Lent starts with Ash Wednesday this week. What will you be doing to enter into the desert with Jesus this year? The tenets of Lent are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Rather than just doing it as an obligation, commit to doing something in each of those areas for the next 40 days with the goal of growing closer to Christ through the process. Here’s some ideas:

Prayer: what are some meaningful ways that you can improve your prayer life? Do you have intimacy with God? Do you pray every day? If not, commit to going to the adoration chapel here at St Mary Magdalene and just spending time with Jesus in the Eucharist. Ask God to show you in a meaningful way that He loves you. Do this at least once a week. Stop by on your way home from work and let time with Jesus be how you unwind. If you already do have a solid prayer life, try a new devotion, like the rosary, divine mercy chaplet, or the Jesus Prayer to increase your depth or frequency of prayer. Join a Christ in our Neighborhood Faith Sharing group—we have a half dozen groups now formed for Lent. Email me to find out the days/times so you can join one and more effectively participate in the Mass. Commit to attending the Lenten Mission: A Mother’s Passion—which will prayerfully help us enter into Jesus’ passion through His Mother’s eyes.

Fasting: what are things that get in the way of growing in holiness for you? Do you have bad habits like excessive drinking or gambling? Commit to fasting from these habits for Lent as a way to give God room to work on your heart. Do you allow yourself to get distracted through endless hours a week on your phone or some other screen? Fast from all unnecessary screen time for Lent and ask God to replace that time with a new habit. I did this a while ago and I was SO BORED! It took time to allow God to seep in and take that time and make it holy; to help me want to pray more, to help me want to help others instead of numbing myself through idle distraction. Another good idea for giving leverage to your fasting is to do it FOR someone. Offer your fasting for the salvation of your kids or grandkids. For that friend that is suffering grief after the loss of her husband. For someone suffering from cancer or another trial they are undergoing. By giving your suffering a purpose, when you are tempted to quit or give in—you can lean on strength that you are suffering along with someone else. This is called redemptive suffering: offering your suffering for the sake of someone else. In the highest sense—this is what Christ did for us on the cross, and He allows us to participate in that redemptive suffering by placing our suffering on the cross and accepting it for someone else’s sake.

Almsgiving: what is one way you could help another this Lent? If you are giving up coffee for Lent as your Fasting, you can collect the money you save by NOT buying that coffee every day and then donate it to a person in need. By fasting from an activity taking your time, you free up time to donate it to help others, like at Feed My Starving Children to make food packs, or to help at a local nursing home or visit an elderly neighbor you know is lonely. Open your heart this Lent to see what God wants to call you to do.

As we enter into Lent, there will be several opportunities to engage with those OCIA catechumen (unbaptized) and candidates (baptized) for Full Communion that will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation. We have many children, teens and adults preparing, and we have several Rites that are celebrated during Mass during this time of preparation. With the new OCIA guidelines, there are some new ones that are being celebrated for the first time. I encourage you to take advantage of participating in these liturgies. Take time to encourage someone who is preparing to receive their sacraments. Most of all: keep all of these catechumen and candidates in your prayers.

NOTE: These Rites do not add to the amount of time for the entire Liturgy (Mass will not take longer) - when these Rites are added, other things are removed to compensate.

• Rite of Election/Enrollment of Names: Youth Sun, Mar 2 at 9:00am Mass, Adults Sun, Mar 9 at 9:00am Mass
• Scrutinies for Catechumen: (Youth only participate in 2nd & 3rd) Sundays, Mar 23, 30 and Apr 6 at 9:00am Mass
• Rite of Handing on the Creed to Catechumen: Mon, Mar 24 at 5:30pm Mass (special Monday night Mass for Lent)
• Rite of Handing on the Lord’s Prayer to Catechumen: Mon, Apr 7 at 5:30pm Mass (special Monday night Mass for Lent)

There is one final Rite that will occur the morning of the Easter Vigil following rehearsal for that evening’s liturgy: it is called the Rite of Immediate Preparation. All of these Rites are to call attention to the assembly for each person preparing, as well as to strengthen each person going through formation. Allow your hearts to be open to these special, beautiful parts of handing on our faith.

As we enter into Lent, let’s enter fully by committing to Pray, Fast & give Alms; all with the goal of growing closer to our Lord. Please also keep all those preparing to receive Baptism, Confirmation & First Eucharist this Easter who are in OCIA.

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