| University Catholic Center at Emory University | Lent 2023 |
Entering into Lent
Lent is a season of being invited by God in a deeply personal way. “Come back to me, with all of your heart,” our Lord beckons. "We will," we respond, but we aren’t quite ready yet, our hearts are not prepared. We want to squirm, evade, and avoid. Our souls are not yet perfect. We are not ready for God to love us. Yes, of course, we want to have a deeper relationship with God, we tell ourselves earnestly. And we will….soon. God calls to us again: "Come back to me, with all of your heart."
As we enter into this season of Lent, we invite you into the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Take time this week to create a plan that will help you prepare your heart for the death and resurrection of our Lord. There are many resources available online, and we've compiled a short list of opportunities for you below.
Let us know how we can pray for you as we continue through the middle of the spring semester. If there's any way we can be of assistance to you, reach out to us.
In Christ,
In Christ,
Michael Zauche, Campus Minister
Articles & Videos
5 Tips to Make Lent Worth Your Time
by Drew Maly - Read here
Now that Lent is here, it’s important to remember the three disciplines that the Church encourages this season: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. But sometimes, it can be easy to get lost in the usual Lenten pattern of ashes, giving up dessert, and meatless Fridays (and fish fries, which are amazing). In the midst of the pattern, we might forget what all this is for.Making Self-Denial a Habit
by Dr. Edward Sri - Watch here
Dr. Edward Sri, Vice President of Formation of FOCUS, shares a reflection on putting God and others before our own desires this Lent.
And So It Begins | A Reflection To Prepare For Ash Wednesday
by Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR - Read here
"The gospel tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days and forty nights, and there He prayed, fasted, and was tempted. Why did He do this? This answer requires us to go back to the significant event that took place right before Jesus entered the desert: His holy baptism." Read more...
Practice makes perfect: The reason we sacrifice during Lent
by Msgr. Owen F. Campion - Read here
"Back in the day, as thousands upon thousands of Catholic Americans remember, this writer included, the nuns urged their parochial school students “to give up” something for Lent. Candy often made the list. Probably movies ran a close second. That old advice is worth considering once again, not because making life slightly miserable is good." Read more...
Lent 2023: The Complete Guide to the Catholic Season of Lent
by Hallow - Read here
"Lent is one of the five seasons of the Catholic liturgical calendar, along with Advent, Christmas, Easter, and Ordinary Time. It precedes Easter and is a solemn period centered on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. While Lent is often associated with the Catholic faith, many Christians–including Protestants and Orthodox–observe it. There is no better time to reconnect with or deepen one’s faith than Lent. During this time, we can draw closer to God as we prepare for the joyous celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter." Read more...
Lent 2023: A Resource Guide For Catholics
by Becky Roach - Read here
The Lent and Easter seasons mark the holiest times of the year for us as Catholics. It’s essential that we start preparing now for Lent so that Lent will be a season spent preparing for Easter. This Lent resource guide is designed to provide Catholics with the books, videos, apps, and programs available to help make the most of the 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that we will enter into on Ash Wednesday (February 22).
Reflections
Ave Explores Lent 2023: Return
Weekly on Sunday - Sign up here
Fr. John Burns invites you to strip away your confusion, attachments, and sin so you can return to the Lord and undergo real and lasting conversion. Every Sunday throughout Lent, you will receive an email with a video reflection from Fr. John based on his new book, Return: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. Each email will also include a new Ave Explores podcast, as host Katie Prejean McGrady reflects on themes from Return with special guests including Fr. John; Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT; Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, and Paul George.
FOCUS: The Story of Salvation Bible Study
Weekly on Mondays - Sign up here
Many Catholics have a piecemeal approach to the Bible. They might know many individual stories: Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Moses and the Ten Commandments, Jesus, and the Cross. What’s missing is an understanding of how they all fit together. This Lent, discover how the many stories of the Bible come together to tell the one story of God’s plan of salvation and our Catholic Faith.
Fearless: Living Life to the Full by Chris Stefanick
Weekly on Wednesdays - Sign up here
Set to release on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023, this free, 7-week video series will accompany you on your Lenten journey. Time and again, the people of God are called to ‘be courageous’ and ‘be not afraid.’ Yet, we live in a time where fear seems to guide our very existence. Don’t miss this exciting series with a special guest each week as we seek to follow Jesus into the wilderness this Lent.
Total Abandonment to God's Will with Matthew Leonard
10-part video series - Sign up here
While the notion of abandonment to God's will may make us nervous, this series will help us find relief by confronting the questions we really need to ask ourselves: Do we really trust the Lord? Do we really trust the God who made us and loves us more than we can possibly imagine? This series is all about how God is standing with arms open wide, waiting to heal, transform, and elevate your life.
Holy is His Name: A Scripture Study with Dr. Scott Hahn
12-part video series - Sign up here
In 1 Peter 1:16, we’re reminded of our call to holiness. You shall be holy, for I am holy. But what is holiness? Join us in this new Bible study as Scott Hahn traces the meaning of holiness from its origins in Scripture to its appearance in our own lives today. Together, let’s experience the transformative power of God’s holiness.
The Pray More Lenten Retreat
19-part video series - Sign up here
We invite you to join us this Lent to prepare to commemorate the Lord’s Passion, Death, and the celebration of His Resurrection at Easter. As a part of this retreat, you will receive access to 19 different talks on prayer, on who God is — and what that means for you, the season of Lent, and lessons from the saints. That’s about four talks for each week of Lent. Each of those talks will also come with a printable study guide that has reflective questions and prayers to accompany the presentation, along with transcripts of all the presentations. You can participate at your own pace. Some of the talks are 15 minutes long, and some of them are closer to 20. You will be able to watch them whenever you have the time, or to download them and listen to them even while you’re on-the-go. We hope the Pray More Lenten Retreat will help you to intentionally work on your prayer life this Lent — wherever you are, and whenever you have the time.
Surrender to the heart of the Father
Daily - Sign up here
Daily - Sign up here
Reflect, pray, and live this Lenten season with My Daily Visitor. This handy resource helps you to begin each day with quick and easy Scripture-focused reflection, prayer, and achievable actions to make the most of Lent.
Living Lent Daily from Loyola Press
Lenten Meditations from EWTN
Daily and Weekly - Sign up here
Each Lent is an opportunity – an opportunity to reflect, pray, and become detached from the things of the world. This is why Fr. Joseph has prepared a series of Lenten meditations to guide us during this solemn season. If you sign up today, we’ll send weekly messages to your inbox beginning on Ash Wednesday and then on each Sunday of Lent and Easter Sunday. In addition, we’ll send you an eBook with these same meditations. Daily reflections are also available here.
Holy Moments: Discover the Real You with Matthew Kelly
Holy Moments: Discover the Real You with Matthew Kelly
Daily - Sign up here
Every time you collaborate with God to create a Holy Moment…the real you emerges. Most people live and die without even scratching the surface of their potential. Don’t let that be your story! Some moments are holy, some moments are unholy, and you get to decide. This simple and practical idea is about bringing clarity to your entire life. Explore the depths of your soul potential - let Holy Moments reveal what the real you can do.
Daily - Sign up here
Lent presents a wonderful time to explore Scripture in our daily prayer. We’ve invited authors and friends to share reflections based on Bible verses - each day you’ll receive a message with one of these reflections and a link to pray the 3-Minute Retreat that inspired the words. The messages also include suggestions for further exploration of Lenten themes through additional online articles and prayers.
Lenten Regulations
From the Archdiocese of Atlanta
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is a day of universal fasting and abstinence. The following church regulations are observed throughout the season of Lent:
Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays during Lent by Catholics 14 years of age and older. All Catholics who are at least 18 years of age but not yet 59 years of age observe fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those bound by this rule may eat only one full meal. Two smaller meals (that together are not equal to a full meal) are permitted as necessary to maintain strength according to personal needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. Those who are sick, pregnant, nursing, or with compromised health that would be adversely affected by fasting or abstinence should not consider themselves bound by these norms.
During the season of Lent, we are all called to embrace penance and perform works of charity and mercy that reflect our desire for a true conversion of heart. May this holy season of Lent 2023 lead all of us to a deeper union with Christ and with one another.
During the season of Lent, we are all called to embrace penance and perform works of charity and mercy that reflect our desire for a true conversion of heart. May this holy season of Lent 2023 lead all of us to a deeper union with Christ and with one another.