Lent - What are your plans?

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LENT starts in 2 weeks.

Have you thought about what you will do? What you will give up?

Last year, I gave up meat for the entire period of Lent. Planning to do the same this year.

We also, make it a point to go for Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent.

Looking for other things to do. Please share what you do.
 
I won’t be able to go to Stations of the Cross every week, but I did take off Holy Week. I was off for it last year and I loved being able to go to all the Masses, Confession and Stations of the Cross.

I don’t know that I’ll give anything up, but I will be trying to read at least one religious book and possibly go to a Bible study class. I’m also going to try to say the Rosary with my family every day instead of just the days I’m not working (I say it every day myself, but my work schedule makes it difficult to say it as a family on days I work).

I’ve told my wife that I’m vowing to eat as many McDonald’s Fish McBites as possible during Lent, but if they’re a disappointment I’ll just stick with Filet O’Fish. 😃
 
I really want to do the “black fast” but I fear burning out! Therefore, I might tone it down a bit and add a few collations here and there… better that than striving for something more severe and giving up entirely.
 
Hi there. I usually give up luxurious things: my fancy perfume, gold jewellry, bright lipstick colours are replaced by subtle nuetrals, my Lenten wardrobe is nuetral and muted with blue for Our Lady and purple since that’s the liturgical colour. I limit tv and movies, limit secular music and refrain from non-essential shopping. I limit alcohol-I don’t drink a lot anyway. I limit meat, sweets and don’t use my bone china. I will pray the LOTH and a Lenten meditation book. I try to get to daily Mass. I try to choose a Saint to be my Lenten partner. One year it was Saint Jude, another year it was Saint Therese. I drive the speed limit. I give up profanity. I try to be nicer to people I’m having trouble with-last year. I gave up arguing with my violin teacher. This made a HUGE DIFFERENCE in our relationship and my playing really improved. 😃
 
Here are my personal plans, and some plans for my family (as we homeschool)…it’s still a work in progress…
  • Read at least one document from Vatican II (Planning Gaugium et Spes right now)
  • Attend the Stations of the Cross
  • Attend the Stations of the Cross at the beginning and near the end of lent at my parish
  • Do the Stations of the Cross at home on Friday’s at 3 (if not attending elsewhere that day)
  • Attend the weekly Wednesday mission at my parish
  • Attend daily Mass (hopefully!)
  • Make a Paschal Candle using one of the three methods listed here (depending on time!)
  • Attend a Women’s Lenten Retreat the day before Palm Sunday
I am still looking for some activities for my youngest (10) to track the time and some more meaningful activities for my oldest (15)

I am looking forward to hearing everyone else’s plans!!
 
I am anticipating the Lenten season this year, seeing as it will be my “first” (where I actually participate; I’m a cradle Catholic, and have given up things before - albeit not very well - but I did not attend Mass, etc.) Catholic Lent.

Here are my plans, so far:
  • Attend Mass on Ash Wednesday and receive ashes
  • Fast on bread and water every Friday; I will eat bread (enough that will give me energy, I will not starve myself) every six hours, from 6AM to 12PM to 6PM, drinking water all day
  • Read (at home, by myself) the Stations of the Cross on the first Friday of Lent and on Good Friday
  • On Good Friday, in the morning and the evening (before I go to sleep), I will pray the Rosary and read Scripture (I will also fast, as I said)
  • Pray the Rosary daily
I believe that is good; I hope I’m not overdoing it, though… :o
 
I plan to go vegetarian for the forty days of lent. I’ll still eat fish, but other than that, nothing with a set of lungs. I’ve never went on a diet like this before.
 
Traveling to my Parish is a bit difficult, but I would like to attend more than one Mass during the week (i.e. at least 2 or 3). Definitely going for ashes on Wed.

I would like to keep a journal specifically for Lent with my prayers & intentions, etc.

I plan on trying to say a full rosary every day (all the mysteries). Most likely not all at once but over the course of the day.

I am thinking about forgoing meat altogether and not just on the Fridays (I am allergic to seafood and eggs anyway so that is automatically out.)

I would like to finish reading the entire Bible (I’ve already started).
 
Gwyn said:
LENT starts in 2 weeks.

Have you thought about what you will do? What you will give up?

Last year, I gave up meat for the entire period of Lent. Planning to do the same this year.

We also, make it a point to go for Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent.

Looking for other things to do. Please share what you do.
Click to expand...
I like to do what St. Therese did and adopt a sinner or two to pray for them. I call this adopt a sinner for 10 weeks. Since the Little Flower used her time to pray for a convicted killer that enabled God to send forth His Grace to save him why can’t we do the same as this Saint. To pray for a particular sinner I often pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Of course I can do this any time of the year but Lent is an excellent opportunity to put these devotions into practice.
 
Though among the greatest sinners, I do have a pretty full devotional life, fast, etc…In November I gave up hot-sauce (junkie) for the poor souls, but I was thinking I’d give up…ESPN (No Sportcenter, NFL LIVE, Highlight Express, basketball, etc (sports-junkie, too). What network do you watch most? Just an idea… :newidea:
 
I usually give up a few things for lent…but so far I’ve only decided on one thing…

I will be giving up Catholic Answers Forum. I usually give up a favorite food as well.

Hubby and I have committed to reading the whole bible this year. We’ve started and will continue. But I also want to try and make more of an effort to go to adoration once or twice a week and do Stations of the Cross every Friday. We did a few of them last year but I want to try and make it every Friday.

I have to stock up on salads and spaghetti for Friday dinners. My husband likes Fish and Chips but I hate fish.
 
“Prayer Before the Crucifix” evey nite (kneeling)
“Stations of the Cross” at least 2x/wk (once in a church if possible with my work schedule)
Give up nicotine gum
 
l
Last year I came up with a really nice way to do the Stations at home- I got the idea from the Tenebrae service. I light candles & extinguish one after each Station, so it’s completely dark at the Crucufixion- this really made it meaningful to me.
 
chimo said:
I like to do what St. Therese did and adopt a sinner or two to pray for them. I call this adopt a sinner for 10 weeks. Since the Little Flower used her time to pray for a convicted killer that enabled God to send forth His Grace to save him why can’t we do the same as this Saint. To pray for a particular sinner I often pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Of course I can do this any time of the year but Lent is an excellent opportunity to put these devotions into practice.
Click to expand...
I like this and not just for Lent.
 
I will give up reading for fun, i.e., novels, biographies (unless it’s a good biography on a saint), etc. Instead I will read books on Catholic spirituality. Since St. Fancis de Sales is my saint for the year I should probably start with Introduction to the Devout Life. I did this last year and I found it fruitful.

Not eating is no problem for me unless I’m fasting. Likewise, spiritual reading is something I enjoy and usually it’s no problem to put down a novel and pick up a devotional but when I give something up that’s when I want it.:rolleyes:
 
h(name removed by moderator)forlife said:
Here are my personal plans, and some plans for my family (as we homeschool)…it’s still a work in progress…
  • Read at least one document from Vatican II (Planning Gaugium et Spes right now)
  • Attend the Stations of the Cross
  • Attend the Stations of the Cross at the beginning and near the end of lent at my parish
  • Do the Stations of the Cross at home on Friday’s at 3 (if not attending elsewhere that day)
  • Attend the weekly Wednesday mission at my parish
  • Attend daily Mass (hopefully!)
  • Make a Paschal Candle using one of the three methods listed here (depending on time!)
  • Attend a Women’s Lenten Retreat the day before Palm Sunday
I am still looking for some activities for my youngest (10) to track the time and some more meaningful activities for my oldest (15)

I am looking forward to hearing everyone else’s plans!!
Click to expand...
I forgot to add that we attending Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil have become a family tradition. I did it once about 3-4 years ago and told my dh that if he came with me the next year, Easter would never be the same again without attending all three…now we all attend and my boys are our pastor’s ‘go-to-servers’ for the Easter Vigil 👍

I do have to be careful though, if I don’t remember to focus on some good spiritual reading and the almsgiving, I can tend to get depressed and have trouble enjoying Easter Sunday!
 
LiseTravis said:
l
Last year I came up with a really nice way to do the Stations at home- I got the idea from the Tenebrae service. I light candles & extinguish one after each Station, so it’s completely dark at the Crucufixion- this really made it meaningful to me.
Click to expand...
:bowdown2:Oh wow! Such a neat idea. I’ve never been to a Tenebrae service, but I’d like to sometime. Kudos to you for being creative with your prayers at home.
I know a child who gave up cracking their big toe for Lent-cracked me up instead!:rotfl:
 
I plan to give up soda.

I am pregnant this year, so I can’t fast, although I do plan to give up meat on fast days and eat “mindfully”…if that make sense.

I plan to attend Mass on Ash Wednesday and receive ashes, if I can.

I want to attend Mass all during Holy Week, but that was the only week the auditors could come to our office for fieldwork and I am the accountant, so I have to be there. I don’t think they will stay late, they didn’t last year, but I don’t know until the time comes.

I would like to attend the stations of the cross on Fridays as well.

I hope it will be a good Lenten season for me, as it is my first as a Catholic, I’ll just be doing in the third trimester 🙂
 
LiseTravis said:
l
Last year I came up with a really nice way to do the Stations at home- I got the idea from the Tenebrae service. I light candles & extinguish one after each Station, so it’s completely dark at the Crucufixion- this really made it meaningful to me.
Click to expand...
I might steal this idea.
 
I’m still trying to figure out how hardcore I’m going this year. I’m seriously thinking of doing a liquid diet all week, excepting one all-natural vegetarian meal for each day over the weekend. No alcohol or soda.
 
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