Do you realize how soon Ash Wednesday is? Shoot, y’all, it’s time to start praying on what you’re going to do for Lent.

I’ve always loved Lent. It’s like Jesus Boot Camp–6 weeks of hardcore prayer and fasting, but then you get 7 weeks of Easter, praise the Lord, to gain back all the weight you lost in Lent. I’ll write more about the gift of fasting later, I’m sure, but for now, let’s get really practical.

What the heck are you going to do for Lent?

You probably know that the three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Did you know that you’re supposed to do all three? Did you know that you can do more than one thing in each category? Did you know that giving up regular Coke and only drinking Coke Zero, Diet Coke, and Caffeine-free Coke is a totally lame-o way to go?

Lent is not the time to go so hard that you die–or make others wish they were dead because you’re so cranky. It’s a time to discern what the Lord is calling you to, what he wants you to be more detached from, what sin he’s calling you to abandon, how he wants you to lean on him and love his children. But it can be hard sometimes to come up with something more fruitful than giving up soda, so I thought I’d give you some options.

Fasting is the most obvious. Even non-Catholics will ask you what you gave up for Lent. For some of us, Lent is an opportunity to root out some of the evil in our lives. Maybe it’s time to give one (or a few) of these sins up.

Drunkenness Gossip Pornography Complaining–try accepting the cross you’re given instead of objecting that you’d rather choose your own. Smoking Masturbation Calling your sister an alien Negativity Being snarky or short or cold or whatever it is you do that makes talking to you an act of charity Laziness–try exercising for Lent Arguing Being picky–eat whatever is set before you Judging people Comparing yourself with others Anger Immodest clothing Impure books/television/movies/music Lying Cursing

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Or maybe there’s something good in your life that you’re too dependent on. Or even something good that is healthy for you but that you could offer to the Lord for 40 days. Fasting can help you grow spiritually in so many ways. How about:

. Snacking Television Lunch Facebook Makeup Soda Chocolate Shopping (the frivolous kind, anyway) Secular music Sweets Hitting the snooze button Secular reading Meat Naps Junk food Fast food A reasonable diet Coffee Cream and sugar in your coffee Social media Sarcasm Scratching Your pillow Hot showers Hot food Salting your food Staying up stupid late–give yourself a bedtime! Wasting your life on the internet In that vein: youtube Wearing your favorite color Alcohol Kissing Gum Checking your smartphone when you’re with people Driving when you could walk Idle curiosity–try not reading every sign you pass or googling every question you have. If it doesn’t matter, be content not to know. Anything that’s about popularity–checking your blog stats, posting things on facebook that are clever but not edifying

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Prayer should be at the center of your life all the time, but especially during Lent. Try one of these 50 ways to talk to God on for size, follow this daily Lenten prayer schedule to ease you in to a holy hour, or go for one of the below–altering amount and frequency if you like.

. Daily Mass–maybe even daily! A chapter of the Bible a day. You can get through all 4 Gospels if you read 2 chapters a day and don’t skip Sundays. 10 minutes of meditation a day Chaplet of Divine Mercy Join a Bible study at your parish 20 minutes of Spiritual reading a day The Rosary–a decade or even a whole Rosary each day Go to your Church’s Lenten mission Stop by an adoration chapel on your way home each day Don’t turn on music while you drive–pray instead Subscribe to some solid Catholic blogs The Liturgy of the Hours–once a day or seven times, if you like. My favorite is the Office of Readings (Matins). Wear a crucifix Spend the time you would have spent watching TV reading the lives of the Saints or watching documentaries on the Saints Go to confession–every week, every other week, for the first time in 30 years…. Pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday Get up early to pray List 5 things you’re grateful for every day Journal Blog! Be intentional about your time–make a schedule (with prayer featuring prominently) and stick to it Go to an art museum or a botanical gardens once a week and just rejoice in beauty Break your fast with the Eucharist every day–don’t eat until you’ve been to Mass Pick a virtue to strive for each day Spend 10 minutes each night talking to the Lord about your day–thanking him for the good and the bad, apologizing for how you fell short, asking for the grace to be better the next day Listen to Christian music while you drive Listen to Catholic CDs while you drive Pick a Saint to be like and do it Lectio Divina Pay attention at Mass

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Almsgiving isn’t always as easy as giving money to the poor. Figure out how you need to love the people around you and do it.

. Donate the money you would have spent on whatever you’re fasting from Spend the time you would have spent watching TV with your family Visit a nursing home–and bring your little ones if you have them. Nothing takes the awkward out of talking to old people you don’t know like a baby. Step up your tithing game from 10% to 15% Invite a priest or religious to dinner Do that rice bowl thing Save up all your change (and maybe even your singles) and give them to charity. Write letters to your grandparents Call your mother Volunteer once a week–soup kitchen, shoveling snow, the nursery at church, whatever! Give someone a compliment every day Take someone to lunch every week–a lonely coworker, a neighbor you don’t always love, one of your children Perform an act of charity every day–do the dishes when it’s not your turn, take your kids to that awful playground they love so much, talk to your parents in multiple-word sentences, pick up litter Tell someone about Jesus

Here’s a printable list that’ll help your family (or community) decide together what to do for Lent.

Shoot, friends, that’s a lot of stuff–what else would you recommend?

More ideas from LifeTeen here and here. Nick did me one better with his 101 Lenten practices–but he wrote it three years ago, so I can’t be bitter. Any other sites with good suggestions?

Well, shoot, I added this post to Haley’s Little Holy Days linkup–my very first linkup ever–and totally forgot to add a link back to hers and all the other great Lent posts! And now we’re almost a week into Lent and probably done with any serious traffic on this post, but you should click over and see what other people have to say about Lent. Enjoy!

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