Preparing for Lent 2025, Ideas & Considerations

Lent always seems to sneak up so quickly after the Christmas season. In light of this, It can be easy to arrive at Ash Wednesday spiritually unprepared. With Lent just a few weeks away, pray about how Jesus is inviting you to grow this Lenten season.

The Church encourages us to participate in prayer, fasting and almsgiving during this season. Prayer is simply a conversation and living friendship with God; this helps us grow in deeper relationship with Him. Fasting is the denial of worldly pleasures to unite ourselves with Christ’s sacrifice. Finally, almsgiving bolsters our charitable love towards others through gifts of time and treasure.

Each of these Lenten practices has the underlying theme of detaching ourselves from the world and attaching ourselves to Jesus. Lent is a time of simplicity, sacrifice and strengthening one’s relationship with Jesus.

Consider the following as you prepare for the Lenten season.

Prayer

Daily Personal Prayer

Daily prayer is the foundation of discipleship because it is a conversation with the One whom the disciple follows, yet many Catholics do not pray frequently. How do we know if God speaks if we don’t spend any time with him? If you do nothing else this Lent, spend 15-30 minutes a day praying with Jesus; your life will be different, guaranteed. When beginning, it’s better to show up than to have a formula. Make your coffee, light a candle, have an image of Jesus (crucifix, icon, etc.) and sit silently with the Lord.

Consider reading Time for God by Fr. Jacques Philippe, a short, 120-page book that is easy to read and explains why and how to live a prayer life.

Go On Retreat

Lent can be a great time to reset our priorities with Jesus by taking time away. The diocese is blessed to have Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane. There are multiple Lenten retreats on the calendar for your consideration, including Ash Wednesday Day of Prayer; Fulton Sheen Lenten Retreat with Dr. Peter Howard and Holy Week Retreats w/ Bishop Michael Warfel

If a retreat does not work for you, consider doing the Hallow app’s Pray 40 Challenge or Word on Fire’s online Lenten Retreat with Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB. Blessed is She also has a 2025 Lenten Devotional, Under the Olive Tree, for women.

Go to Confession

It doesn't matter if it has been four weeks or 40 years since your last confession. Go this Lent; you will never regret receiving the freedom in Christ’s mercy. If you are nervous, that’s okay. The priest can guide you if you don’t remember what to do. Use Mass Times to find a time and location near you. Jesus waits for you with mercy.

Fasting

Fasting is not simply about giving up things one likes. A great question to ask Jesus is: What do I turn to when I want to “check out?” This could be food or drink, scrolling on social media, Netflix or other things. Secondly, is this activity a healthy way to cope or an unhealthy way? It is equally important to fill our time with something healthy and/or holy, like a hobby, art, time with friends/family or working out.

Remember that fasting is a spirituality, not simply an act of the will. How is fasting from dessert helping you grow closer to Jesus and not just perpetuate the New Year’s Resolution? How can you offer up your suffering from fasting for others in your life?

Almsgiving

The saying goes, "All money is God’s money." It is true; not a single penny will come with us after we die. Almsgiving can then become a practice of living this reality. Giving our money away to the poor, the Church and other ministries is not only an act of humility and self-denial but also a service to those in need. Giving it away helps us reorder our priorities and reminds us that our true security can only come from God alone, not a paycheck. Bishop Daly often quips, “God will always give us what we need, but not always what we want.”

While sharing one’s time and talent is undoubtedly a valid form of gifting, challenge yourself and your relationship with money. If there is tension there, pray with Jesus about it.

“A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12:42-44)

If you want to learn more, consider reading Happy Are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom by Fr. Thomas Dubay, SM, this Lent.

Have a blessed and holy Lent.