Prepare for the journey? Wait…..what? Where are we going? I don’t know about you but the past 2 months seem to have gone by in a split second and here we are, three days before Ash Wednesday. Have you given any thought to how you want to spend these forty days in the desert?

Personally, I love the season of Lent probably just as much as Advent. God bless the Church that she provides such seasons to help us course correct and redirect our attention to building a deeper relationship with Christ. So what to do? Reflect! This is not a time to be lax in planning. Think of the season as a journey. Honestly, if we were planning a trip, would we wake up the morning of the trip and start packing or would we carefully plan an itinerary, make a list of necessities and what we are going to pack down to the most minute detail? THAT’s what we need to do for these mini journeys of the spiritual life. “Mini” in the grand scheme of time but GIGANTIC when it comes to graces they garner. This is serious stuff and we need to treat it as such.

What are you doing?

If you haven’t started planning yet, can I make a suggestion? First, in the next three days start thinking about an intention you’d like to offer – maybe a loved one needs special prayer, someone you know is in need of conversion, world peace. Think of some “fruit” you’d like to see as the result of your prayer, fasting and almsgiving this season. I think if we set an intention and maybe write it down and put it somewhere we can see it everyday, it will make us more accountable for following through with the plans we make.

Second, ponder how you need to change to become more like Christ. For me there are many ways, so maybe focus on one for this season and try to work on that. Maybe you need to work on humility, vulnerability or quality and quantity of prayer. I’m sure there are all sorts of things we can all think of. Start by thinking of all the beautiful traits and virtues Jesus possessed and go from there.

Finally, meditate on the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. How will you incorporate these three things into your daily spiritual routine to help with the intentions you’ve set. There’s a video series on Formed entitled How to Lent which provides guidance in this regard.

Prayer

Maybe you can add something to your prayer routine to help you go deeper. If you don’t pray the rosary regularly, maybe pray for the grace to successfully add that to your daily routine for 40 days; or if you already pray a daily rosary, pray two or add the Divine Mercy Chaplet. How about a Holy Hour of Adoration? This is such a powerful practice. Oh the grace! I always imagine myself sitting there before the Blessed Sacrament with Jesus just pouring graces over me. It’s so peaceful too! If you’re anxious, stressed, need answers – go sit with Jesus, preferably with a pad or journal and start writing, you’ll be amazed! It’s truly a game changer.

Fasting

We hear it all the time: what are you giving up for Lent? The most popular choice: chocolate! I watched a video yesterday on Formed which suggested that when you consider what to fast from (the negative) maybe you can counter with what you’ll add (the positive) to your spiritual practice in place of what you’re taking away. For example, if you plan on giving up television or social media, what can you do to fill that time which will help you grow closer to God. You can watch the video here. I’d highly recommend it. Dr. Tim Gray has great suggestions, some of which go waaaaay back.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving is defined as the act of donating goods to people in need. That’s not to say we just throw our money around so we feel good. It’s about acknowledging the dignity of another. Sometimes it’s not even about the money at all but about human connection. What do I mean by this? Human beings were made for community and love. Almsgiving could be more than sending a check or dropping off a meal. It could be sharing a meal, going to visit someone who is lonely. It could be more about giving our time and talent instead of your money. If we can’t afford to give money, then we should commit to giving our time. The more I think about it, this is probably a great opportunity to grow in love and humility, stretched beyond our comfort.

Where are you headed?

Remember, Lent is a journey toward Easter. It’s a reminder of what Jesus endured for our salvation. It’s an opportunity for us to accompany Jesus in the desert. It was there in the desert where He gained the strength to follow through with the sacrifice and suffering that came after and it’s where we can gain the strength too. None of us knows what God has planned for our lives but now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to “deposit into the bank” so to speak, to build up reserves, for what we’ll need for future sacrifices and suffering. This is a way to prepare for the journey of life.

Jesus tells us, if we want to be his disciples we have to take up our cross daily and follow him. Cross isn’t just a burden or thorn in our side, like an illness or a person who is difficult to love, or a loved one who refuses to convert but it can be a sacrifice we make. Lent is the perfect opportunity for us to sacrifice our time and resources. Sacrifice is certainly not fun or comfortable but we’re called to respond to Jesus’ sacrifice and suffering in kind, ESPECIALLY during Lent. How will we respond? How will we prepare for the journey – the journey of Lent and life?

I hope and pray that this Lent is a grace-filled, fruitful season for you. That it will provide opportunities for you to grow closer to the one who loves you beyond measure and that the minor changes you’ve made for the season will continue beyond the 40 days!

More suggestions to prepare for the journey

Books/Devotionals: Remember Your Death – Memento Mori Lenten Devotional by Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP; Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis; No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk through Christ’s Passion by Dr. Edward Sri; The Ascension Lenten Companion: Walking with Mary to Jerusalem by Fr. Mark Toups; The Wilderness Within by Sr. Josephine Garrett (Sr. Garrett guides the reflections via videos available on Formed as well).

Apps: Ascension app: Set Free – Daily Lent Reflections to Overcome the Seven Deadly Sins; Hallow app: Lent Pray40

Podcasts: Abiding Together – they’re doing a book study: Jesus and the Jubilee The Biblical Roots of the Year of God’s Favor by John Bergsma – another opportunity to delve deeper into spiritual reading with some guidance; Poco a Poco with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal – great content for Lent prep; and Gotta Be Saints – need I say more?

Here are some more suggestions from Formed:

https://watch.formed.org/mardi-gras – this one is a live video happening on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with Sr. Miriam Heidland and Dr. Tim Gray and others.

https://watch.formed.org/a-lent-to-remember – this incorporates several video series from Formed

https://watch.formed.org/fearless-a-7-week-lenten-video-series – this is another video series through Formed led by Chris Stefanik.

https://watch.formed.org/tears-of-christ – this is an audio book that’s been split up to include listening for all the days of Lent through Holy Saturday. If you’re not an avid reader like me, maybe this can get your “juices” flowing and open you up to the possibility of adding spiritual reading to your repertoire on a regular basis. Perosnally, I’m not as focused when I listen to audiobooks. However, if you’re not doing any spiritual reading at all, something is better than nothing. Listen to a book instead.

Keep it simple

I’ve suggested quite a bit of content in this post. Something I’ve been guilty of in the past is biting off more than I can chew and then becoming discouraged. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Choose something you feel will challenge you to do better and be better. Resolve to do one thing from each pillar and stick with it.

Though you may feel inspired to try several new things for each pillar, just stick to adding one spiritual practice for prayer, subtracting one thing to fast from, preferably something you consider a bad habit (don’t forget the fasting from food when required) and determine just one way you can give of yourself in sacrifice for the next forty days. Keep it simple and if after the 40 days you still feel inspired, continue to work on these things beyond the season of Lent. That would be so awesome. Practice makes perfect!

Finally, as I mentioned in one of my last Advent posts, I am a huge fan of Formed. If you are not subscribed, please try to subscribe. It is a paid subscription. Many parishes have an account and grant free access to their parishioners. Please inquire in your parish. If it’s not available, maybe you can be the one to suggest it. More people need to benefit from this gift! God bless you! Continued prayers for our Holy Father Pope Francis!