How to Prepare for Lent: Ash Wednesday
Lent prepares us for Easter and so often we don’t take any time to prepare for Lent. Ash Wednesday arrives and we try to come up with something to “give up” at the last minute. But this year it doesn’t have to be this way! There are still a few days to take it to prayer and in the stillness, see where your heart is taken.
There are 3 pillars of Lent that you can dig into: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer: to recenter our lives on God (for instance the Liturgy of the Hours). Fasting: from something that diverts us from God. And giving: of ourselves (financially or with our time).
Last year I focused on TRUST. I fasted from not trusting God’s plan. It was my most fruitful Lent ever. I am laughing right now because it just dawned on me that we got pregnant right after Easter, which led to a move to a new state and the whole rest of the year required so much trust.
Lent doesn't always mean something extra. Some years Lent means just carrying on with our current roles with more love and trust.
This Lent means for me to keep on with main job, which is completely filled with contemplation, sacrifice and self-giving... and love. It means for me to provide exactly for my daughter what she needs. If she shows signs of hunger, I feed her. If she shows signs of sleepiness, I get her to sleep. If she shows signs that she wants to be cuddled, I hold her tight (and kiss her all over).
How are you preparing for Lent this year?
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