Dear Parishioners,

As Lent approaches, it’s good to think about what penance we are going to take on for Lent. Taking on a penance is a little bit of mortification that allows us to train ourselves to resist temptation and to love God more. We do not take on any penance because of any hatred for the world but because we can sometimes be distracted from the source of everything that is good: God Himself. So, just as we need to take time to practice a skill, so we need to take time to practice being holy. This is the way to have a holy Lent and therefore a happy Easter. So, in order to help you decide, here are some aspects of a life of holiness you could work on and ways you can practice it.

• Prayer – Daily Rosary, Daily Divine Mercy Chaplet, or observe a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament every week. Do a daily meditation with the Hallow App.
• Fasting – Give up on desserts or junk food. Give up condiments. Give up an extra serving of food. Give up meat multiple times a week. Give up alcohol. Give up smoking.
• Almsgiving – Donate to the poor either through our St. Vincent de Paul Society or some other charitable organization.
• Charitable Service – Volunteer a couple times for a local charity. Or go out of your way to help people you know in concrete ways.
• Learning – Pledge to read a good book about the Catholic faith. (If you need suggestions, feel free to ask.) Read a chapter of scripture daily.
• Holy Habits at Mass – Come to Mass early. Stay late to make a thanksgiving. Genuflect before entering your pew. Read the Mass readings ahead of time. Sing at Mass. Make all the responses aloud at Mass.
• Holy Habits for life – Wake up early. Cold showers. Limit TV and Social Media time. Don’t gossip. Thank God every day for the good things He gives you. Be cheerful towards others even if you don’t feel like it. Give up swearing.

That being said, please do not try to do everything at once. Good habits are formed deliberately and slowly. Take on one or maybe two of these and be consistent. That is enough for any one person to do.

God bless and be holy!

Fr. Carter