Lent begins Ash Wednesday, February 10. 

The season of Lent is a time to draw closer to God through traditional practices of prayer, mortification, and almsgiving. This is the right time to start to plan your Lenten discipline.

Let’s discuss prayer first. Prayer draws us closer to God. So more prayer and deeper prayer should be a given during Lent.

Why not consider one of these three suggestions for increasing your prayer life during Lent?

COLORING BOOKS FOR ADULTS: Try a way to relax, meditate, create, and pray all at the same time! Impossible? Not at all. The CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop carries a series of Coloring Books for Adults, but these are no mere coloring books. Each one has a specific religious theme as well as prayers, litanies, and Scripture verses to meditate on. Coloring has been shown to reduce stress and induce relaxation. So, in your busy, stress filled life, try prayer with coloring. See the Coloring Books link http://cfpholyangels.com/coloring-books/ for a full selection of Coloring Books for Adults.

By the way, the CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop also carries coloring books for children on the Coloring Books link. Lent and Easter coloring books available. We can order them in bulk for religious education classes or schools, but let us know early to be sure that the books are not sold out!

CHAPLETS: If you prefer to try a new devotion for Lent, how about praying a Chaplet with which you are unfamiliar? You might think of a chaplet as a shorter version of the Rosary or a prayer you can touch. You pray as yu move beads through your fingers, a way to meditate while keeping track of your prayers. The CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop carries several different chaplets on the Chaplets link from http://cfpholyangels.com/religious-items/chaplets/

LEARN TO PRAY THE DIVINE OFFICE: If you never learned to pray the Divine Office, or tried and weren’t successful, Lent is the perfect time to take up this devotion. The Divine Office is the second highest prayer of the Catholic Church, the Mass being the highest. Members of the Confraternity of Penitents pray the Divine Office daily along with priests, deacons, and religious. The Office is for everyone! Consult the Liturgy of the Hours link from http://cfpholyangels.com/liturgy-of-the-hours/ and scroll through the three pages of Liturgy of the Hours items for Divine Office books (called breviaries), breviary covers (some hand made), and a book The Divine Office for Dodos that will teach you how to pray this wonderful daily devotion.

Watch for the next blog! We’ll share some tips on mortification and almsgiving! Lent should be a time of spiritual rebirth. Allow the Holy Spirit to work on you this Lent! You’ll be glad you did!