s much of the world focuses on the upcoming Mardi Gras celebrations, let us turn our sights to what Mardi Gras is supposed to introduce (but the world has forgotten): The season of Lent.

The English word Lent is derived from the Teutonic (Anglo-Saxon) phrase for springtime, signifying that Lent should serve as a period of spiritual awakening and lead to the blossoming of our conversion. It corresponds to the more technical Latin term quadragesima (and Italian quaresima, Spanish cuaresma and French carême), which mean the “fortieth day” before Easter.

The forty holy days of Lent begin with Ash Wednesday. This year, Ash Wednesday is on February 6.

Preparation

As Fr. George Rutler was wont to say, “There was a certain pastoral logic to the old custom of preparing for Lent by numbering the weeks leading up to it with elegant Latin numbering: Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima. It is hard to take a sudden plunge into Lent ‘cold turkey’”. Therefore, take the initiative to prepare and plan for Lent:

• Use the Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima weeks: The devil loves for us to make grand plans and resolutions only to give up prematurely out of despair. So consider this time as a “warm-up session” to plan what you’re going to do during Lent and to try out a few things before it officially starts on Ash Wednesday. That way, you’ll be primed to go and in the right mindset to take it seriously from day one.
• Do an examination of conscience: Pause to reflect on your achievements and struggles over the past year. Think about what you want to change. Reflect on your particular weaknesses (vices and sins), and make an affirmation to cultivate the corresponding virtues during this Lenten season.
• Schedule time to go to confession, and return frequently during this penitential season.
• Check the Ash Wednesday schedule at your local church.

Spiritual Reading

Spiritual reading is essential to cultivating spiritual growth. This reading, or lectio divina, as it is called in Latin, is the first step in the process of contemplative prayer: lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer) and contemplatio (contemplation).

The source of spiritual reading you choose is up to you, but it should be well thought-out. A wonderful place to start is holy Scripture. I have a particular affinity for the Passion narratives of the four Gospels, but truly you could choose any part, even at random, and have plenty to ponder.

Aside from Scripture, many Blessèds and Saints have written inspirational works that guide us on the journey of reflection and prayer. In past years, I have used two texts repeatedly, and you may want to consider them for your own use:

• Thomas à Kempis’ On the Passion of Christ: According to the Four Evangelists : Prayers and Meditations
• Fr. Gabriel’s Carmelite classic, Divine Intimacy

In his famous spiritual classic, The Imitation of Christ, the great spiritual writer and monk Thomas à Kempis reminds the reader that in order to become a follower of Christ one must imitate his life, and to accomplish this he adds:

“Let it then be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to imitate Christ without first knowing him, and the best way of getting to know him is by meditating on his life as it is described in the four Gospels.”

Thus, in his On the Passion of Christ, à Kempis presents profound, short reflections on Gospel passages about the Passion and death of Christ. In very much the same style as his Imitation, each chapter of On the Passion focuses on a specific aspect of the Passion of Our Lord, gives a prayer, a meditation and spiritual advice and closes with another short prayer.

Divine Intimacy has been with me, faithfully, for many years. Written to provide daily meditations for the entire (traditional) calendar year, its utility for this purpose became difficult with the changes in the calendar since Vatican II. (With the renewed availability of the traditional liturgy as the “Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite” following Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum, it can once again be used year-round.) For the main liturgical seasons and high holy days, Divine Intimacy is still unparalleled in its approach to how to reach intimate union with God through lectio divina, meditation, prayer and contemplation.

Click here for Lenten readings.

Prayer

Spiritual reading naturally encourages meditation of the texts, which itself engenders an inner reaction and drives us to prayer. Foster this reaction by setting aside time to pray each day. This is essential. A spiritual life requires time devoted to its cultivation.

Over the centuries, the Christian Church developed and prescribed a set of canonical hours for daily prayer, defined in the officium divinum (divine office) and Roman breviary. This practice stems from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day, as evidenced in Psalm 119:164, “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.”

While the breviary has been reformed several times, the current ‘Divine Office’ (or Liturgy of the Hours) focuses on three major hours (matins, lauds and vespers) and several minor hours:

1. Matins — the Office of Readings
2. Lauds — Morning prayer
3. Daytime prayer, consisting of one or all of the following:
   • Terce — Mid-morning prayer
   • Sext — Midday prayer
   • None — Mid-afternoon prayer
4. Vespers — Evening prayer
5. Compline — Night prayer

In its full form, each hour involves hymns, psalms, scripture passages, a hagiographical passage (e.g., an account of a saint’s martyrdom or a theological tract) and prayers. It is practiced by priests and religious.

An abbreviated form called the Little Office of Our Lady is modeled after the Liturgy of the Hours and is recited by many lay Christians, including tertiary order Carmelites.

This Lent, consider increasing the time you devote to prayer. You might not follow the full Divine Office, but I encourage you to try the Little Office of Our Lady. (A simplified online version is available, or purchase one of two beautiful (and affordable) bound editions: an easy-to-use English edition from Catholic Book Publishing Co. (via Amazon.com); or the superior English/Latin typesetting, complete with Gregorian chant notation, from Baronius Press.) While technically the Little Office follows the rubric of prayer four to five times daily, one may start by only reciting the morning and evening prayers. If you want to pause to pray in the middle of the day, add the Angelus at noon.

Meditation through Art

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a moving picture is worth a million. And what better way to remind you of the Purpose and Meaning behind everything than to watch The Passion of the Christ. Do this on Ash Wednesday and/or Good Friday. Include your family, and make time for prayer and discussion afterward.

On a related note, I hope you will profit from the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) that I prepared, using scenes from The Passion and verses from Scripture. I find it particularly powerful as a meditative tool because seeing the beautiful Caravaggio-like scenes allows me to re-experience what I was feeling while watching the movie. Quite powerful.

Fasting and Abstinence

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. Fridays in Lent (and for traditionalists, year-round) are days of abstinence.

• Fasting requires that only one full meal be taken per day. Two smaller meals may be taken during the day to maintain physical strength, but these two meals together should not equal the quantity of a full meal. Fasting obliges all those aged 18-59.
• Abstinence prohibits the eating of meat on a particular day. It obliges those who have reached the age of 14 and continues to oblige throughout life.

Those not specifically obliged to fast or abstain are encouraged to join in these disciplines to the extent that they are able.

Almsgiving

Lenten regulations also include almsgiving. Historically, the tithe [n., < ME tithe < tighe < OE tegotha, 'tenth'] is one-tenth of one’s wages. Alms should at least be equivalent to the price of a meal.

Fasting and mortifications are closely tied to almsgiving: As we fast from food and drink, or as we practice our mortifications, the money saved goes to works of charity and service.

Mortification

If there is one thing most people usually associate with Lent, it is that Lent is the time to “give something up.” This act of mortification — the willing abstinence from pleasurable activities, services or goods — is an important tool in cultivation of the ‘interior life.’

But how does one know what to give up? Some people start simple — giving up chocolate or the Starbucks coffee, not going to the movies, etc. However, these are really minor nuisances, not really sacrifices. (If one does these, however, I would recommend donating to the poor the money saved on not buying Starbucks or movie tickets.)

Truly, the best place to start is with mortification of unfruitful patterns of behavior that keep you from God: For example, staying up late (preventing you from routinely saying your nightly prayers); or watching illicit programming on TV (which engenders thoughts contrary to the Church’s teachings); sleeping late on weekends (such that you arrive late to Mass, leaving you frustrated and distracted and preventing you from entering into a contemplatively prayerful state during Mass); or not finding the proper balance between work and family life (which compromises quality time with your family). Aim toward remedying these imbalances and replace the fault with a corresponding good work: For example, if you like to sleep late, resolve to wake up at 6am to say your morning prayers; if you’re arriving late to Mass, resolve to arrive 30 minutes early so you can go to Confession and pray before Mass starts.

Whether an act of mortification is truly sacrificial is a distinction to be made by the Christian in prayer and by discussion with a spiritual adviser. The main criterion is that any sacrifice should be an impetus for prayer. It should be noticeable or bothersome enough to make him cognizant of his discomfort and to bring him back (repeatedly, throughout the day) to God and Jesus’ sacrifice for us. If one becomes habituated to any small sacrifice such that it no longer brings him to prayer, then that mortification is no longer doing its job — The Christian must recognize this and increase the sacrifice or find another one.

Reconciliation and Penance

The season of Lent is a special time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) and acts of penance. It is through our self-denial that we ask God to bless us and make this season holy.

Further Reading

• Liturgical Season: Lent & Passiontide