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Lent Provides Many Opportunities To Grow In Faith
Each year seems to go faster and faster. It seems that Christmas and New Year’s Day have only just passed — and before we know it, Lent is over and Easter has arrived. We don’t want this time to sneak up on us this year — after all, Lent is an important time for renewal in our faith.
With COVID-19 precautions in place, Lent activities could look different this year, says Fr. Marty Egging. But Lent can still be a time of conversion, personal prayer and penance.
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Stations of the Cross, a common Lenten devotion, are prayed on Fridays during Lent. There are also multiple opportunities for Reconciliation. And as Fr. Marty notes, we should also devote more time to prayer. An easy way to do this is through the Lenten prayer books, which are distributed in the weeks before Ash Wednesday.
“We hope these books will help spur parishioners into prayer,” Fr. Marty says.
Also, parishioners are encouraged to watch for Adult Enrichment opportunities during Lent.
Even in these uncertain times, it can be easy to get caught up in life and not take the time to observe the Lenten season.
“We need to stop and take the time to evaluate how we have been doing, and what our relationship with God really is,” Fr. Marty says. “This is something we also need to do with our spouses — evaluate what is working and what is not working, and start adjusting a little bit, to make the love a little more easy to find.”
Fr. Marty wants to encourage giving a gift to our Lord, instead of “giving something up.” For instance, you might give up your daily $4 coffee drink, and instead give that money to the food pantry.
“Look how much that would multiply,” he says. “Think of this as what you can do for someone else.”
The opportunities for growing closer to our Lord this Lent are endless. Fr. Marty says it can be as easy as cleaning out a closet and giving the items to a local thrift store to help those in need. We can also visit the website for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at USCCB.org and read the daily readings if you can’t make it to daily Mass.
“Sit down for five to 10 minutes and ask the simple question, ‘Where am I in this reading’,” Fr. Marty says.
Fr. Marty points out that, for him personally, Lent is a time to be more serious about prayer.
“It’s really easy to just miss it sometimes,” he says. “Rather, I try to make it a sacred time. It’s not about me. I say ‘thank you’ to God for His action in my own life and try to be more intentional.”
Fr. Marty enjoys the beauty of the Easter Triduum. In particular, he always looks forward to the Easter Vigil where the RCIA participants are brought into the church, whether it’s through Baptism, First Holy Communion or Confirmation. “These men and women become part of the flock at Easter, and that is exciting,” he says.
Please refer to the bulletin for information on upcoming Lenten events and opportunities for prayer.
Catechumens are welcomed into the church at the Easter Vigil, 2019.
Catechumens are welcomed into the church at the Easter Vigil, 2019.
