22. Pray for an end to capital punishment. Pray for those on death row, and for the families of murder victims.
23. Find a form of fasting that is appropriate for you, given your age, state of health, and state of life. Some fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some fast from sweets or alcohol throughout Lent. Some fast on one or more days per week from breakfast all the way to dinner, spending lunch hour in prayer or at noon Mass. Some cut out all snacks between meals. The money saved from not buying various things should be given to an apostolate or ministry serving the physically or spiritually poor.
24. Find a written biography of a Saint that particularly appeals to you, and read it during the Season of Lent.
25. Instead of secular videos for weekend entertainment, try some videos that will enrich your spiritual life.
26. While driving, turn off the secular radio for awhile and use commute time to listen to some teaching on audiocassette or CD.
27. Find a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or crisis pregnancy center, and volunteer some time there throughout Lent. Serve the people there with the understanding that in so doing, you are serving Jesus. Try to see Jesus in each person there.
28. Visit someone at a nursing home or in the hospital or sick at home. Again, love Jesus in and through the suffering person.
29. Is there a widow or divorced person living in your neighborhood? If so, invite that person to your home for dinner, coffee, etc.
30. View Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ during Lent on VHS or DVD, if you feel you can handle the violence.
31. Invite folks to view The Passion of the Christ with you, especially people whose faith is rather nominal, or who do not practice their faith, or who do not profess Christian faith at all.
32. Spend some focused time with your spouse, strengthening your marriage. Start praying together, or make praying together a more frequent occurrence.
33. Spend some focused time together with each of your children. Listen. Pray. Maybe even have fun.
34. When Easter comes, don’t drop the new practice you’ve begun during the Season Lent! Make a permanent feature of a deeper Christian life!
Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrossio
The Crossroads Initiative
