Do you find yourself surprised and unprepared for Lent year after year?! Follow this simple guide to get ready for the Lenten season! One great thing about attending the Traditional Latin Mass is the 3 weeks before Lent (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima) are labeled as such to remind you to begin preparing!
Lent, in which we prepare for Easter, is one of the most important liturgical seasons. It is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It behooves you not to miss this opportunity of sacrifice and penance and to come into it prepared!
How do you prepare for Lent?
Allow time to pray and reflect on what might be best for your lenten goals this year. Is this the year you go lighter on financial donations but increase fasting? Do you feel more called to read about the life of a Saint and pray more? What is God telling you to do?
These are great questions to start brainstorming how you want to approach Lent to make it the best yet!
1. Fasting Goals
There are several ways to approach fasting. Consider your health needs (pregnancy, nursing, diabetes, etc) when incorporating fasting.
- Black Fast: From the earliest days of the Church, Lenten fasting was far more rigorous than is strictly required by current Church law. Fasting was observed every day of Lent, involving taking only a single meal each day, either after sunset or after 3 pm (the hour of Christ’s death). Abstinence from animal products (or at least meat, eggs, butter, cheese and milk) was observed, as well as abstinence from alcohol.
- Fasting on Ember Days: Ember Days are a set of four times throughout the year (once each season) when the Church has traditionally observed fasting and abstinence, especially in thanksgiving for the gifts of nature. One of these times occurs on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between the first and second Sundays of Lent.
- Fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday only: This is what is required by current Church law. It is important to note that this is the absolute minimum. It involves having one full meal and up to two small collations (or snacks) which together do not add up to a full meal (generally regarded as being about 8 oz or less of food).
2. Abstinence Goals
It is obligatory to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent (on other Fridays throughout the year it is also required by universal law, but many dioceses allow another penance to be substituted). Traditionally, complete absintinance from meat or even most/all animal products (essentially, veganism) every day of Lent was customary. Another popular goal for Lent is to give up chocolate, social media, sweets, soda, etc. This can be one of the easiest ways to participate in Lent. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to give something up and rather you can DO SOMETHING extra instead. So if you can’t part with your chocolate but can pray a rosary for a family member or do a good deed for a friend each day instead, that is fine.
3. Almsgiving Goals
Depending on your financial situation, Lent is a good time to make donations to your favorite charities. If you cannot make a financial gift, try cooking for the local soup kitchen or parting with old clothes and items around the house and donating to your local thrift shop that gives back to the community.
4. Prayer Goals
My husband and I use this Benedictine Lent and Easter book to pray together and do a small devotional each evening. It is short and keeps you on target. Find something like this that works for you or personalize your pray goals. For more tips on praying together as a family check out my post.
~Prayer intentions
Another easy way to add to your Lenten journey is to include prayer intentions at the end of your daily prayers. Ask friends and family if they have any particular intentions and always remember to include the poor souls in purgatory.
5. Spiritual Reading Goals
If you have time, incorporate some spiritual reading into your days. You can listen to the Bible in a year podcast, another religious podcast, audiobook, etc if you are on the go a lot. Pick a Saint that you want to learn more about or read about a vice that you wish to stop.
6. Confession
This is important throughout the year, but if you do not frequent confession regularly, Lent is the time to make it a priority. The church may even make more confession times available to the congregation during this time. Try going once a week if you can.
7. Important dates during Lent
The last thing you need to know about Lent is to make note of essential dates like Ash Wednesday, Spy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
I hope this list helps you to really prepare for your best Lent yet! You can download my Lenten Goals Organization PDF here. I also made a Catholic Lenten Challenge Calendar PDF which you can download here.
