Last Minute Lenten Ideas
Posted by Danielle Bean in Faith on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:02 PM
In addition to the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge, we have some other Lenten aids in the works for Faith & Family readers this year. Look for an announcement about those here later today.
In the meantime, though, for the benefit of those last-minute ladies among us (You know who you are!) I thought I would share some of the ideas I got from friends on Facebook last week when I posted the simple request:
“Inspire me. What are you doing for Lent?”
Read on ... and be inspired too.
—Reading The Sadness of Christ
—I am cutting out all FB games. Also trying to work my way towards regular attendance of weekday Mass with my 3 kids, 5 & under.
—No Facebook games. More time praying.
—no facebook
—no make-up??
—I usually try to fix a character flaw..anything that keeps me from God.
—*Chocolate* cookies??
—I’m going to give up yelling at my family for any reason. It’s going to be HARD.
—Trying to include at least one prayer time from Liturgy of the Hours. And chocolate.
—turning from all things internet, except email (as that is how some people communicate - only…)
—I’ve been pregnant or nursing for the past 3 Lents and so we came up with a new way to practice fasting as a family. Starting Ash Wednesday we don’t buy anything other than milk, bread and produce and work to clear out our cupboards and freezers. It is a fun daily discipline that reminds us to care for those whose cupboards are empty on a daily basis.
—Giving up the internet!
—Turning off the TV! More time to read, pray and listen to a lot of Lighthouse Catholic Media CDs….THE BEST! They have brought my prayer life to another level.
—We do the same every Lent..no tv, movies, or computer games. Amazing how much time we “find” when doing so!
—We are going to read the bible together as a family. I also bought this book, “Live Lent at Home” by Piage Byrne Shortal for Lent. Oh, and we have a bunch of relligious movies saved on Netflix to watch.
—We have a quilt group at Church that meets every Saturday afternoon in Lent to make baby quilts to be donated to DHMC Ped. Neonatal ICU and our local Pregancy Ct.
—Giving up Facebook and reading Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus
—I am going to be limiting my Internet use and choosing something spiritual to read.
—I’m thinking about trying to improve my housekeeping habits. My family deserves better than what I’ve been doing, and the sin of sloth has had a hold on me for too long!
—One night a week (or perhaps more) during Lent we will be giving up all things requiring the use of electricity - i.e. t.v., computer, phone, lights, etc. We will be using candles instead and finding some different ways to keep ourselves entertained. I think this has a real possibility of strengthening our family bond and also making ourselves aware of what it is like to do without these thing!
—Where to begin? I am always prone to just give up and take up so much so I have to be careful. But, here are some that I am pretty sure about: the 40 bags in 40 days thing; give up looking at knitting patterns online (a huge time waster for me); taking up praying the Angelus with the kids before lunch; taking up cleaning my bathroom each Friday (hopefully to continue beyond Lent, I hate doing it, it gets disgusting, and doing it on Fridays - “Little Lent” in our house - will hopefully help me to offer it up more willingly and to just do it!); finally, be more open with my kids about my struggles. I tend to be very closed about my inner life and such, I tend to hold back. I am going to hug them each day and share with all of them more of my life.
—giving up alcohol.
—Giving up fb, twitter,& t.v., snacks. Doing some serious fasting, the Rosary daily, and lending an ear to others.
—I’m ‘spiritually adopting’ a local retired priest…. the one who infact married us many years ago… we’ll be praying for him everyday of Lent, and then at Easter we’ll let him know what we did for him. ♥ (love to say this was my idea, but it was actually came from one of the wonderful moms in our homeschool group!)
—Thinking about reading Brother Michael’s book you recommended and/or really fasting and abstaining this year—I’ve been either pregnant or nursing the past 4 1/2 years, so I haven’t been very good with fasting and abstaining during Lent ...
—I’m giving up complaining. I’m going to stick with that until I am satisfied I can do it well.
—Not complaining, Snacks, Adding to my devotion times. give up coffee from Holy Thursday & good Friday. Spend more time in prayer less TV. I try to get rid of bad habits. We post them on the fridge for each person as a reminder it is funny my kids still think that is fun. I started that when the kids were in grade school and we still post them up even though they’re in college & in the military now.
—I’m still nursing so am giving up chocolate as my fast and all internet except email—we live in Japan and rely on email more than the phone for communication with family and friends. Except I’m not sure about my blog. Its purpose is to keep our parents in the loop about the kids and family doings, so I’m not sure if it is a service to them that I shouldn’t stop completely, but cut down to a weekly post during Lent—still would allow more time for prayer.
As a family, we are getting back into our nightly prayer routine and will try lectio divina with the Sunday gospel each Saturday evening.If the lectio goes well, we’d like to expand it to every day. We are hoping to strengthen our family prayer life that way—getting away from purely vocal prayer and all of us learning to meditate in the Catholic way.
—I’m giving up idleness. I’m going to spend the time I waste on FB, iPod Touch, movies, etc. in prayer, Scripture reading, writing, or other important/productive things.
—40 Days for Life!
—This is HUGE for our family ... WE ARE NOT GOING TO WATCH TV FOR 40 DAYS! (hubby has one concession…he gets to check the weather briefly ... he works for the power company)
—I am going to do less and pray more.
How about you?
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