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Few things are as difficult in the modern world as fasting. It is not simply the action of changing our eating habits that we find problematic – it’s the whole concept of fasting and what it truly entails. It comes from another world. We understand dieting – changing how we eat in order to improve how we look or how we feel. But changing how we eat in order to know God or to rightly keep a feast of the Church – this is foreign. Our first question is often, “How does that work?” For we live in a culture...

The Call of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and AlmsgivingThomas Moses For many Eastern Christians, Lent is embraced as a time for the renewal of repentance, fervent seeking after God, and increased love and concern for our neighbor. After a few weeks of preparation for Lent (also known as the Great Fast) we begin this period of bright sorrow, a forty day period leading up to Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and finally Pascha, Easter, or the Feast of all Feasts.I say bright sorrow because joy and sorrow are kept in tension. We experience sorrow because of the suffering endured by our Lord...

Lent is a season of penance and ascetical warfare. The enemy is concupiscence, the world, and the devil. The goal is pure hearts so that we can joyfully celebrate the resurrection of our Lord at Easter, the greatest feast of the liturgical year. In a way, Lent should be a microcosm of our entire struggle on earth, just as the Paschal feast of Easter is a microcosm of our heavenly triumph in Christ. Yet, a good Lent takes focus and discipline, and it can easily be wasted.In my own experience, I often begin the lenten season with the best of intentions. I imagine...

Catholic tradition of almsgiving gets special emphasis during Lent By Chaz MuthCatholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Almsgiving is a practice in generosity expected from all Catholics, but the focus of it is even stronger during the season of Lent. Mary Schultz of Exeter, N.H., told Catholic News Service she began to give a portion of her allowance to charitable causes from the time she was 10, and her parents increased her weekly fee for chores from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday so that she could donate even more money during Lent. "I was told by my parents, my teachers...

by Fr. James Farfaglia Other Articles by Fr. James FarfagliaContact this Author Lent Is a Spiritual Workout 02/09/05 Any worthwhile achievement requires immense effort. When speaking to the Corinthians, St. Paul uses images from the world of sports to explain that the spiritual life requires continual exertion and struggle. St. Paul knew that the Greeks would understand these images since they hosted the original Olympics. In This Article...Raise the Bar During LentGo Against the Culture: Deny Yourself!Self-Mastery is Training for Freedom Raise the Bar During Lent "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one...

Ideas for Adults -- Three Practices of Lent Fasting fast from watching television one night each week so that you can spend time on a Lenten practice, such as praying, reading the Bible, serving others fast from one movie during Lent and give the money… and the time in service to others fast from using foul language and put-downs and start affirming the good in other people fast from buying new things like clothes, music, magazines, or jewelry and make a donation… fast from spending money on entertainment and make a donation of time or money that serves others fast...

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  Email This ArticleKids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children    CYNDI MONTANARO How might we apply the three penitential principles of Lent (fasting, almsgiving, and prayer) to our school-age children's lives? What can we do to teach them (not force them) to do penance for the love of Christ? On Ash Wednesday, we heard Christ teaching his disciples how to do penance (Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18). He focused on three traditional areas for penance in Jewish life. These are fasting, almsgiving and prayer. How to apply these principles to our school-age children's lives? What can we do to...