Countdown to Lent, Part 1

Ash Wednesday is only a week away, so it’s a good time to start thinking about Lent and planning the spiritual practices we’ll use to prepare ourselves for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.

Traditional Lenten spiritual practices revolve around prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, so over the next few days I’ll be offering some suggestions under each category, including some golden oldies and one or two that might be a little radical. Just whatever you choose to do, do it as cheerfully and as privately as possible.

Prayer

1. Read the daily readings every day and reflect on them. You can do the reflection in the car on the way to work, during breakfast, lunch, or a break.
   
   
2. Take 15 minutes at the same time each day to pray and reflect.
   
   
3. Attend daily Mass (at least) once a week.
   
   
4. Receive the sacrament of Reconciliation.
   
   
5. Pick one of the Gospels and read it from start to finish over the course of Lent. (After Easter read Acts of the Apostles.)
   
   
6. Read one or more spiritual books. May I suggest The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen -- the ultimate Lenten book about the ultimate Lenten parable.
   
   
7. Go on a retreat. Doesn’t have to be an organized thing with a group of people necessarily, it could be just you taking some alone time to be with God in a place away from your usual earthly distractions. If you live in central North Carolina or south central Virginia, I highly recommend the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center near Stoneville, NC.
   
   
8. Join a Bible study group.
   
   
9. There are a ton of Bible study resources on the Web. I’ve been using Bible.org off and on, and listened to an entire sermon on the seventh and eighth chapters of Mark last night. See if you can find one that resonates with you.
   
   
10. Listen to Christian music. There are loads of musicians out there making great music about the Gospel, and their music can be a great way to bring us closer to God. On the contemporary Christian front, some artists to check out are Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Building 429, Casting Crowns, Tree 63, David Crowder Band, Aaron Shust, MercyMe, and good ol’ Rich Mullins. Country and bluegrass also offer some great, if more traditional tunes, from the likes of Doc Watson (What A Friend We Have In Jesus – a cappella – wow), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Stanley Brothers, Amy Grant, Alison Krauss and Union Station (There Is a Reason, A Living Prayer). And don’t forget those classic Catholic liturgical tunemeisters The St. Louis Jesuits, Marty Haugen, David Haas, Ed Bolduc, and Jesse Manibusan.

Tomorrow I’ll offer some thoughts on fasting, then finish up on Friday with almsgiving. In the meantime I’d love to hear your thoughts and additions to the list. What else have you tried, especially during Lent, that you found powerful?