Prayer, penance and alms are the three main lines along which, traditionally, Christians have lived the forty days prior to the celebration of the Passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
The experience of the Lent These are days to prepare ourselves interiorly for the encounter with the Lord that the celebration of the great mysteries of faith entails.
Even though the small deliveries and practices of piety are personal, we have selected 40 things that can help to live this time around the three axes around and that can be of help to all kinds of people.
You can make one each day, or several, or make a calendar of Lent.
- Call someone you haven't called in a while. Not write a message, no. Call and dedicate a few minutes at least to listen to that person you haven't talked to in a while.
- Give the money from the coffee. To a poor person, to the parish or to a monastic community through a donation (or invite the poor person of your parish to a coffee).
- Pray a mystery of the Rosary (or two, or the whole Rosary).
- Climbing stairs. Whenever possible and health permitting.
- Go to Mass. If you don't know how or where, this application can help you.
- Turn the cell phone upside down during meals.
- Pray a Hail Mary for the person we have criticized.
- Say thank you to whoever serves you at the supermarket.
- Leave a tip at the breakfast (or lunch) bar.
- Read the Gospel of the day and meditate.
- Do not curse the driver in front of you (or his family). A very practical way to exercise patience.
- Finish work on time. And take care of the family at home.
- Do not have dessert.
- Invite a friend to a charity event. If he/she does not attend, it's okay, he/she is free not to do so.
- Pray the Stations of the Cross. A practice of piety closely linked to Lent that you can even pray at home.
- Change one day the chapter of the series for an hour of reading.
- Tidy up the storage room (or the bedroom, or the chest of drawers).
- Pray an Our Father for the Pope.
- Donate an article of clothing (or give the money we would have spent on a clothing purchase to a charity).
- Going to give a dinner or a meal to a soup kitchen. Alone or with family.
- To make a spiritual retreat. The top of Lent because it unites prayer, penance and almsgiving time.
- Fix that piece of furniture, appliance, bicycle... and avoid an unnecessary purchase (if it is a high level or electrical issue, better call a professional).
- Clean the glasses you use, at work, at home.
- Take out the dishwasher (before someone else in the house does it).
- Greet the neighbors, also the unfriendly family down the hall (failing that, the less pleasant co-workers).
- Pray five minutes in silence. If you already do so, extend five more minutes.
- Do not complain about the ambient temperature, rain or wind.
- Go to the Confession. If we do it frequently, make a general confession.
- Celebrate well, and with others, the holidays that fall at this time.
- Congratulating / thanking a co-worker for his or her work.
- Giving someone something personal that we like too much: a sweater, earrings, a notebook or a pen. Something of ours that we think "we can't live without".
- Do a little soul-searching in the evening.
- Invite the pastor of your parish to your home for lunch (better on a Saturday when there are no more menu problems).
- Have one less drink/beer at a party.
- Watch a movie or series that helps you live Lent. The Chosen is a good option.
- Give a book that helps someone else to pray (valid for e-books).
- Pray the Angelus or a short prayer (it is very useful to set an alarm on your cell phone).
- Not picking up the cell phone in an afternoon and listening to those who live with us.
- Do "intermittent fasting" from social networks.
- Go on pilgrimage to a shrine of Our Lady to ask for her help during this time.
