Ash Wednesday is approaching once again! This year, Lent begins on February 17th. As we are nearing another Lenten season, now may be a good time to start prayerfully considering where God is calling you this Lent. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office
Want to incorporate more prayer throughout your day? The Liturgy of the Hours are prayed at 5 points of the day to unite the church in prayer. You can pray these using the actual books or with the help of apps like Laudate and iBreviary.
- Read one chapter of a book in the Bible each day
Pick any book of the Bible you would like and commit to reading a chapter a day. Consider the possibility of inviting others to help with accountability or even make a bible study out of this. Great resources for diving into scripture include: The Bible in a Year podcast by Fr. Mike Schmitz and the Walking with Purpose women’s Bible studies.
- Start each morning with 15 minutes of prayer
Mornings can be crazy. Starting off with a hectic or rushed morning can lead to a whole day that feels stressful. Challenge yourself to wake up just 15 minutes earlier this Lent and devote that time to being with The Lord in prayer.
- Reduce or pause social media use
For many people, social media can be a big source of wasting time. Are there good uses to social media? Absolutely. However, it can be easy to spend more time than we would like just aimlessly scrolling through social media posts. Consider pressing pause on your social media accounts this Lent or limiting your time spent with it, and then use that time to pray, read scripture, be with family, etc.
- Heroic Moment
What is the Heroic Moment? The Heroic Moment or Heroic Minute means getting out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off in the morning. In other words, no hitting “snooze”! Finding small ways to build discipline provide the foundation for us to achieve larger goals.
The places God may be calling us to journey with Him this Lent are endless! Allow God to challenge you to let go of those things that keep you from a deeper relationship with Him. Let this Lent be one that stretches you and draws you to the living Water. May you and your loved ones have a blessed Lent that leads you to greater holiness.