Sheila Wheltle, a parishioner at St. Mark Church in Catonsville, Md., is pictured at her home Jan. 23, 2020. Wheltle has given up social media for Lent the past nine years. (CNS photo/Kevin J. Parks, Catholic Review)
CHURCH SOCIAL TIPS
By Sherry Hayes-Peirce
Last year Lent began on Feb. 26, and just one week later churches around the world began to close in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. All the best-laid plans of parishes shattered as houses of worship were shuttered. That period of quarantine was a metaphor for our journey through the desert and provided us the opportunity to pray, reflect and renew our faith amid a worldwide crisis.
While it’s a new year, it feels like we are still in the desert. So many parishes still have limitations in what they can do to safely provide Mass and traditional Lenten experiences. Many people are being very careful with recent spikes of infection and opting not to gather in public spaces, including churches.
But still, we are called to pray, fast and give for the 40 days of Lent, whether that’s in person or online. We can:
Plan time slots on our calendars to pray or attend Mass virtually.
Rosary during the Lenten season really connects us to Christ through his mother.
Allow yourself to find healing through confession or an examen at ignatianspirituality.com.
You can choose a daily reflection online or devotional in print to read or listen to for 40 days.
Find ways to make personal sacrifices that help strengthen your faith.
Ask God what needs to be transformed in you and start making those changes.
Surrender “our will” to open our hearts, minds and souls to the “will of God” for our lives.
Train our focus on serving others through the corporal works of mercy.
Give donations to Catholic charities that can help those who are in need, like CRS Rice Bowl.
Invite friends, family or someone fallen away to attend Mass online or in-person with you.
Visit the sick, lonely, a food pantry or a community center that needs volunteers.
Experience a deeper connection with Christ by spending time in adoration.
Having digital tools to help you tap into spirituality on the go really helps, so here are my suggestions:
- Download an app so that you have prayer resources in the palm of your hand. Hallow tops the list for Catholic Apps and has a variety of prayer programs that include a Lenten challenge, rosary, litanies, profiles of the saints, minute mediations, stations of the cross, Father Mike Schmitz’s popular “Bible in a Year” podcast and more.
- Join an online challenge, like Busted Halo’s photo challenge or design one of your own based on Scripture and liturgical happenings. Visit bustedhalo.com/category/ministry-resources for popular youth ministry ideas.
- Watch Catholic programming on EWTN, Catholic Central TV, FORMED or Salt & Light.
- Sign-up for the Hawaii Catholic Herald’s biweekly email newsletter or daily emailed reflections from Word on Fire or Dynamic Catholic.
- Follow Catholic social media pages including the Hawaii Catholic Herald on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so reflections land in your feed.
- Listen to Catholic podcasts that can be found on your phone app stores.
Most importantly for this Lenten season be sure to journal about your faith journey to identify the transformation you are experiencing through a sincere faith focus. Remember your call to the desert is to “Be still and know that I am God (Psalms 46:11).
Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic digital communications consultant based in California.
