Three Marks of Lent

Happy Lent! As today, Ash Wednesday begins the new Liturgical season, let’s focus on three marks: Prayer, Fasting, & Almsgiving. (Don't forget to attend Mass today and receive ashes!)

PRAYER: Everyone prays, right? NO! Everyone should pray, right? YES! Prayer is a key factor of how we communicate with God every day! It helps us hear Him, listen to Him, and become closer to Him. Prayer is just one of those things that should be part of your daily routine – and listen; it doesn’t have to take long. Moreover, the Sacrament of Confession is a big piece of prayer during Lent. Confession is one of the greatest gifts we have. We can truly ask for forgiveness after what we’ve done wrong, and God will forgive us and continue to love us.

FASTING: During the season of Lent, fasting is an important thing to remember. The true significance of fasting is sacrifice, or denial of self. Jesus faced temptation in the desert and stuck with God, all while fasting 40 days and nights. In a sense it relates to almsgiving as you’ll see below because it’s "giving to God.” For fasting during Lent, we give God that abstinence of meat, and we don’t eat as much as we normally would, showing that we truly follow Him and are giving this up for Him. The current Lenten Regulations are as follows:

• On Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent which includes Good Friday all those 14 years of age and older are obliged to abstain from meat.

• All adults from the age of 18 through 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• On days of fast, those bound by the law are limited to a single full meatless meal. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one’s needs; however these two meals should not to equal another full meal.

ALMSGIVING: Almsgiving is a form of prayer because it is “giving to God,” and not mere philanthropy. Many see this as another sign of fasting in a spiritual sense due it demanding sacrificial demands. Moreover, it’s not giving something up – it’s much more! As Jesus says in Mt. 6:2-3, “When you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Here He is telling us that we aren’t to give to Him and make it widely known. Instead, we should want to do it and help make others do the same, and not let them just admire and praise us as we do it. (Think about that one thing we give up for Him during Lent)

Have a faith-filled experience during these 40 days of Lent! Let us pray that we may be true followers of Christ – God bless. To access the 2015 Reflection Calendar, click here.

#lent #ashwednesday #pray #fast #give