Tag: fasting

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First Sunday of Lent

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Mass Readings

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-15
Responsorial: Psalm 25:4-9
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022121.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Today on deacon rudy’s notes, we’re going to talk about our Lenten journey in light of the pandemic. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Thank you for joining me today as we discuss this first Sunday in Lent.

It’s hard to believe we already in Lent. In some ways, it feels like we’ve spent the last year in Lent! Between the lockdowns, isolation, social distancing, and the supply shortages, and adverse weather, I think many people feel like they’ve already given up so much this year. What more could we possibly give up? Now that’s an interesting question!

It’s almost like the great flood described in Genesis. There’s this feeling of frustration – maybe call it cabin fever. There’s also this feeling of helplessness – especially if you’re in the hospital or someone you know is in the hospital. How many people have to be in the hospital without their family and friends?

Sadly, I’ve read stories in the news about people who are really struggling emotionally right now. And that’s not so difficult to understand, right?

But my brothers and sisters, there is hope for a new tomorrow. That’s what our first reading from Genesis is all about! God tells Noah and the survivors that the world has been made new! Our second reading from First Peter reminds us that Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus overcame hopelessness and despair! And in our Gospel, Jesus emerged from isolation in the desert and began to proclaim the Kingdom of God asking people to repent and to believe.

In some ways, many of our families and friends find themselves in a desert of sorts. That’s how isolation can feel. But rather than give in to hopelessness, we must put our faith in Christ Jesus. We need to make sure we don’t wallow in the sadness or self-pity. This is a temporary crisis! Our hope is in Christ alone!

As disciples of Christ Jesus, we need to be firmly planted in our faith. We’ve repented and believed. Now as disciples, we can reach out to our families and friends through all the wonderful technology at our disposal. We need to check-in with them. We need to listen. We need to let people vent. Our presence can radiate the peace of Jesus Christ.

But there’s a benefit for us too. You see, if we occupy ourselves with checking on our family, friends and neighbors, then we have less time to focus on negative thoughts. Keeping tabs on the people we know and love is good for them and good for us! It’s a win-win!

My brothers and sisters, we can use this Lenten season to renew ourselves and our relationship with God by not focusing on ourselves! Instead, we focus on the needs of other people. Maybe instead of spending many hours on the news or social media or TV or streaming entertainment, we could use some of that time to call our family, friends and neighbors?

Now that’s a great Lenten devotion! We can intentionally add checking in with people and all it costs us is time. By “intentionally” I mean we should have plan. Maybe create a list or a spreadsheet of names and cycle through the names a few at a time each day of the week. This helps us use technology to break up the feeling of isolation and remind ourselves that we are still very much a community! That’s a subtle we can remind people that we are all citizens of the Kingdom of God!

As we begin this Lenten season, let’s not look back and focus on the great flood of the pandemic that already happened. Instead, let’s look forward to Easter – the sun rising over this dark valley!

Homework! As we begin this Lenten season, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, instead of giving something up, make a plan to reach out to a couple of your family, friends and neighbors several days every week.
Second, in addition to staying connected with other people, set aside a few minutes every day to pray or read the Bible or make a small donation to your parish, a Christian charity or some other worthy cause that promotes the common good?

I think doing our homework will help refocus us away from the negatives of the pandemic and refocus us on the great joy of Easter. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Lent. Artist Unknown. PNG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
2. Keating, Daniel. First and Second Peter, Jude. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2011. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The Covenant with Noah: 56-58, 71
2. Typology: 128-30, 1094
3. Jesus and angels: 333
4. Jesus’ temptations: 394, 538-40, 2119
5. Suffering for the sake of Christ: 520, 556, 1435, 1967
6. Proclamation of the kingdom: 543-46
7. Christ’s sacrifice for sin: 613-15
8. Christ’s descent to hell: 632-35
9. Noah’s Ark prefigures the Church and baptism: 845, 1094, 1219
10. Covenant and sacraments (especially baptism): 1116, 1129, 1222
11. Baptism and its effects: 1214-22, 1257-74
12. God saves through baptism: 1257, 1811
13. “Lead us not into temptation:” 2846-2949

First Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022121.cfm
Lectionary: 23

Reading I
Genesis 9:8-15
God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
“See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”
God added:
“This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings.”

Responsorial
Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (cf. 10) Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Reading 2
1 Peter 3:18-22
Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Verse Before the Gospel
Matthew 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel
Mark 1:12-15
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

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Ash Wednesday

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Mass Readings

Reading 1: Joel 2:12-18
Responsorial: Psalm 51:3-6ab, 12-14, and 17
Reading 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021721.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

My brothers and sisters, I hope you enjoyed Fat Tuesday, as different as that was this year for us during the pandemic! But today is Ash Wednesday and we begin our Lenten journey. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Thank you for joining me on deacon rudy’s notes where every weekend we break open the Word! Let’s get to it!

Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the first day of Lent. I’m sure there are many people in the world – isolated because of the pandemic – who can’t begin to imagine what more they could possibly give up this Lenten season. So, today, we’re going to talk about some options as we prepare ourselves for Easter.

First, why do we give something up during Lent? The point isn’t to make us miserable. The point is to help us shift our focus off our first world problems, slow down and grow in our relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If that’s are our goal, then tell me how giving up a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine will help you? It might, as long as we put things into perspective.

What can we possibly give up this Lenten season during the pandemic that will help us grow in our relationship with Jesus? I suggest to you that rather than giving something up, maybe we could add something. I know, I know! Adding something probably means giving something up – a tradeoff. But I’m asking you to hear me out.

If you haven’t been to mass regularly this year because of the pandemic, then perhaps you can go online and make a small donation to your parish, to a Catholic charity, or another worthy charitable cause. Even though we can’t get to church as often as we want, the churches still need to pay their utility bills, and both churches and charities still need to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and care for the sick.

For example, our ministry in Honduras called Friends of Los Niños just kicked off an ambitious project in the village of Brisas del Salto to replace homes destroyed this year by two hurricanes, Eta and Iota. The goal is to replace their homes which were made of wood beams and corrugated steel with cinderblock homes. It costs $5,000 to build one house and we want to build 193 of them! Any amount helps. I’ll include a link to the donation page in the notes for this podcast.

So, we can add a donation that maybe we haven’t typically made. This is an example of almsgiving. But donating can also be a sacrifice because maybe we had other plans for that money. We can ask God to fill the void made by our gift. That’s one way we can use almsgiving and sacrifice to grow closer to God.

Now, what if money is tight right now because of the pandemic? Is there something else we could “add” during Lent? I’m glad you asked!

If you don’t pray every day, maybe you could add a few minutes of prayer time every day during Lent? If you already pray regularly, then maybe read the bible for a few minutes. You could find on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website the readings for the day of the week. It won’t take you very long to go through the readings. I’ll include a link to the daily readings calendar in the notes for this podcast.

What if you are already praying a little and reading a little Scripture. How can you take it up a notch? This might be the best time to try praying with Scripture. Please don’t get hung up on the vocabulary, but we might do this in two different ways. One way is called Lectio Divina. The other is called contemplative prayer.

How do we do Lectio Divina? Here’s the basic formula. – First, there’s lectio or reading a piece of Scripture. You might pick one of the readings of the day. Ask yourself, “What does the text say that everyone should understand?” Second, meditatio, “What does the text say to me today, and to my life?” Third is oratio, “What can I say to the Lord in response to the Word?” Fourth, contemplatio or “What conversion of my mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking me?” Finally, there is actio, which is an important step added by Pope Benedict. “How can I make my life a gift for others?”

Don’t let all those questions intimidate you! You could always try a guided Lectio Divina. There’s a website called “Pray As You Go” created by the Jesuits in Britain, and they have a great app too. I’ll include the link in the notes for the podcast. Online or on their app, you will see a weekly calendar. Click on the day of the week. You’ll hear a great piece of music, and then they’ll proclaim one of the readings of the day. They’ll offer some questions for reflections and give you time to sit quietly with some excellent music playing in the background. They’ll then proclaim the reading a second time asking you a few more questions to consider while you listen. After that, they’ll wrap things up. It’s simple, straightforward, and generally not much longer than 12-15 minutes. I use this app to pray and reflect on the weekend readings a lot of the time as I’m praying with Scripture before I write a homily.

The other thing you could try is contemplative prayer. Thomas Merton, that great, inspired Trappist monk who lived in a community in Kentucky, helped Christianity rediscover the spiritual treasures of the early church fathers and mothers. Now there are two ways to do contemplative prayer: centering prayer and Christian meditation. Again, don’t get hung up on vocabulary or methods. They’re relatively similar.

I practice Christian meditation every day, and I love it! I will leave a link in the notes for this podcast to an introductory video on contemplative prayer. The link will take you to meditationchapel.org. The video is a bit long, but about halfway through the video, two different ladies will cover the basics of centering prayer and Christian meditation. It is really very straightforward.

You can also find all sorts of helpful information at the Center for Action and Contemplation associated with Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, and Contemplative Outreach associated with the late Fr. Thomas Keating OCSO, and the World Community for Christian Meditation associated with the late Fr. John Main OSB. I’ll include links to their websites in the notes for the podcast.

You’ll even find at meditationchapel.org a way to join online contemplative prayer groups happening all over the world at a variety of times.

Now, I know I suggested that you can add things like donations and prayer to your day. But these, of course, do require some sacrifice. The challenge is, are you willing to give it a try? To fit these in your day and your budget, you might need to do a different sort of fast. Maybe you fast a few minutes away from social media or away from the TV or other streaming services. These are indeed legitimate forms of fasting. But here’s a little more about traditional fasting.

In both our first reading from Joel and the Gospel according to Matthew, we hear about fasting. Nowadays, fasting has become in vogue for healthy living. That’s great for us because that means there are even secular websites that will give you tips on how to start a fasting program in consultation with your physician, of course. You’ll notice that in neither our readings today and nor anywhere else in Scripture does it say, “if you fast, do this.” Instead, Scripture tells us, “when you fast, do this.” The expectation in the ancient world is that we will fast.

Scripture testifies that fasting is an essential part of our spiritual exercises. And the good news is that you can fast from food and/or fast from screen time. We can say a simple prayer asking God to fill the void.

This very brief list gives us some options for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that are different from the more common practices like giving up chocolate or wine. Does that make sense? Good, because that leads us to our homework!

As we begin this Lenten season nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, what will my Lenten practice be this year? Can I add a one-time donation, prayer, or Scripture reading this Lent?
Second, whatever your Lenten practice, at least once a week, I invite you to say this variation of a prayer I learned on an Ignatian retreat, “Lord, be with me as I pray, and help me learn how to feel Your presence all through the day.”

I think doing our homework will help us draw closer to God which is the whole point of our Lenten sacrifice. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again this weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Ash Wednesday. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
2. Stegman, SJ, Thomas D. Second Corinthians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Christ died for our sins: 606-18
2. Almsgiving, prayer, fasting: 1434, 1969
3. Sacrament of Reconciliation: 1440-70, 1480-84
4. Prayer in general: 2604, 2668, 2691, 2729, 2736
5. The Lord’s Prayer: 2759-865

Ash Wednesday https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021721.cfm
Lectionary: 219

Reading 1
Joel 2:12-18
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.

Responsorial
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2
2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2
Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.

Verse Before the Gospel
See Psalm 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.

Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

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19 Preparing for Lent

picture of dish with ash for ash wednesday

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I can’t believe we’re already talking about Lent, can you? In two weeks, we’ll celebrate Ash Wednesday, so I think this is a good opportunity to start making a game plan for Lent. So where do we begin? Ok, before we begin, don’t get hung up on vocabulary. I’m a Catholic and I’m going to use particular words to describe certain spiritual exercises and practices. Don’t let the ghosts of your past distract you. Think about the concepts I’m laying out and substitute your own vocabulary, then give it a try. If you’re not sure, drop me a comment or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.


Rather that giving something up for Lent, perhaps add something new, like a spiritual exercise or practice? Either way, the point of sacrificing, whether we give something up or we add something, is to help us to stop focusing on ourselves and our lives so that we can focus on Jesus.

Beginning a new spiritual exercise or practice can be uncomfortable. But that’s true for anything new we begin, right? If we start a new diet and exercise program, we can experience some discomfort, soreness and maybe some concern about the time it takes.

The same things can happen in our spiritual life. It might be a little uncomfortable in the beginning, it might even hurt a little, but you work through it to reap the benefits, right. Just like in our physical health, all it takes is a little sacrifice.

Okay. A word about sacrifice. The wife of a friend of mine told me this story. She was born and raised in England, and when she was a teenager, she and her family had the opportunity to listen to a talk given by St. Teresa of Calcutta. After the talk, she was even able to personally visit with Mother Teresa. She was so excited she wanted her father to meet her. So, she bounded like Tigger over to her father as only an excited teenager can do and she pulled her father over to Mother Teresa. As her father approached, he quickly pulled his checkbook, scribbled out a check and handed it to Mother Teresa. She folded the check and put it in her pocket. He asked, “Aren’t you going to look at it?” She told them, “Thank you for your gift, but obviously it didn’t mean much to you, so it probably isn’t going to mean much to me. But thank you for the gesture.” Well, having just been served a heaping plate of humility with a side dish of guilt, he pulled out his checkbook again. This time, she said, as he was writing the check, he shook the whole time! She said you could see the beads of sweat forming on his head. He handed the check over to Mother Teresa. She folded it and put in her pocket. He asked, “Aren’t you going to look at that one?” She said, “I don’t have to. I could tell that was a real sacrifice because it hurt.”

Let me ask you a question. Do you really think that giving up chocolate or soda or wine is a real sacrifice? Well, maybe if you’re an elementary school all except the wine part, maybe that’s a real sacrifice, but for the rest of us – middle school and above. I don’t think so. We’ve got to dig deeper.

Well, the Catholic Church has a treasure trove of spiritual exercises that we can use to help us lead a healthy spiritual life. Often this time of year, we hear a lot about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And the beautiful part is that we’re adding this to our lives which means the sacrifice is time.

Let’s start with prayer.

St. Paul tells us that we should pray without ceasing – not just the clergy and the consecrated religious – but all of us (1 Th 5:16-18). How can we do that? One of the ways we can introduce a little more prayer into our lives during Lent is to begin every day with prayer, perhaps with a morning affirmation. I like to say the following three affirmations.

  • Where I am, God is.
  • I am divinely guarded and guided, protected and directed.
  • I am perfect health, every day in every way.

Where I am, God is. This is a great daily affirmation. It’s a reminder to me that no matter where I am, no matter how I feel, no matter how lonely I might feel, I am not alone.

I am divinely guarded and guided, protected and directed. This is also a good reminder that not only am I not alone, but I don’t have to face the challenges of life alone. No matter the obstacle before me, I have access to God’s abundant grace.

I am perfect health, every day in every way. This is really important especially if you are not in the best of health. Look, any doctor will tell you psychology plays a big part in our health. If we think we are old and sick, then we are going to feel old and sick. But it’s not just about illness, right? People of all ages can have a negative self-image. Maybe we tell ourselves we are too fat, too hairy or balding, too pale or too dark, or whatever. But we need to remind ourselves that we are creations of God. The first part of physical, emotional and spiritual healing is to accept who we are and that starts with the body we have. To affirm our body and to love our body is where we begin. And so, we start the day by telling ourselves, “I am perfect health, every day in every way.”

This is just one example of a way we can add more prayer to our lives. But we could do other things, like maybe try to attend a daily mass or we could pray the rosary.

Fasting. Scripture doesn’t say “if you fast,” but, “when you fast.” It seems we’re starting to rediscover the importance of fasting to our overall health. It’s also important for our spiritual health. If you haven’t fasted in a while, then here’s a couple of ground rules. First, if you have a health condition, you should consult with physician. Be sure to tell your physician that your faith is important to you and you want to incorporate fasting as part of your spiritual practice. Your physician should be able to help you design a program that’s right for you.

If you are not under the care of a physician, then how can we start? Well, intermittent fasting can be an effective part of any diet and exercise program, and it can be very helpful as the beginning of a spiritual practice. How can you get started? Well, let me recommend this. Start out your day with a mini fast. Your body is “fasting” while you sleep, so the idea is to extend that fast until lunchtime. Yes, you may have a cup of coffee or tea, but try to avoid eating, and drink plenty of water. Intermittent fasting is a great way to reintroduce fasting into your life. It’s not only good for your physical health, but it’s good for your spiritual health as well.

Alms giving. Many churches provide a box of some kind to help you save your loose change, like a rice bowl or an Ashes to Easter box. These types of savings can help support the charitable and missionary work of your community or a foreign missionary service program, like Friends of los Niños. If your church doesn’t have something like that, then maybe you can set out a cup and encourage your family and visitors too donate their change into this little cup. And then after Lent, donate the money from the cup to your church specifically for some charitable work, or some charitable ministry in your community, better if it’s connected to the church because this is a spiritual exercise. Or you can support another faith-based international ministry, like Friends of Los Niños. For example, let’s say that part of your fast is that you give up going to a high-end coffee shop for your midday gourmet coffee drink. Well, why not take the money you would have spent that day on that high-end beverage and put it in the box? Combining fasting with alms giving – that’s a real dynamic duo! And if you’re giving up a high-end coffee drink, then that money will add up really fast.

This is just a very brief sample of some of the things you can do during Lent. But there are plenty of other things you could do. You could attend the Stations of the Cross which is a powerful and prayerful reflection on Christ’s journey to Calvary. You could try to make it to a daily mass. Lent is also a great time to go to confession. There are so many options, and I know it can be overwhelming. I encourage you to reach out to your pastor or someone on your parish staff for some more ideas in your community. I’ll also have some resources up on the website soon. The point is, now is the time to start thinking about things you can sacrifice, either by removing things from your life or adding spiritual practices to your life, to help you draw closer to Jesus Christ.

Last but not least, you are not alone on your Lenten journey. Be a part of your community. Everyone else is on a similar journey as you. Don’t know many people at your church? Well, Lent is a great time to correct that. At many Catholic parishes, for example, the Knights of Columbus put on fish dinners. These are great opportunities to meet new people in your community and maybe learn about programs going on in your church during Lent.

Homework. After encountering Christ in the Eucharist and in the Word of God proclaimed, I encourage you to reflect on the following.

  1. First, how can you incorporate more prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent?
  2. Second, pick something and give it a try this Lent. If you forget, like fasting, that’s ok. Just start again. The point is do something.

Hopefully through our Lenten sacrifice, we will stop just for a little while focusing on our lives and grow closer to Jesus. Got it? Good! May each of us come to know the mercy and the love of Jesus Christ. May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!