It is that time of year when chocolate manufacturers and alcohol distributors see their sales numbers dip and the fish stick companies see their sales go up. People will walk around on a random Wednesday with ashes smudged on their foreheads. It is almost Lent.
For 40 days, Catholics will make sacrifices, increase their prayer, and give alms in preparation for Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. On Ash Wednesday, we hear from the prophet Joel: “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God” (Jl 2:12-13). These few lines provide us with a guide for all of Lent.
Through Joel, the Lord tells us, “Return to me with your whole heart.” He is talking to each of us – as an individual, he wants you to return to him, to get rid of whatever separates you from him.
“Rend your hearts, not your garments” (Jl 2:13). The sacrifices we make during Lent, and devotions we take on, are not supposed to be superficial, but rather a reorientation of ourselves to Christ.
We’re called to increase our prayer and fasting as we work toward this reorientation. Avoid choosing something randomly or because it’s something you have always done. Pray about what you need to do to return to the Lord.
Over the years, I have heard of some pretty hardcore sacrifices people have made: sleeping without a pillow, cold showers, walking around with a pebble in their shoe. Then you have more traditional Lenten sacrifices: no sweets, no coffee, no TV.
Whatever your sacrifice, keep in mind what it is leading you toward. By avoiding that cup of coffee in the morning, is it building your self-discipline so that you are able to live as you ought? Does the pebble in your shoe remind you to pray for someone in particular?
But we don’t just take away during Lent – we also add on, and one great thing to add is more time for prayer. There are many ways that you can do this, but I would again recommend looking at your life and examining the type of prayer that would be helpful to pull you closer to Jesus.
Do you struggle with pride? Maybe the Litany of Humility would be helpful. Anxiety or worry? Litany of Trust! You could also add in a rosary or daily Mass once or twice a week. All of these prayer devotions are good, and all of them will draw us closer to Jesus.
All evangelization starts with us growing closer to God, with our relationship being strong before we turn to evangelize others. It is no different during Lent. However, Lent provides an excellent time to also intentionally evangelize others.
To start with, it is a chance for us to pray for family members and friends who might have left the faith or who have never encountered Jesus or the Church. I recently heard from a priest that one of the top reasons someone asks to meet with him is because they are distressed about a family member leaving the Church.
You can use Lent to pray about, and reflect on, the right action to walk with a loved one in this situation. One excellent resource is “Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church,” by Brandon Vogt. It focuses primarily on one’s grown children, but overall, it is a great book to read if you are in this situation.
These 40 days can also be a great time to make invitations. Invite your neighbors over for a meal, or friends to attend the fish fry at the parish, or family members to attend Easter Mass with you.
Maybe you share about your faith with a co-worker who notices that you aren’t enjoying the office donuts. It can also be a time where each Sunday, after Mass, you try to talk to someone you haven’t met or don’t know well.
Lent isn’t successful because we have extravagant sacrifices, but rather when we return to the Lord each day. If we’re doing that personally, we can then also look to invite others to return to Jesus, maybe in time for the joyful celebration of Easter.
Andrew Waring has worked for the Diocese of Richmond since 2011 and has served as director of the Office for Evangelization since 2020. He is a graduate of James Madison University (B.A. in History) and Fordham University (M.A. in Religious Education). Andrew, his wife and their five kids attend St. Bridget, Richmond.