40 Days to a Better Soul (and Body?)
A few of my friends have
recently started the “Whole 30,” a lifestyle change in which you eliminate all
processed foods and sugars from your diet to commit to a wholesome way of eating
and living. (More power to them, as I often crave muffins and Fro-yo on a daily
basis.) After a grueling 30 days of discipline and sacrifice, your body becomes
used to healthy food and no longer craves the sugary, fatty foods it once did.
The 30 day “diet” helps to rid your body of the negative toxins to make way for
a healthier, freer lifestyle.
Wouldn’t it be cool though, if we had the same
mentality towards our spiritual life?
Today we begin the Season of
Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for
Easter. These 40 days are meant to represent the 40 days Jesus was in the
desert and the 40 years the Israelites were in exile. Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday,
marks (literally) a time of repentance and renewal by receiving crosses on our
foreheads as a sign of humility, and dependence on God. We realize we are
sinners are in need of forgiveness and a renewed way of life. But how do we get
to a renewed way of life?
If we believe that God created
us and loves us, we must also believe that He wants a good life for us and
knows what will make us truly happy and fulfilled. As humans, we are composite
beings, made up of body and soul. In order to be fully happy in this life, we
must care for both aspects of ourselves. Lent sometimes becomes the time for
the newest trendy “Catholic diet” in which we decide to give up soda, sweets,
snacking all in the hopes of beginning this new and healthy way of life.
Lent is a good time to not just
become healthy physically, but also spiritually. It is time to reflect on the
areas of life that are keeping you from growing in your relationship with God
and others. The idea is to change certain negative/unhealthy aspects of our
lives not just for this Lenten season but beyond, just as if you started the Whole
30. The hope would be that after the diet, you would continue the healthy
lifestyle habits you have developed.
The common question in many
people’s minds today is “what should I give up for Lent?” Before you rush to
give up desserts or vow to pray an hour each day, take some time to evaluate
your life and ask God what He wants from your heart. What areas of weakness,
distraction, negativity are there in your life? How can you move past them for
a more fulfilling, healthy, and virtuous life? What do you need to sacrifice in
order to better be the person God has created you to be? How can you commit to
a “Whole 40?”
Here are 6 simple ideas of how
to live more holy & “whole-y” during this Lenten Season & beyond:
1. Be more Generous – Are you someone who spends a lot of money on material goods and other products you want but don’t really need? Are you wasteful and take for granted what you have in life?
-
Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl – Keep this bowl on your kitchen counter or somewhere you
will see it every day. Take some of the money you’d normally spend on a large
iced coffee from Dunkin or a weekly shopping trip and put it in the bowl to
donate to our global family in need. Learn more here: http://www.crsricebowl.org/
2. Be more Other-Centered –Are you someone who spends more time thinking about yourself and what will benefit you? Do you neglect others and find yourself “too busy” to help someone in need?
-
For 40 - Make a list of 40
people in your life. Next to each name, write down one thing you can do for
them (example: write a letter of appreciation to your coach, offer to babysit
your siblings so your parents can go on a date, get to class early to help your
teacher, bring coffee to a coworker, etc.). Each day of Lent, as you perform
these acts of kindness, offer up a special prayer for each person.
3. Be more Grateful – Are you someone who neglects to see blessings and goodness that each day brings? Do you find yourself becoming jealous of what other people have?
-
Gratitude Jar – each
day, write down one new thing are grateful for and place it in a jar. Reread
the slips of paper every day or wait until Easter to read them all at once!
4. Be more Positive – Are you someone who sees gray clouds when there are blue skies? Do you tend to see the negativity in situations? Become envious of others?
-
Participate in the #Startwith40 campaign to spread 40
messages of positivity and kindness during the 40 days of Lent. Tweet, ‘gram,
snapchat to spread the love each day of the Lenten season. You’ll be surprised
by how freeing it is to recognize the good in others.
5. Be more Faith-filled - Do you find yourself
neglecting your relationship with God? Do you forget to make time for prayer in
the midst of everything else going on in life? Are you struggling to find His
presence or hear His voice each day?
-
Time for 10 –
Devote an extra ten minutes of prayer each day. Dedicate a set amount of “Sabbath
time” each day to intentionally devout time to prayer and rest that often gets
neglected. Pick up a book on Lenten prayer meditations or use one of the
following links to find something that works for you!
6. Be more Disciplined – Are you a master
procrastinator? Do you find yourself feeling too lazy to follow through with
commitments? Do you give up when something gets hard?
-
Lose the Snooze - Get
rid of the Snooze-button! Set your alarm for a realistic time to wake up in the
morning and stick to it! Waking up when you actually need to will provide you
with a stress-free start to your morning. You may even be able to eat breakfast
and spend time talking with your family during your morning routine rather than
rushing around trying to find a “clean” shirt to wear.
Whatever you choose, know that I
am praying for you and walking alongside you on this Lenten journey. Let’s
commit to a #Whole40 together.
Below are some resources to guide your 40 day journey this
Lent:
- Want to learn more about Lent? – watch the following Busted Halo YouTube video “Lent in 3 Minutes”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo1mjuy1NA0
- Fr. Mike Schmitz on “Picking a Thing for Lent” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmwKpcJKLt8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR198vfc3R5K2RRJQX9Orj8KT8rWtp4Sa0Nc3q3ljQovNL7gjSmEUXrt9_M
- Prayer App – 40 Day Spiritual Workout – directed towards teens, this app combines Scripture and reflection to help foster a daily prayer life that is simple and practical
- Simple Guided Meditations for each day of Lent through email!
- Daily Reflections for the Lenten Season http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/
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