By Kaka Lucas, Friday 25 Feb 2022

Within the next couple of days it will be Ash Wednesday. Are you excited? Lent will be a good time to have a deep chat with the Lord concerning His call for us to grow closer to him through our annual Lenten pilgrimage to the Easter Mysteries.  These next forty days are intended to truly transform your life as you grow ever more in love with Christ. 

This 2022 lent, how are you being called to pick up your cross and follow Him?

Just like your yearly resolution, or your day-to-day to-do list, this lent can be memorable if you go into it intentionally and purposefully with at least 3 written intentions. Not so much of asking but at least 3 things you could do which will help you to grow in soul, mind, heart, and body. 

For instance, it could be

• Attending Mass Tuesdays and Friday
• Attending the way of the Cross on Fridays
• Participating in synodality discussion
• Deep cleaning a room a week, and
• Donating gently used items you don’t need to charity,
• Shopping for the poor
• Going for a rosary walk every day or divine mercy chaplet.

Lent is known to have three pillars

• prayer,
• fasting, and
• almsgiving.

So you may want to think of visiting the Blessed Sacrament every day, fasting from negativity or gossip, and calling a neighbor or relative every day to see how they are doing.

What is God calling you to do during this Lent 2022?  Remember, use smart goals, and let those goals be real and alive … goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.  They should stretch you so that you will be stretched and grow but be something you know you can accomplish.  The ideal is to build habits or ways of living which will forever help you in your quest for holiness.

Matthey Kelly in his book “Perfectly Yourself” wrote,” Thoughts create actions. Actions create habits. Habits create character. And your character is your destiny—in the workplace and in relationships. In every sphere of life, your character provides significant insight into your future.”

So, give it some prayer.  Write it down.  Discuss it with your spiritual director if you have one, or your priest or in confession (A GREAT way to begin and end Lent!!!).  Invite your spouse or other friend or family member to be your accountability partner, and together as one family of Saint Joseph and Our Lady of Hope Parish let us make it a memorable lent.

You may also want to “practice” doing it now, few days remaining before Ash-Wednesday to see if you can fulfil your goals every day until Easter.

May God bless you in your discernment!

Seminarian  Joseph Lucas (edited by fr. R. Brown)