, and emerged victorious showing us what it means to overcome spiritual trials. He chose to experience human weakness so that, in our hardest moments, we could find comfort in Him. As we begin Lent, we are invited to walk this same path through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, drawing closer to Christ.
Lent is a forty-day season of repentance, renewal, and preparation for Easter. The number forty comes up frequently in Sacred Scripture. We can think of the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert. The forty days of Lent mirror the time that Jesus spent fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry. Through this season of Lent, we receive a call to grow in faith through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These are not activities to be carried out mindlessly. Rather, we should fast with purpose, deepen our prayer life, and practice acts of service generously.
Have you ever started Lent with great intentions, only to find yourself struggling halfway through? Jesus spent forty days in the desert, fasting and facing temptation, giving us an example of perseverance. As we begin Lent, how can we make our journey more meaningful?
Fast with Purpose
If you ever wonder how fasting can make you holier, think about God every time you feel hungry. I can assure you that this will help your spiritual life. Now, fasting is not just about giving up something, particularly food. Often, we do better to identify what is making us sin and give up what leads to that. So, if I notice that I look at indecent images, I need to cut out of my life what leads to that.
There is also an aspect of discipline that is connected to fasting. The sacrifice of giving up a favorite food or limiting our food intake can be a great way of building up our willpower. The key to overcoming temptation is often being able to stay committed to the decision for virtue that you have already made.
When we fast, we carry out one of the lessons that Jesus gives from his own experience in the desert. When the Devil tries to tempt him to eat and break his fast, he responds: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4). Beyond building up willpower, fasting helps us to grow in detachment from worldly things and to grow in self-discipline.
Possible fasts for Lent:
- Sweets
- Television
- Worldly Music
Deepening Prayer Life
How do we hang on to “every word that comes forth from the mouth of God?” Lent is a time to go deeper in prayer. We want to spend more intentional time with God. Lent is the perfect time to set aside distractions and deepen our prayer life. With packed schedules, prayer often takes a backseat – but what if we made it our priority?
It is good to think of concrete ways that we are going to build up our spiritual life during Lent. We probably want to spend more time with the Word of God. It can be helpful to read the Gospel of the Day from the liturgy or to read through one of the Gospels, focusing on learning more about the life of Christ. It can be a good time to pick up the habit of a daily rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet.
We might want to build up our spiritual life by reflecting on the Bible, but we could also focus on the Eucharist. Maybe we want to take advantage of Lent to gain the habit of daily Mass. Or perhaps, we spend more time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. These are both solid strategies to increase our spiritual lives during Lent.
Perhaps, more than focusing on adding spiritual practices, we need to focus on improving the quality of our prayer. We can try to listen more and speak less during our time of prayer. We can listen to the voice of God as he spoke to the Psalmist: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:11).
Possible prayer disciplines for Lent:
- Daily Scripture Reading
- Praying the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet
- Attending Daily Mass
- Eucharistic Adoration
Practicing Acts of Service
When we serve others, we reflect Christ’s love and shift our focus outward. We are less focused on ourselves and more focused on others. Lent culminates in the mysteries of Holy Week when we see Jesus pay the ultimate price for our redemption. As Christians, it is not enough to experience these mysteries as mere spectators. We are called to participate in the mystery of self-giving that Jesus lives out through his suffering and death. By serving others, we fulfill the command from Saint Peter to be stewards of God’s grace.
Above all, let your love for one another be intense because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:8-10).
There are simple ways to be stewards of the grace that God gives to us. We can donate to charity, volunteer, and perform acts of kindness.
Acts of Service
- Donating to charity
- Volunteering
- Performing small acts of kindness
Observing Lent Meaningfully
Lent allows us to reset our hearts to seek God’s presence more deeply. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are three Lenten practices that help us reset. Jesus invites us in the Gospel to “seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness” (Mt. 6:33). Lent is a great time to take this seriously and live it out.
Hopefully, with this information, you realize that a Lenten program is about more than a simple sacrifice. It can be a spiritual program focused on growth and transformation. As you enter into Lent, how will you fast with purpose, deepen your prayer, and serve others generously? What will you do today to make this season truly transformative?
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