Every year, Catholic families participate in this important, meaningful, and very central journey in their spiritual and prayer life. This is the journey of Lent. As a period of 40 days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Palm Sunday. However, as a family spiritual journey, it concludes on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

Liturgically, during this Lenten season, we do not sing the “Gloria” except on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of Mary, on March 19 and on the feast of the Anunciation of the Lord on March 25. We also do not sing or express the joy of singing “Alleluia” during other Masses or liturgical celebrations. Two colors are used during this time: purple and rose, except on certain days. Purple is used on the First, Second, Third, and Fifth Sundays, while rose is used on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as “Gaudete” or “Sunday of Joy.”

In terms of fasting, we abstain from eating red meat throughout Lent, particularly on Ash Wednesday and Fridays. For those who are able, the Church recommends the following forms of fasting: fasting the whole day or half a day without food or drink (though water may be taken – this is also called pure dry fasting), or abstaining from something you most desire in your life—for example, alcohol, consumerism, modernism, individualism, drugs, negative emotions, etc. The purpose is to help us feel closer to those in need and draw closer to God in the spiritual life. More profoundly, we are called to pray and to assist the most vulnerable (the poor, prisoners, and the sick) in our society.

That said, this journey emphasizes three attitudes: prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Therefore, it should be an opportunity for us to grow and be transformed in family life, faith, and prayer. How, then, can we maximize this opportunity for growth and transformation during Lent? I want to propose the following spiritual actions to anchor your life in this journey:

1. Read and meditate on the Word of God. Specifically, I invite you to focus on the 40 chapters of the Book of Exodus, where you can find your own struggles and hopes reflected in the pilgrimage of the Israelites from Egypt. Read one chapter each day during this journey.
2. Attend Holy Mass daily. During the Holy Mass, we break and share the Word of God. Most profoundly, we partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who encourages and transforms us on the path our life “through Him, with Him, and in Him,” because He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). During Mass, I would like to invite you to offer your struggles, needs, and your entire life before the Lord for whatever reason in whatever season. The Lord is always ready to help you, encourage you, and deliver you through all your experiences.
3. Pray the Holy Rosary every day. There is no Catholic Christian who has ever succeeded in their vocation and devotion without the intercession, aid, and counsel of such a sweet, blessed, and powerful woman: the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is a mother. Therefore, she is ready to accompany you in both good and difficult moments of life. She has the power to intercede for us before her son. Her litany expresses for our hearts the attitudes and power of her motherhood in our salvation journey. Even if you choose to meditate on one of them every single day, that will be satisfying enough for your spiritual life during this journey. As a simple reminder, we pray the Glorious Mysteries on Sunday and Wednesday, the Luminous Mysteries on Thursday, the Joyful Mysteries on Monday and Saturday, and the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday and Friday. Therefore, if you are unable to read the Bible daily, the Rosary is a very powerful weapon of spiritual accompaniment.
4. Do not forget the power and invitation of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Go there with freedom, trust, and hope in the mercy, love and abundant grace of God. This sacrament frees us from fears, anxieties, and negativity in life. Most profoundly, it leads us into a deeper world of peace, joy and personal freedom.
5. Always invoke the help of the Saints of God through the “Litany of All the Saints”. Each of them has a role in your family and spiritual life. Call upon them always. Their accompaniment is a sure deal. Their consolation is pure!
6. Do not forget to participate in the Way of the Cross every Friday, either with the Christian community or personally. In this case, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also serve you well.
7. Serve! Serve Others! Mother Theresa of Calcutta once said: “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace.”  Serving others is what gives meaning to our existence on earth. Without doubt, the essence of Christian life is purely founded on serving others: Serving the poor, the unprivileged, the disadvantaged, those most in need of mercy and compassion. And who are these? You and I! We are limited and fragile humans, always desiring completion. That is what Jesus offers and reveals to each one of us! Follow Him!

May this season be a good opportunity to become a better Christian by renewing your baptismal promises; to become more fully human, remembering that “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19); and to live as a pilgrim filled with hope that Jesus Christ will rise in every situation of your life, for He has said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

¡La familia que reza unida permanece unida!

In Holy Cross,
Joseph Owori Jodolo, C.S.C.