What do you plan to do during Lent?

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I plan to dedicate this Lent to Our Lady of Sorrows and do the True Consecration to Jesus through Mary prescribed by St. Louis DeMontfort on the Feast of the Assumption, and give up all meat except fish and shellfish.
I’ll read True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis, and then the Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Ligouri.
I used to give up Siberian Watermelons, but I just couldn’t do it this year!👍
 
We had an excellent sermon today - also made up for that I really couldn’t hear a word of it last week… Genuienly. :hug3:

Reading and trying to do the book I was given at last confession - I had it early as couldn’t wait for Ash Wednesday 😊

Determined to lose a stone. 2lb to 3lb a week following the slimming world diet from having been a member long enough but stopped going last year due to lots of steroids. Not got over it and been for me a grumbling s.a.d. winter. So I got 6 weeks to lose a stone and should do it okay if I stick to it all I feel sooo fat and inflated and an extremely full tum. Serious detox along the line…

Paint bedroom and put fresh curtains up. I experience mild s.a.d. and hadn’t decorated since moving in two year ago. Not knowing what I wanted. But now the sunlight here is a bit longer, I know I want a light bright refreshing room and plan to put a small tv/dvd player in. My aim is to have one week every month next winter simply hibernating. Not wallowing but constructive hibernating. I am using this lent to put things into place. Spring is a good time of year to make a room feel spring like all year?

Write a poem of my Lent Journey with God.

Might get to one Lent study group.
I have choir on a tuesday night when our church is having them and it is really important for me to be at choir. It not just pleasure though go because its wholley pleasure. But the pleasure is medical in that its how I sort myself out or something… But he does the neighbouring church too and will try to go to at least one of theirs. Ash Wednesday is there so that will help encourage me to go the following tuesday I hope. It clashes a little with another group I do so will have to alternate them or something.
 
I am going to try not to eat any sugar that does not occur naturally in food.

I was going to give up CA until Word Among Us announced they were going to have a Bible Study. So instead of giving it all up I will only participate in this thread.

The Word Among Us Lenton Bible Study

I invite all to join me starting Ash Wednesday. There is information on the linked site.
 
Hi All,
I was about to post a question on Lent here but didn’t know under which section I should post the question. I wanted to ask how can we best spent this lenten season? What kind of devotions can we practice to make this lent more special and gracefilled ?

But I am anyway thinking of attending daily mass if possible, of fasting on every Fridays, spending more time in prayer, avoiding anything Non Vegetarian for the next 50 days and may be reading “Spiritual Excercise of Saint Igantius”.

I hope someone would eventually post here the best devotions to be observed during the lent.

With prayers,
Joe
 
I think that what a person does for lent,or anytime of the year, is very personal and private and should be for the greater glory of god. I believe somewhere in the bible it talks about washing up and putting on oil so that no one knows your fasting.

Shouldn’t that be the same for the season of lent?
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
Actually, what I said is correct. What I said was taught to me by several Priests. It’s not about getting something out of the homily, or socializing with other people, it’s about adoring our Lord in his magnificent presence, and simply giving him what he rightly deserves. It is not about getting something out of it, but giving something into it. Simply being in his presence and receiving him sacramentally is more than what we deserve, and it’s a gift we get every week. May we never take it for granted.
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Point taken except for the last. That is definitely, but definitely, getting something out of it!
 
mashie said:
I think that what a person does for lent,or anytime of the year, is very personal and private and should be for the greater glory of god. I believe somewhere in the bible it talks about washing up and putting on oil so that no one knows your fasting.

Shouldn’t that be the same for the season of lent?
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Well, that is true. One of my Nun teachers used to say that we give God the glory unless we are taking it for ourselves by talking about it or letting others know how good we are.🙂 Here though, we are sort of anonymous and I find it uplifting and encouraging to see what others are doing. I am awed by some, humbled by others, amused now and then, and really sympatico with the one who was giving up M&M’s except on Sunday. A woman (has to be) after my own heart (and family tradition!).
 
Ohana said:
Well, that is true. One of my Nun teachers used to say that we give God the glory unless we are taking it for ourselves by talking about it or letting others know how good we are.🙂 Here though, we are sort of anonymous and I find it uplifting and encouraging to see what others are doing. I am awed by some, humbled by others, amused now and then, and really sympatico with the one who was giving up M&M’s except on Sunday. A woman (has to be) after my own heart (and family tradition!).
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My favorite nun from my childhood, Sr. Rosaria, used to say “never brag about what you do/have done as your good deed will lose credit with God”. Stuck with me thoughout my life. However, I agree with you that being on the internet, chatting with fellow Catholics, is not the same. I feel a sense of renewed love and devotion for Lent season when I read what others are doing and the sacrifices they will be making for our Lord. 👍
 
The wife and I are giving up adult beverages for Lent. A very self-centered pleasure that won’t hurt to give it up for a bit.

Read the Daily Roman Missal…daily. That really is a wonderful book and resource.

Going to also give up about negative thoughts during Mass about Dan Shutte’s show tune hymnals and music. That applies to the drummer, bongos, and off key flutes. God bless them.

Maybe not a “give up,” but just spend Lent refocusing on my faith. I know that should be an ongoing 24/7 effort. Lent is just a good time to hit myself in the face with a 2 X 4 to refocus.
 
joeantony said:
Hi All,
I was about to post a question on Lent here but didn’t know under which section I should post the question. I wanted to ask how can we best spent this lenten season? What kind of devotions can we practice to make this lent more special and gracefilled ?

But I am anyway thinking of attending daily mass if possible, of fasting on every Fridays, spending more time in prayer, avoiding anything Non Vegetarian for the next 50 days and may be reading “Spiritual Excercise of Saint Igantius”.

I
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You have some great things to do for Lent. But, I would like to point out that the Spiritual Exercises is not the kind of book that you read. They are exercises that should be done with a spiritual director. I don’t think they can be done on your own. The 30 day version is usually done at a retreat center in silence only meeting with a director once a day. The 90 day version is meant to be done in everyday life, meaning you can still be working but you have to dedicate at least an hour to prayer each day and meet with a director once a week. It’s a big commitment that might be difficult to do during Lent on your own.

May I suggest the Confessions of St Augustine or the Diary of St. Faustina.
 
I want to make sure to do Stations and go to the adoration chapel at least once a week. Maybe more. I’m also going to do the normal abstaining.
 
dailey said:
My favorite nun from my childhood, Sr. Rosaria, used to say “never brag about what you do/have done as your good deed will lose credit with God”. Stuck with me thoughout my life. However, I agree with you that being on the internet, chatting with fellow Catholics, is not the same. I feel a sense of renewed love and devotion for Lent season when I read what others are doing and the sacrifices they will be making for our Lord. 👍
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That sounds like my Sr. Rosaria! And it’s very good advice!
 
flameburns623 said:
Resume daily rosary.
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I did this last Lent in anticipation of being enrolled in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular. I didn’t want to let our Lady down, and I enjoyed the practice so much and got so much fruit by it that it stuck to this day. May Mary be with you in your Lenten journey!
 
I thought it would be an interesting challenge to live as a Carmelite Tertiary, circa 1962. Here’s the disciplines of the rule of Third Order Carmelites before Vatican II:
  • Daily Mass (already doing)
  • 30 minutes of mental prayer daily (already doing)
  • Spiritual reading (already doing)
  • Daily Rosary (already doing)
  • Daily recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Divine Office (I do a few hours most days from DivinumOfficium.com, but plan on ramping it up for Lent)
  • Traditional Lenten fast of 1962
And for those of you who are not familiar with the 1962 fast rules:

Ash Wednesday, Good Friday - Fast and Abstinence
Sundays and Feasts (St. Joseph, St. Patrick, etc) - No fast or abstinence

All other days during Lent
Monday - Fast and partial abstinence
Tuesday - Fast and partial abstinence
Wednesday - Fast and abstinence
Thursday - Fast and partial abstinence
Friday - Fast and abstinence
Saturday - Fast and abstinence

Yeah, I’m a bit scared, but I feel very compelled to take on this challenge. I talked to my Spiritual Director today, and he said to do the fast as best I can, and keep ramping up the amount of time spent with the Hours. The idea is not to be perfect at everything, but to give up as much as I can for love of God and in reparation for sin.
 
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Ohana:
Point taken except for the last. That is definitely, but definitely, getting something out of it!

Well, we get that out of it whether we want it or not. Whether you’d like to be in that pew or not, you still have the gift of being in the presence of Christ. However, you shouldn’t go to Mass just to get the gift of being in Christ’s presence. You go to Mass to give Christ what he rightfully deserves, and by all means he could make Mass last a year and still be reasonable, he’s simply more convenient than that. 😛

However, let’s no longer talk about this. I don’t want to derail the thread.
 
HonoraDominum said:
I did this last Lent in anticipation of being enrolled in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular. I didn’t want to let our Lady down, and I enjoyed the practice so much and got so much fruit by it that it stuck to this day. May Mary be with you in your Lenten journey!
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Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that! I have had a devotion to Mary and the Rosary since I was a little child, and I say it everyday now, and I’m going to make sure I keep doing this no matter what during Lent. Whenever I thought of praying when I was younger, I immediately thought of the Rosary, so it’s always been dear to me (Except for the crazier teen days when I hated it). Until a few years ago I didn’t know you could simply talk to God without saying a Hail Mary or Our Father. I thought that was just a lazy man’s way out of not having to pray for half an hour with Mother Angelica! 😛

But really, praying the Rosary daily is a great thing to do for Lent, especially if you’re just getting into your spiritual life. If you decide to pray for an hour when you first start, instead of lightly fanning the flames of your spiritual life in order to make it grow, you use gale-force winds and kill the fire immediately! It is so important to remember that Cathedral’s weren’t built in a day, and that they started out as a boring piece of ground and were gradually built into the magnificence they currently are.
 
Always I think of what is taught so cogently in Isaiah 58 of “true fasting”…

Here in Ireland the big charities eg Goal and Concern; have fallen into disrepute as they are using so much that is donated to live far too well.

But there are so many simple ways to give; so many needy ones in every area.

Always too I wonder at folk who build so much spiritual muscle during Lent and then ditch it all at Easter. If something is good for those weeks it is good always.

So some years ago I started incorporating Lent disciplines into permanency. Adding year by year,

Now there is nothing more to add or give thus. Poorer on many ways but richer in what matters. Every spare cent goes to feed and clothe others.

We have friends in the US who do the same. Retired they work in thrift shops, the food banks etc etc. So much simple work helping so many. Someone elwe we know over there gets up a little earlier to make sandwiches. She gives them to the homeless on her way to work and takes time to chat with them.

True fasting…
 
Great thread!

What does everyone think about hosting and/or attending birthday parties or other celebrations during Lent? My 7 year old son was invited to a [Catholic] friend’s birthday party on March 3rd.

Also, is it sending the wrong message to my children if were to visit museums, etc. during Lent. (We homeschool, and I’ve been meaning to plan a trip to a science center for nearly two months, but we have yet to go.)

This is our first year of seriously observing Lent.
 
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