Make an appointment with one of our priests – Fr. Peter, Fr. Carl or Fr. Bob – to offer confession and to receive absolution.

The Book of Common Prayer 2019 calls this “Reconciliation of Penitents” and lists it under “The Rites of Healing.” Healing of the moral life begins with confession. James 5:16 states: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” While confession is good to practice with one another, sometimes confession with a priest is desirable for absolution, counsel, and confidentiality.

Determine an object from which to abstain (e.g., food, meat, soda, sweets, alcohol, social media) and a frequency of observance (e.g., a 12- or 24-hour period, the entire season of Lent, Wednesdays or Fridays)

Adopt a new prayer practice (e.g., Morning and/or Evening Prayer, use a devotional app, intercessory prayer, contemplative/centering prayer, examen)

Here are a couple of links to the Prayer of Examen developed by Ignatius Loyola in the 16th century:

Examen this Day article by LuAnn Robertson

Rummaging for God: Praying Backwards through Your Day article by IgnatianSpirituality.com

Choose a charity to make a generous contribution during Lent.

The Living Faith Family ministries invite you to purchase and donate grocery staples for needy families in the Guadalupe area. Pick up bags starting March 5th by the door of the Narthex and return them each Sunday during Lent. See 40 Days of Giving for more information.

Consider the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, particularly relief for Israel and Palestine.

Define wasteful, harmful, or sinful practices that are hindering your life and progress in faith, and use the season of Lent to release bad habits and embrace good ones in their place. Without replacing them, you leave a void in your life that will be filled again by something (maybe the old practices).

Suggestions include:

Stop consuming media at the beginning and/or end of each day, Start praying Morning/Evening Prayer at dailyoffice2019.com.

Stop suffering alone, Start meeting regularly for companionship and accountability.

Use your imagination in relation to your needs and concerns.

Break away once a week for a half or full day to read, pray, hike, or commune with God in nature. Shorter sabbaths also work any day of the week.

Read a chapter of Exodus every day during the 40 days of Lent.

Living Faith Family Lenten Devotional. Use with supplied materials. Lent Family Devotional 2024

Sr. Wendy Beckett, The Art of Lent: A Painting a Day from Ash Wednesday to Easter

Plough Publishing House, Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter

G. Goebel & J. Steel, LENT: The Journey from Ash Wednesday Through Holy Week

Aaron Damiani, The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent

Tim Clayton and Alex Miller, Lent with John Donne

Esau McCaulley, Lent: Season of Repentance and Renewal

David Rosebury, The Psalm on the Cross (Intro: “Lent Is Coming!”)

Tish Harrison Warren, Prayer in the Night

Ted Wueste, Trusting God in the Wilderness

For Families: Ashley Tumlin Wallace, The Liturgical Home: LENT (Anglican Compass)

Form an accountability group for the season of Lent to provide prayer and support as you seek to overcome bad habits and adopt new ones.

Acts of self-denial and self-discipline can strengthen the will and increase dependency upon God.

For example:

Practice regular, intense exercise

Abstain from eating between meals

Sleep on the floor instead of a bed to identify with the homeless

Abstain from non-essential purchases

Use mobile devices only for essential communications

Abstain from coffee shops and give savings to a charity, etc.