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Are you ready for 6 weeks of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving? Whether you’re a seasoned Catholic or someone who struggles to maintain even the simplest religious habits, Bishop Wall has some advice on how to make this Lent a fruitful one.
Discussion points:
00:50 – How do we plan for Lent?
01:34: The three tenets of Lent: Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
02:19 – Prayer. Why is such a simple act so profound? This Lent, start with daily prayer – even something simple, like an Our Father. If we have already built the habit of daily prayer, consider adding to it with a rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, or Scripture reading.
05:11 – Why does the act of reading the Scriptures and Bible fall in the category of prayer?
07:25 – Sometimes Bible passages can seem to contradict each other, or the deeper meaning of a passage may be lost on us. To help in our reading, what are some Bible companions Bishop Wall recommends?
08:41 – Fasting. Why do we fast in Lent? Certain vices can only be conquered through fasting, and this act of abstinence becomes extra powerful when offered up with an intention
10:57 – Fasting doesn’t have to refer to food. We can fast from social media, alcohol, or any form of radio except for Catholic radio (Bishop Wall’s favorite)
14:19 – Almsgiving. This refers to giving of our own resources, time, and efforts to help other people or causes. Coming up short on ideas? In our own Diocese, two great charities that always need donations or volunteers are the Little Sisters of the Poor, who care for the elderly poor, and the Missionaries of Charity, who run a soup kitchen and shelter for the homeless
18:56 – How should we approach Sundays – days of rest from our fasting? We should not simply indulge ourselves – for instance, if you gave up a certain TV show, you don’t want to just waste the whole day with binge-watching
21:57 – If we’re starting from absolute zero, and we really need help just starting, focus on saying the Our Father. When that habit has been built, consider moving up to one decade of the rosary per day.
22:55 – Reading the Bible is a great spiritual practice, but where should we start? Bishop Wall recommends the Gospels – especially the Gospel of Luke, which is where Catechumens would start, or at the beginning, with Matthew, then moving through to John.
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Thanks for listening!