5 Ideas for Lent

Written by Javier Soegaard

Ash Wednesday is just around the corner (Wednesday, March 1)! That means Lent is starting and it’s time pick out what we’ll all be giving up. Whether you’re a person who attends a church service every Sunday or a just curious person who enjoys thinking deeply about life, here are 5 ideas to add some intentionality to your life, and with any luck, find peace within discipline.

Find a Charity – And give to it regularly. The Forty Days of Lent are intended to help us create a rhythm to our goodness. This is a great way to start. So pick a charity, an amount, and a day of the week. The Rice Bowl App from Catholic Relief Services is a helpful (and trustworthy) way to do this. However, there are countless worthy causes around our city and in South Boston itself, so check them out as well!

Make A Gratitude List – Grab a journal. Write down the Top 10 things you were grateful for every night before bed. They can be people, kindnesses you witnessed, or really anything. Keep it simple so it’s easy to do every night. If you are able, take some time on the weekend to look over your week and revel in your gratitude.

Turn the music…off – Music helps dull moments to pass much more quickly. Especially during our morning and evening commute this is a prized commodity. So stop it. Take out your headphones or turn off your car radio. 

Time spent without music means more time spent with ourselves. This time can be difficult: we spend more time with our muddled thoughts and more time with the day’s frustrations. However, this also allows us space to work through these challenges—to see where there are hints of goodness, promise and hope.

Eat Simple, Intentional Meals with Friends – Lent is a deeply personal time, but if we forget to surround ourselves with people engaged in a similar exercise, we miss out on the wisdom of others. So pick some friends, pick a day of each week and make time within each meal to discuss what you’ve been doing. 

It often helps to designate one member of the group to bring a reflection or a passage from an author/spiritual text to guide the conversation. From there, observations and reflections about your own Lenten practices will flow nicely and organically into conversation.

Try Alpha – If you really want to spend Lent asking life’s big questions, and you want to get free meals and new friends out of it, then Alpha is for you! Alpha starts Thursday, March 2 at 7:00 pm at St. Peter’s Church in Southie (75 Flaherty Way). We would love for you join us at our first session. After that, decide whether you want to come back for session 2 and more food.

If you want more info, check out this sweet video, this sweet hashtag #tryalpha, or send me an email at [email protected].

Javier is the Pastoral Associate at the local South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative. He loves all manner of conversations about faith, doubt and community service so shoot him an email at [email protected] or visit him at their 307 West Broadway Office for a cup of coffee!