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A Complete Guide to the Three Pillars of Lent
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Lent is the season where we acknowledge our sorrow for sin to grow closer to Jesus Christ. We shouldn’t look at this as a time of despair, but as a time of hope. Our relationship with Jesus will ultimately remove the pain and suffering that we endure in this life if we can be with Him in the next. The Catholic Church has offered three practical ways, the pillars of Lent, to help you in your pursuit of Christ in the Lenten season.
The Pillars of Lent, An Overview
Prayer grows our connection with the Lord.
Fasting helps us put our spiritual desire for Him over worldly things.
Almsgiving answers Jesus' call to care for the poor and the poor of spirit.
Prayer
The first of the Pillars of Lent is prayer. We should pray all year long, but during Lent, prayer oftentimes seems different. This is because we see it through the framework of Jesus’s passion and sacrifice. The Devil has a habit of tempting us more during this “time in the desert.” If we pray, which is simply “communication with God,” He’ll give us the strength to withstand these attacks.
Prayer gives us courage, it gives us hope, and it gives us a connection to heaven. Prayer plays a crucial role in understanding and appreciating the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Use Lent as an opportunity to focus and grow your prayer life. Daily Rosaries, visits to the nearby adoration Chapel, and praying the stations of the cross are all great ideas.
Fasting
The second of the Pillars of Lent is Fasting. A common question around this time of the year is: “What are you giving up for Lent?” Many Catholics treat this pillar of Lent like a “second chance” at a New Year’s resolution.
When choosing a Lenten penance, we should concentrate on removing something that’s keeping us from fully embracing Jesus. This sacrifice should have a positive impact on your relationship with God. It has to have a purpose. Remember, you are making room for God, not a new bad habit or distractor or temptation.
When you reach Easter Sunday, you should have increased gratitude for the abundance that God has provided in your life. Your Lenten sacrifice should yield a permanent, positive change.
Almsgiving
The third and final of the Pillars of Lent is Almsgiving. The act of giving receives extra emphasis during Lent. When we give our time or money, it takes our focus off of ourselves: it helps us grow our hearts and eyes for others. We suddenly see our neighbor, the one we are supposed to love as we love ourselves. When we generously give, we aren’t doing it for recognition but to serve the Lord.
Charity helps us learn humility and gratitude. It can reveal our selfishness…even though we might not have everything we desire, we may have the means to give to those who have less. Finally, we don’t want to give out of our excess alone; we want our almsgiving to be a form of sacrifice to the Lord.
Devotion Ideas
Now you know the three Pillars of Lent. It is important to note that Lent isn’t only about giving something up. It’s also about adding. Giving time to God, creating space for prayer, and allowing real growth to happen, day by day. This too, can be a meaningful sacrifice!
We’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that the best Lenten commitment is the one that’s clear, structured, and manageable—something you can carry all the way to Easter. Here are three simple devotions you can use to anchor and center your Lenten season around, time tested and favorites of so many of our customers:
Printables
We sell a wide variety of devotionals on our online store. We supply prayer instructions for the products that don't have them already. Here are a couple of handy, printable instruction sheets for some well-loved devotions that you can practice during Lent.
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