Lent is a time of preparation and opportunity to go deeper with God before his Passion and Resurrection. A standard practice throughout the Catholic Church is to follow the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

One of the most visible ways many of us observe Lent is by abstaining from eating meat on Fridays. This has led to the rise of the Friday night fish fry, especially in the Midwest, which is a fun way to share fellowship during this somber season. But why don’t we eat meat on Fridays during Lent?

Add a bit of fun to your Lenten wardrobe with a Fish Fry t-shirt!

The three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving - each intended to strengthen our relationship with God in a different way. And, as Lent is a season of sacrifice and prayer, the three pillars provide an opportunity to reflect on Christ’s love and sacrifice for us all. By focusing upon these pillars, we can more deeply enter into union with Christ, offering our suffering for His greater glory, and preparing our hearts to receive His most holy sacrifice on The Cross.

The first Lenten pillar is prayer. While prayer should be a central part of the Catholic life throughout the entire year, the liturgical season of Lent requires us to pray daily. The pillar of prayer calls us to ponder Christ’s sacrifice, to pray for our neighbors, and to cultivate our own personal relationship with God.

For many, daily prayer may be a new practice. If that is the case, Lent offers a perfect opportunity to start praying every day. A short prayer in the morning or before bed is a simple way to get a routine in place. And, as with any routine, it’s important to practice self forgiveness if you miss a day. The important thing is to make the effort at forming the habit — and once Lent is over, you may find yourself continuing to seek out time with God!

For those who have already established a practice of daily prayer, consider changing it up for Lent. Try a new prayer, add an additional prayer at a different time of day, or focus your prayer on different things. A change in routine will likely help you focus on the special nature of the Lenten season. Some ideas could include attending daily Mass, praying with the daily Mass readings, praying Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, or exploring new prayer formats like Lectio Divina.

If you are looking for more help getting started with or changing up your daily prayer during lent, consider one of these Lenten prayer and devotional books.

The Lenten pillar of fasting may be the most commonly known form of Lenten observance. However, there is more to this spiritual practice than simply changing your diet or skipping sweets for 40 days.

Fasting and abstinence are both forms of asceticism, a practice of self-discipline that involves resisting temptation. By focusing on resisting these relatively simple temptations during Lent, we grow in self-discipline to be better prepared for greater temptations that will later come our way. We also do this to honor Jesus’ self-discipline during his 40 days of temptation in the desert.

The pillar of fasting has two requirements: fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. The fasting requirement starts at age 18 and ends at age 59. Christians who are fasting during Lent are allowed one normal meal and up to two small meals (that do not add up to the amount of a normal meal) on the day of fasting.

The abstinence requirement starts at age 14 and lasts indefinitely. Abstinence requires us to not eat any meat on Fridays during Lent. This is a way to honor Jesus sacrificing his own flesh for us on Good Friday.

If you have struggled with or are just starting the practice of observing the abstinence requirement, it can be very helpful to do some research to find delicious and simple meat-free recipes for those Fridays in Lent. Check out a few of our favorite Lenten recipes here: 8 Delicious Lenten Recipes for Meatless Fridays.

Christians may also abstain from other pleasurable foods or activities during Lent. While this form of abstinence is not required by canonical law, it is yet another way to practice self-discipline and honor Jesus’ sacrifice.

The sacrifice of meat and other pleasures during Lent generally means you will be spending less on food. Traditionally, the money saved from abstinence has been given as alms, to honor the third pillar of Lenten observance. The intention of this Lenten pillar is to bring our faith out into the world through acts of generosity, kindness, and love to honor God.

Almsgiving is traditionally thought of as the act of giving money to charity. However, just like with fasting, there are many ways to satisfy this obligation. While monetary contributions are one method of giving alms, there are many other activities and sacrifices that we can take part in to even more fully participate in Lenten almsgiving and preparing our hearts for Jesus. Giving of ourselves through time, effort, and other personal resources are all forms of generosity that fall under almsgiving. The idea is to live Christ’s example out in the world.

Examples of giving of ourselves may include volunteering at a soup kitchen, offering to use your vehicle to help drive an elderly neighbor to an appointment, or even helping out at your church.

It's not just about giving up chocolate or Netflix. This time of preparation should provide a unique and profound opportunity to deepen in connection with God, foster self-discipline, and embody Christ's teachings. Hopefully, by diving deeper into these three pillars this Lent, you can make it more than just a 40 day season (actually 46 days). Aim to develop habits that bring these themes of compassion, self-discipline, love, and commitment to God outside of Lent too.