What Can I 'DO' For Lent This Year?!
By Roisin Spitzig
Every year as Lent quickly approached I would find myself facing that age-old dilemma: What Should I Give Up For Lent This Year? I would wrack my brain for things that I could live without – coffee, snacks, those small indulgences… Then, usually at Mass on Ash Wednesday, Father would speak to us about giving up things that would have impact on our lives, things that would make us stop and think about WHY we were giving them up and direct our minds to the sacrifice that Jesus had made for us on the Cross. Of course, then my giving up those small things seemed so trivial to me and I would quickly re-examine my motives and try to come up with another plan before Lent was over and I had accomplished no more than to feel like a complete failure! I’m fairly certain that God is not looking for huge, flashy sacrifice BUT I’m also quite certain that anything that I do for Him needs to be done sincerely and with intent. Sure enough, in response to my question of “What can I give up for You?”, in His inimitable fashion, God said “It’s not what you can give up, it’s what you can Do!” Well, maybe not in those exact words… Suddenly, my whole perception of Lent was changed! I live a busy life, as do we all, and giving up some of my precious free time would be hard, would make me think – but maybe I could DO something for someone else, make some change in my own life that would have meaning for others?
I began searching for possibilities, for being able to Do Something. Could I just Google that – What Can I DO For Lent? Apparently I could! My Google search came up with some very interesting ideas! Some of them others may already have thought of such as: spending more time in prayer, praying the Rosary, reading Scripture or one of the many great books Fr. Kevin has given us. Every time it snows shovel the neighbor’s walk too, go to Mass more often than just on Sunday, go to the Stations of the Cross every Friday and maybe even make a soup for one of the Lenten Friday suppers. All these are things we can DO that would impact our faith lives and the lives of others around us.
As I searched, though, I came across some even more interesting ideas (a list of websites will be included later in the article): Fr. Kevin has suggested that we could sign up for Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays – spend some time with Jesus. Write a letter or call someone you have not talked to in a while – grandparents, parents, a sibling, someone you know who is lonely. Better yet, go see them! Take someone you know is lonely out for lunch each week. Pick up some litter. Buy a homeless person a meal. Offer someone a ride home from work or from Mass. Help your child or grandchild with their homework and tell them how amazing they are….. The ideas are many and varied and all wonderfully fulfilling! They can also be amazingly fun (which is OK by the way!)
One of my favorite sites is: http://www.loyolapress.com/ On this site you can sign up to receive 3-minute retreats by e-mail each day during Lent! I find this a wonderful way to start and focus each day! Another idea is Lent In A Bag http://www.buildfaith.org/lent-in-a-bag/ where you have small symbols of Lent to help focus on the meaning of Lent. Making this could be a meaningful family activity – and maybe make an extra for someone who is unable to attend Mass because of illness.
I realize that many people will come up with their own ideas for ‘DO-ing’ things this Lent, but sometimes we need a little nudge to get those creative ideas flowing. Below is a list of websites that contain ideas for everything from helping others to helping our world. You can also do your own search and see what ideas you come up with. What about involving some friends or family members and making your ‘Do-ing’ even more wide-spread? The possibilities are endless – just like God’s love and mercy for us! May your Lenten journey be prayer-full and meaningful!
First of all, here are some ideas from Pope Francis just to set the tone for Lent 2016:
https://focusoncampus.org/content/what-should-i-do-for-lent-pope-francis-10-tips
http://time.com/3714056/pope-francis-lent-2015-fasting/
These next websites contain a multitude of ideas:
http://www.piercedhands.com/100-things-to-do-for-lent/
http://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/25-great-things-you-can-do-for-lent
http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Lent
http://www.janetschaeffler.com/40_Lenten_Ideas.pdf
Here are some ideas for things to do with your family:
http://www.yourmodernfamily.com/10-lent-ideas/
http://www.catholicallyear.com/2014/02/outside-box-66-things-to-give-up-or.html
http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/lent/activities-and-
/lenten-activities-for-children (ideas for children grades 1 – 8)
http://www.catholicicing.com/printable-lenten-calendar-for-kids/ (printable calendar to insert your own ideas)
http://www.catholicicing.com/lenten-cleaning/
Lenten practices that can help the Earth:
https://rscjinternational.org/news/lenten-carbon-fast-calendar (some great ideas here!)
http://preview.www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/give-up-for-lent-022509#slide-9
https://www3.epa.gov/region9/newsevents/images/40things-poster.pdf
http://franciscanmissionservice.org/2012/02/47-ways-to-help-the-earth-this-lent/
https://www.slideshare.net/CAFOD/cafod-2016-lent-calendar (water conservation ideas)
For those who like a daily calendar of things to do:
http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/resources/40-ideas-for-40-days/
http://www.reallifeathome.com/10-lent-and-holy-week-activities-for-catholic-families-printable/
http://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Lent-Calendar (a calendar of daily Lenten reflections)
http://www.catholicreligiousaustralia.org.au/index.php/resources/spirituality-prayer/item/2407-2017-lenten-journey-with-these-resources (various calendars and ideas)
http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2017-40-crosses-english.pdf (a coloring calendar)
I began searching for possibilities, for being able to Do Something. Could I just Google that – What Can I DO For Lent? Apparently I could! My Google search came up with some very interesting ideas! Some of them others may already have thought of such as: spending more time in prayer, praying the Rosary, reading Scripture or one of the many great books Fr. Kevin has given us. Every time it snows shovel the neighbor’s walk too, go to Mass more often than just on Sunday, go to the Stations of the Cross every Friday and maybe even make a soup for one of the Lenten Friday suppers. All these are things we can DO that would impact our faith lives and the lives of others around us.
As I searched, though, I came across some even more interesting ideas (a list of websites will be included later in the article): Fr. Kevin has suggested that we could sign up for Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays – spend some time with Jesus. Write a letter or call someone you have not talked to in a while – grandparents, parents, a sibling, someone you know who is lonely. Better yet, go see them! Take someone you know is lonely out for lunch each week. Pick up some litter. Buy a homeless person a meal. Offer someone a ride home from work or from Mass. Help your child or grandchild with their homework and tell them how amazing they are….. The ideas are many and varied and all wonderfully fulfilling! They can also be amazingly fun (which is OK by the way!)
One of my favorite sites is: http://www.loyolapress.com/ On this site you can sign up to receive 3-minute retreats by e-mail each day during Lent! I find this a wonderful way to start and focus each day! Another idea is Lent In A Bag http://www.buildfaith.org/lent-in-a-bag/ where you have small symbols of Lent to help focus on the meaning of Lent. Making this could be a meaningful family activity – and maybe make an extra for someone who is unable to attend Mass because of illness.
I realize that many people will come up with their own ideas for ‘DO-ing’ things this Lent, but sometimes we need a little nudge to get those creative ideas flowing. Below is a list of websites that contain ideas for everything from helping others to helping our world. You can also do your own search and see what ideas you come up with. What about involving some friends or family members and making your ‘Do-ing’ even more wide-spread? The possibilities are endless – just like God’s love and mercy for us! May your Lenten journey be prayer-full and meaningful!
First of all, here are some ideas from Pope Francis just to set the tone for Lent 2016:
https://focusoncampus.org/content/what-should-i-do-for-lent-pope-francis-10-tips
http://time.com/3714056/pope-francis-lent-2015-fasting/
These next websites contain a multitude of ideas:
http://www.piercedhands.com/100-things-to-do-for-lent/
http://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/25-great-things-you-can-do-for-lent
http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Lent
http://www.janetschaeffler.com/40_Lenten_Ideas.pdf
Here are some ideas for things to do with your family:
http://www.yourmodernfamily.com/10-lent-ideas/
http://www.catholicallyear.com/2014/02/outside-box-66-things-to-give-up-or.html
http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/lent/activities-and-
/lenten-activities-for-children (ideas for children grades 1 – 8)
http://www.catholicicing.com/printable-lenten-calendar-for-kids/ (printable calendar to insert your own ideas)
http://www.catholicicing.com/lenten-cleaning/
Lenten practices that can help the Earth:
https://rscjinternational.org/news/lenten-carbon-fast-calendar (some great ideas here!)
http://preview.www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/give-up-for-lent-022509#slide-9
https://www3.epa.gov/region9/newsevents/images/40things-poster.pdf
http://franciscanmissionservice.org/2012/02/47-ways-to-help-the-earth-this-lent/
https://www.slideshare.net/CAFOD/cafod-2016-lent-calendar (water conservation ideas)
For those who like a daily calendar of things to do:
http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/resources/40-ideas-for-40-days/
http://www.reallifeathome.com/10-lent-and-holy-week-activities-for-catholic-families-printable/
http://cafod.org.uk/Pray/Lent-Calendar (a calendar of daily Lenten reflections)
http://www.catholicreligiousaustralia.org.au/index.php/resources/spirituality-prayer/item/2407-2017-lenten-journey-with-these-resources (various calendars and ideas)
http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2017-40-crosses-english.pdf (a coloring calendar)