What do you do for lent?

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I’m thinking about doing something for lent that is a bit more meaningful that the usual giving up of some favorite food, drink, television show, etc… Do any of you out there have suggestions for a lenten sacrifice?

Peace
 
I acquainted myself with frequent hunger and ate very simple meals throughout Lent to lead to solidarity with the poor. I also prayed the sorrowful mysteries frequently.

I’ve given up meat, too, that’s not fun.

I’ve given up drinking. That wasn’t too hard, but it was a good witness to others.
 
I find out once I give it up for lent, that I usually never go back to that bad habit. Eating soda or candy for example, so I have to add something.
 
I have a few suggestions. How about adding more prayer time?

Here are a bunch of things you could add if not already doing:
  • Chaplet of Divine Mercy (this is a beautiful devotion for Lent. The very first Sunday following Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday.)
  • Spend time at Adoration - maybe an hour a week or a few times. What ever is available in your area. This is truly time well spent. You will be so blessed and find such peace from this.
  • Adding a mass to your schedule. Maybe you can add a Sat mass - or something during the day.
  • Add a rosary.
  • Add family prayer time.
  • Are there any Shrines in your area? Maybe a trip to a shrine as a pilgrimage.
  • Volunteer at your church to help at an event or activity. Many churches are severely lacking in volunteers to help coordinate events. For those already overworked parish counsel members, this would be a fabulous blessing to the church and to them.
God Bless you.
 
I never did anything for Lent better than the year in gradeschool when I decided to be nice to the teacher everyone hated. She even drove the other teachers nuts. I’m not even sure that her teacher’s pets liked her much. It turns out she had chosen education as the least repugnant alternative of what was open to her when she went to college. At any rate, it made her into a human being for me. She wasn’t easy to get along with, but with a little understanding she wasn’t a bad person, either. I learned that when someone turns you off initially, there is usually more there than what meets the eye. So I would suggest being a better friend or co-worker or family member to someone who is just not your cup of tea.

PS When I graduated, the teacher told me she’d miss me. After she walked away, the principal (also Catholic) asked how I could stand the woman. I replied that I’d been nice to her for Lent once, and it kind of got to be a habit. The principal nearly died laughing.
 
I give up coffee, pray more and try to do daily mass. I also have been trying to go to weekly confession but that has not worked out very well. Not that I don’t have the time or the need just that I don’t make the time.
 
Great suggestions. Thanks to all and keep them coming,

FYI - Two years ago I decided I’d say the Rosary five days a week during lent. It’s now a habit that I keep up regularly year-round. I agree with the prior poster that it does add peace and serenity to my day.

Peace,
 
I like the idea of introducing more time for reflection and prayer.Or doing different spiritual exercises that increase the awareness of my relationship to God and his will for mein my life.

Being a vegetarian, the no meat thing does not help me out much. Trying to stick to a macrobiotic diet, means that cutting out chemical additives, like those in chocolate and caffeine, refined sugar and refined flour products, is a moot point as well. But maybe people who choose those alternatives will be beneifted by keeping a journal to see how much thier inclination toward spiritual practices might increase, due to lack of false stimulants which confuse the body and effec the spirit.

I’ve been wanting to do the Ignatian Spirituality exercises as a retreat for sometime, but have no retreat center near me. Also it is not very affordable for me. I am thinking about getting a copy of the book and doing it during lent, as best I can on my own. I also found a web site that has the retreat there, but rather than do it in one month, it looks like their outline is almost a year-long project.
clc-usa.org/
Of course there are no rules that what is adopted as a Lenten practice should terminate with Lent, but I like the idea of setting aside 40 days as a reference for spiritual transformation, since it is such an improtant number in the Bible. Or maybe I’ll work with some other reflection-type writing for 40 days, like the “Imitation of Christ,” or Francis de Sales’ “Introduction to the Devout Life.”
 
I turned off the radio in the car and home for a lenten sacrifice a couple of years ago and, like an earlier poster, wasn’t as attracted to it afterwards. As a matter of fact, it annoys me…but I still listen to Catholic radio. So this year I’ll do the no-radio thing and add something else. I think the being nice to someone no one else likes is a great idea. I’ll try to call my mom-in-law weekly because she’s lonely and loves to visit but always calls at the wrong time.
 
Robert in SD:
I’m thinking about doing something for lent that is a bit more meaningful that the usual giving up of some favorite food, drink, television show, etc… Do any of you out there have suggestions for a lenten sacrifice?
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Although I was born Catholic, my catechisis lacked. This is going to be the 3rd Lent in my life in which I do anything special.

But since the 1st one I thought that more than a temporary sacrifice, doing something that would provide a more permanent profit makes more sense. So I started by kicking some sinful habits out of my mind in the 1st one and started saying grace before meals in the 2nd.

By the way, I thought that it was a good idea last Lent to do sacrifices or set spiritual goals both individually and as a family.

However, I’m not sure what I myself and we as a family will do this upcoming Lent, I’ll be praying about it.

God bless you.
 
I’m a Catholic that came back to the Church after a verrrry loooong time, I joined the RCIA class to catch up, thought it would last only a few weeks…I LOVE it! so I’m going to stick it out with the entire class until Easter;) . Also on EWTN they were talking about offering up things during lent to a good cause…like, “you really want that hot fudge sunday”… but decide to offer it up for a starving child in the world or perhaps some other good cause.

Here’s wishing you all a very blessed New Year!
 
I plan on doing a total abstinence/fast (just bread and water) on Fridays…the rest of the week I will eat very moderately…since I exercise, I have to make sure I eat enough to stay healthy…other than that, I will spend less time watching TV and more time in prayer and reading (Cathechism, Bible, various Catholic Books, etc.) I will also pray the Rosary more…attend Mass as much as possible, and I have a Stations of the Cross Chaplet I will pray daily…I love Lent…I can’t wait.

I have already given up drinking, smoking, and other bad vices…and I already volunteer time at St. Vincent DePaul Society…so I have to be more selective
 
I agree that it’s great to start a new habit during Lent (being nice to someone, adding a devotional prayer to your day, etc.). I once read somewhere that this is part of the discipline of Lent; when we add something or take something away for several weeks, it then becomes a habit in our lives, and a good one!

I, too, made the promise to pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day last Lent, and I continue to this day! Sometimes I get to the end of the day and think, oops, I haven’t prayed them yet, so I take the time then and there to make sure I pray before going to bed. It’s a great habit!

One of the greatest practices I’ve heard of anyone doing was a friend of mine last year who said she was going to practice the Presence of the Lord during Lent. She did this by conversing with Him more often during her day; reminding herself that He is with her at all times and in all circumstances; I think they even set another place at their family dining table for dinner to remind them that Jesus was there with them during their meal. I think we’re going for this one this Lent!
 
I’m thinking about going to visit the local rest home this lent to read to and visit former parishoners who now reside there…
 
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puzzleannie:
be nice, stop complaining, get off my duff and move.
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Right! It’s like “teshuvah”, the idea for Yom Kippur. It means “return.” You look and see what you need to do to put the Son back at the center of your universe. (A journey of a thousand miles…)

That makes re-establishing or deepening your prayer life the best advice of the lot… and if that doesn’t get a person off their duff, that’s how they know their prayer is still too much talk and too little listening.
 
Last year I tried going vegan…no meat or dairy…It didn’t *sound *that hard, but it was, and I had to give up after three weeks!! It was fruitful though, because I was very hungry for those three weeks, and it weaned me a little bit off of sweets, and it was very humbling when I would give in to my appetitie and scarf down some cheese quesadillas. For the rest of Lent I gave away something everyday, like a shirt to Goodwill, or money to some charity, or giving my time. Though very hodgepodge, it was a good Lent!
 
Since I sold my only television and all my video games, it will not be as easy to pick what to do for Lent. I am looking in this thread for ideas. I see some really good ones here already.
 
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