It’s that time of year again.
Lent. Since the fourth century, your fellow faithful have been observing this period of spiritual preparation leading up to Easter. It’s a season of 40 days — excluding Sundays — that the church established to help us remember our call to prayer and living out God’s love to others.
By the time you read this article, you’ve already begun your Lenten journey. You’ve gotten the cross marked on your forehead on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13, and have refrained from eating meat this Friday. You may have also given up shopping, TV, soda and other worldly distractions, too.
Beyond those penitential standards, what else, as a young Catholic, should you keep in mind during this season? We asked local youth and young adult ministers that question, hoping to get some fresh perspectives for the faith-building days ahead.
We hope you find some inspiration in their answers:
The most important thing to keep in mind during Lent is …
“… to remember that what they choose to give up should essentially bring them closer to God, and not for their own personal purpose, such as motivation to lose weight.” (Albert Sensano, Christ the King Church)
“… to have the ability and want to know our faith, and to have the courage and strength to live it.” (Kurt Meyer, St. Philomena Church)
“… to listen. ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’ — 1Samuel 3:9.” (Joeleny Isidro, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church)
“… to focus on prayer and mirroring your life to that of Christ. Scripture tells us that Jesus was in the desert for 40 days/nights, fasting and praying. Likewise, we who put a lot of energies into this world should pull away and dedicate that same intense energy toward our prayer life.” (Christian Roller, Resurrection of the Lord Church)
“… nothing! Their minds are constantly full of worries, distractions, dramas — Lent should be a time where young adults have an opportunity to quiet their minds and allow some peace to listen.” (Danny O’Regan, Chaminade University campus ministry)
“… to inspire others like themselves to go forward to spread the Good News of Christ in keeping with the Year of the Faith.” (Cindy Juan, Our Lady of Lourdes Church)
“… that Lent is not simply ‘giving up’ of things; it’s more about how we ‘give in’ to God’s abounding grace. It’s a time we are challenged to examine where we are in our relationships with each other, and most especially with our Lord … It’s not a season of sadness and boredom. Lent is a ‘springtime,’ a reawakening of our hearts and minds.” (Kainoa Fukumoto, Our Lady of Sorrows Church)
“… that Lent is about a ‘metanoia’ experience, taking the form of both a change of mind and heart. There’s a tendency for youth/young adults to limit Lent to dietary sacrifices of chocolate and the traditional ‘McDonald’s-Filet-o-Fish-instead-of-meat’ Friday experience. It is about doing good to those most in need of mercy instead of just avoiding evil — living by the law of love as opposed to the love of the law.” (Keith Febrero, Sts. Peter and Paul Church)
“… that temptation is everywhere. Don’t let anyone get to you in regards to being a Catholic and why we do what we do during the Lenten season. Be proud and stand up for what you believe in.” (Donovan Ozoa, Sacred Hearts Church, Lanai)
“… that it is a time of conversion to examine our lives and change the old ways of living so that we can live anew in Christ.” (Kalae Martin, St. Theresa Church, Kihei)
“… to keep an open mind for the signs of conversion. Look at what your life is now before Lent begins. What would you like to improve? What area needs to be drawn closer to God? Make a plan (or I like to call it a ‘promise-plan’), be practical and honest with yourself and make every single effort to keep that plan. Action is the result of intentions. Make it a good one!” (Chrislyn Villena, St. Joseph Church, Hilo)
“… the sacrifice and suffering that Christ took for us, from the hatred of the Jews to the heinous torture and murder by the Romans. And Christ is God — he didn’t have to do any of that but he freely accepted it out of love for us.” (Bobby Morris, St. Jude Church)
Make a Lenten “re-tweet”
Tweetable suggestions — 140 characters or less — of things youth and young adults can do to make their Lenten experience more meaningful.
- “Attend the Stations of the Cross at your local parish. Live each station and understand the depth of what is going on.” (Kurt Meyer)
- “Watch ‘Passion of Christ’ the movie and meditate on the Stations of the Cross prayers.” (Albert Sensano)
- “A visit to the Blessed Sacrament, because the Consecrated Host is really the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.” (Joeleny Isidro)
- “Let us not forget to take full advantage of the graces that are left within the church (i.e. Holy Mass, Confession).” (Christian Roller)
- “Make a Lent Calendar. Each day in Lent write down a (spiritual) challenge to complete.” (Danny O’Regan)
- “Conduct a food drive for the needy or visit a hospital … and go through the Stations of the Cross or rosary with the patients.” (Cindy Juan)
- “Find excuses to pray and have quiet moments with the Lord. Do random acts of kindness more than usual.” (Kainoa Fukumoto)
- “Instead of just shutting off iPods, abstaining from Instagram and Facebook, why not post positive things?” (Keith Febrero)
- “Ask for guidance during your Lenten journey … get a few friends together and discuss what you all are doing.” (Donovan Ozoa)
- “Devote time every day to pray and reflect on the Word of God … put your faith into action by living the corporal/spiritual works of mercy.” (Kalae Martin)
- “Try a new prayer style, join a Bible study/sharing group, try a new ministry, go to daily Mass or weekly/daily adoration.” (Chrislyn Villena)
- “Fast. Keeping in mind all he went through for us, giving up something for 40 days seems minuscule.” (Bobby Morris)
