Preparation for Lent

[JaredR]

Breathe easy: there are still 25 days until Ash Wednesday. But if we wanted to, we could use these 25 days to prepare for a fruitful Lent. If we would like to undertake a greater program of penance and piety than we did last year, we might gradually work up to Lent. What’s stopping us from becoming saints this year?

Just a thought! Are you all thinking of Lent yet? What would you like to do this year?

 

[Sirach2]

What’s stopping us from becoming saints this year?

Just a thought! Are you all thinking of Lent yet? What would you like to do this year?

Jared, I just saw the film on Don Bosco last Saturday night on EWTN. Every time I see this movie and watch St. Dominic Savio, I think of you younger men with very much fondness when I see aspirations such as yours. Yes, YOU could be a saint, too!

To be honest, I hadn’t thought about what I’ll be doing, but it’s nice to have this reminder that it’s right around the corner. Have you decided on anything special? Or do you hope to get “inspired” by comments from the rest of us …

 

[puzzleannie]

. What’s stopping us from becoming saints this year?

Just a thought! Are you all thinking of Lent yet? What would you like to do this year?

this is the right attitude to take into Lent

what is stopping us? our own wills

 

[puzzleannie]

. What’s stopping us from becoming saints this year?

Just a thought! Are you all thinking of Lent yet? What would you like to do this year?

this is the right attitude to take into Lent

what is stopping us? our own wills

 

[Padraig1972]

Here is what i will do gradually the next weeks:

• Less time in front of the computer
• No sweets and soda other than saturday (some) and sunday (feast days)
• Less time watching tv-movies
• Less social activities (movies, social things in the city)
• Slowly cut my meals down to half portion

More:

• Praying
• Attending mass
• Rosary prayers
• Caring for others

 

[JaredR]

Jared, I just saw the film on Don Bosco last Saturday night on EWTN. Every time I see this movie and watch St. Dominic Savio, I think of you younger men with very much fondness when I see aspirations such as yours. Yes, YOU could be a saint, too!

To be honest, I hadn’t thought about what I’ll be doing, but it’s nice to have this reminder that it’s right around the corner. Have you decided on anything special? Or do you hope to get “inspired” by comments from the rest of us …

I am open to inspiration! I love hearing about what others are doing, even if it’s just for the encouragement. I don’t have any concrete plans yet, but I know that I would like to learn detachment from worldly consolations. You know how we “self-medicate” with TV, food, the Internet, etc to avoid feeling empty or bored or whatever. I would rather learn detachment so I can be open to spiritual consolations from Heaven.

 

[Sirach2]

JaredR:

I would rather learn detachment so I can be open to spiritual consolations from Heaven.

I wonder if you realize how worthy and special this goal is? Good for you to be thinking along these lines. St. Teresa had three most important virtues as the foundation to help us grow spiritually - humility, love of neighbor, and detachment.

I’ll be praying for you as my prayer partner. We do this at my church every lent. The entire congregation places their name and address in a basket, and these are passed out a second time for us to draw the name of a person to pray for during lent anonymously. We send the person a card saying that we drew their name. After lent, we are asked to send them another card revealing our identity to them. It’s been very successful here and people really take it seriously.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

I really need to take Lent seriously this year, because I completely failed in my efforts in the previous years.

I’m already preparing for it mentaly.

During Lent I plan to pray the penitential psalms every day and do some spiritual reading (there was a link here on the forum recently for daily readings during lent). And I’m planning to give up on something I’m absolutely addicted to: makeup. This will be a real sacrifice for me and I’ve been thinking about this for months now. I know I just have to do it this year. I’m very bad at giving things up and need to shape up, learn to live without little luxuries.

I’m using this pre-Lent time to prepare for all of this and pray to have a good Lent. It will be tough.

 

[Faith1960]

Breathe easy: there are still 25 days until Ash Wednesday. But if we wanted to, we could use these 25 days to prepare for a fruitful Lent. If we would like to undertake a greater program of penance and piety than we did last year, we might gradually work up to Lent. What’s stopping us from becoming saints this year?

Just a thought! Are you all thinking of Lent yet? What would you like to do this year?

Yes, I’ve been thinking of Lent. It comes late this year and feels to me like Lent should be starting now. We have Mass one evening during the week so I plan to attend that, plus Stations of the Cross weekly.

 

[Faith1960]

I really need to take Lent seriously this year, because I completely failed in my efforts in the previous years.

I’m already preparing for it mentaly.

During Lent I plan to pray the penitential psalms every day and do some spiritual reading (there was a link here on the forum recently for daily readings during lent). And I’m planning to give up on something I’m absolutely addicted to: makeup. This will be a real sacrifice for me and I’ve been thinking about this for months now. I know I just have to do it this year. I’m very bad at giving things up and need to shape up, learn to live without little luxuries.

I’m using this pre-Lent time to prepare for all of this and pray to have a good Lent. It will be tough.

I plan to give up something, too, but I’m still not sure what.

 

[JaredR]

I wonder if you realize how worthy and special this goal is? Good for you to be thinking along these lines. St. Teresa had three most important virtues as the foundation to help us grow spiritually - humility, love of neighbor, and detachment.

I’ll be praying for you as my prayer partner. We do this at my church every lent. The entire congregation places their name and address in a basket, and these are passed out a second time for us to draw the name of a person to pray for during lent anonymously. We send the person a card saying that we drew their name. After lent, we are asked to send them another card revealing our identity to them. It’s been very successful here and people really take it seriously.

Thank you! I will add you to my list of intentions as well!

I really need to take Lent seriously this year, because I completely failed in my efforts in the previous years.

I’m already preparing for it mentaly.

During Lent I plan to pray the penitential psalms every day and do some spiritual reading (there was a link here on the forum recently for daily readings during lent). And I’m planning to give up on something I’m absolutely addicted to: makeup. This will be a real sacrifice for me and I’ve been thinking about this for months now. I know I just have to do it this year. I’m very bad at giving things up and need to shape up, learn to live without little luxuries.

I’m using this pre-Lent time to prepare for all of this and pray to have a good Lent. It will be tough.

Those are great ideas, though I don’t have makeup to give up.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Those are great ideas, though I don’t have makeup to give up.

Haha, we girls have all the fun stuff

 

[kitkatty]

Some of the posters here have said it is good to prepare and kind of ease into Lent before it actualluy begins and I wholheartedly agree with that. We Eastern Catholics, Byzantines anyhow, have pre-Lenten Sundays with different themes like the Prodigal Son, Publican and the pharisee and the last Sunday before Lent begins is Forgiveness Sunday so that we begin Lent by asking for and giving forgiveness to those who have been wronged by us in the last year.
I also think that before we start to decide what we are actually going to do for Lent we need to discern what sinful patterns we may have gotten into lately.somethings these are so subtle we don`t realize these patterns without much prayer and reflection. Also we need to discern where we need healing.
I have really enjoyed reading some of the insightful posts concerning Lent on this thread. May we all have a blessed and holy Lent.