Are you ready for your work out?

Lent starts next week on Wednesday, March 2^nd with Ash Wednesday and if you are an active Catholic your email inbox might look like mine; flooded with ways to make this year’s Lent the MOST AMAZING LENT EVER.   There is no shortage of publications, email subscription lists, and prayer meditations for you to subscribe to make your journey through lent a powerful one.   But will you?

As Catholics, our Lenten experience is supposed to be a bit of a workout.  It is 40 days of spiritual weightlifting.    Sacrifice, Prayer and Charitable works. This is the tri-fecta for your Lenten Exercises.   But with so many choices out there for spiritual content, sometimes less if more.   

However, you decide to spend your Lent, just like with a workout regime, it’s best to come up with a plan BEFORE you begin.  Think about your Lenten Goals. Think about what ways God is calling you to grow.  Take time to discern and listen to the will of God, and then pray for God to reveal himself to you in a powerful way!  Decide now, which resources will be best for you.

There is something for everyone.   Are you into podcasts? Listening to prayer? Know the basics of how to use a smart Phone?  Then the Catholic App HALLOW is amazing!  There is a free version with access to wonderful prayer resources and speakers, or a paid subscription that unlocks content to keep you listening and praying through the day.  This is one of my favorites to use with my family and has wonderful content for children as well.   (I like doing the examen prayer with my kids before bed.)

Do you sit in front of a computer all day long?  Then perhaps filling your inbox with prayer spam isn’t a bad idea?  The Catholic Company sends a daily reflection that only takes a few minutes to read each morning.  Beginning your work day in prayer is a really smart way to spend some time focusing on God and what better place to read these prayers than in your own INBOX.  Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire also provides excellent content to keep you focused, or if your parish subscribes to Flocknote, they have access to send you wonderful Lenten reflections through email or Text.

No matter what you decide, decide SOMETHING.  Your extra sacrifices might end come Easter, but hopefully your charitable acts and prayer time will continue into life-long habits.