Celebrating Beauty: Lent

An ongoing series about how to add a little beauty to our favorite feasts and seasons

Beauty and Lent may not be two things one immediately connects. Lent conjurors up images of ashes, fish fries, and crucifixes and memories of things you can't have. But Lent really is an extremely beautiful and important season in the Church year. Lent is beautiful because the love of God is beautiful. The Church gives us Lent so that we can enter into that mystery more deeply. Lent is about healing all that is wrong in us so that we can more fully participate in the joy of Easter, of resurrection, of Heaven. Without this time of healing, we will never become that which God made us to be.

To that end, we have to do some uncomfortable things. Healing is usually a painful process. Just as we undergo surgery, medical treatments, and diets to heal what is wrong in our bodies, we also must do the same for our souls. During Lent, we embrace the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to heal us of the wounds of sin. We pray to grow closer to God, to come to love and trust Him more. We fast to detach ourselves from the things of this world. We give alms to grow in love for our neighbor and the Lord.

All of these things target specific areas where we need healing as human beings. The Lord also wants to heal you in a specific way this Lent. We encourage you to pray and ask Him want He wants to heal in you this season. Below, we've provided some ideas for how to celebrate Lent well as well as some helpful videos!

Let's Celebrate!

Prayer:

Lent is a time to grow closer to the Lord. Lent is a retreat where we pause to come to know the Lord in a deeper and more intentional way. Here are some of our favorite Lenten prayer practices and resources.

Blessed Is She Lenten Devotional: Set A Fire

Brick House in the City Lenten Devotional: No Unlikely Saints

Pray More Lenten Retreat

What Should I Do For Lent? A Teachable Tuesday Video by Beth Davis

Take Up & Read Lenten Studies

The Stations of the Cross:

https://www.catholic.org/prayers/station.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEIvGC1WsbM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJF9XjG4WKo

A few more videos on Lent:

Preparing for Lent

How to Do Lent Differently This Year

Ask More From God This Lent

Picking a Thing for Lent

Scriptures for Sunday Masses in Lent:

Joel 2:12-18

Psalm 51

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Psalm 25

1 Peter 3: 18-22

Mark 1: 12-15

Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Psalm 116

Romans 8: 31b-34

Mark 9: 2-10

Exodus 20: 1-17

Psalm 19

1 Corinthians 1: 22-25

John 2: 13-25

Psalm 95

Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8

John 4: 5-42

2 Chronicles 36: 14-16, 19-23

Psalm 137

Ephesians 2: 4-10

John 3: 14-21

1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a

Psalm 23

Ephesians 5: 8-14

John 9: 1-41

Jeremiah 31: 31-34

Hebrews 5: 7-9

John 12: 20-33

Ezekiel 37: 12-14

Psalm 130

Romans 8: 8-11

John 11: 1-45

Mark 11: 1-10

John 12: 12-16

Isaiah 50: 4-7

Philippians 2: 6-11

Mark 14: 1-15: 47

Fasting:

A few videos on fasting:

Fasting Can Change You Forever

How Do Catholics Fast?

Learning Detachment From Our Stuff

Almsgiving:

There are many ways to give alms during Lent. Your almsgiving will look different than someone else's, and that's ok! Pray and ask the Lord to help you discern where He is calling you to give in a special way this Lent. Perhaps He is calling you to patronize local businesses, or give gift cards to homeless people, or donate to a favorite religious order, school, parish, or charity, or simply spend more time with the people you care about. Just don't let Lent go by without putting your love in action!