Lent is a powerful season, but without a plan, it’s easy to let it slip by without making the most of it.
So how can we approach this season with purpose? Where do we begin?
Whether you’re reading this for the first time before Ash Wednesday or midway through Lent, this blog will help you use the three pillars of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—to make your journey to Easter more focused and purposeful.
What is Lent?
Before diving into the three pillars, let’s start with defining what Lent is in the first place.
According to Truthly, “Lent is a 40-day liturgical season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in the Catholic Church that prepares the faithful for Easter by encouraging repentance, spiritual renewal, and a deeper relationship with God.”
The three pillars of Lent, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, are rooted in Scripture and have been part of the Church’s celebration of Lent since the early centuries of Christianity. The Church draws our attention to these three pillars to help us grow closer to Christ.
We pray to turn our focus to God instead of the things of the world. We fast and make sacrifices to unite ourselves with Christ on the cross. And we give alms to step up to Jesus’s call to love and serve those around us.
Prepare for Lent Using the 3 Pillars
Alright, now that we’ve defined what Lent is, let’s figure out how to use the three pillars to set ourselves up for success.
As you read this section, think about what you can realistically commit to doing this Lent and how it will help bring you closer to Christ. And feel free to grab a pen and some paper to jot down your thoughts and ideas so you can reference them later.
Let’s jump in. The first pillar is…
Prayer
Lent is all about making more room for Christ in our daily lives. And when it comes to prayer, that simply means meeting God in prayer more frequently than we usually do.
If you’re already in the habit of praying a daily rosary, keep it going and consider adding something more, like spending extra time in Scripture, committing to a weekly holy hour, or attending a weekday Mass.
If you’re still working on building a solid prayer routine, then set a Lenten goal that’s realistic but meaningful. Maybe that’s praying one decade of the rosary each day with one of our pocket rosaries or listening to a Catholic podcast like Rosary in a Year to grow in your understanding of prayer.
And know that your prayer doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect to count. It just needs to be done with a genuine intent to know God more intimately. Take Jesus’s word for it:
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” (Matthew 6:5-6)
No matter where you’re starting from, the goal for Lent is simple: spend more time with God in prayer.
Fasting
Here’s a little Lenten trivia for you. I promise it’s an easy one…
True or False: Fasting during Lent is God’s way of getting us to diet for 40 days.
False of course, right? It sounds ridiculous to put it like that but many people approach fasting with a mindset focused more on personal gain than on deepening their relationship with God.
What’s the real point of fasting then? Why do we do it at all?
Jesus gives us clear instructions on how to approach fasting with a sincerity of heart in Matthew 6:16-18:
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
So fasting isn’t about giving something up just so you can declare your good intentions to the world—it’s about making room for God. By sacrificing certain comforts, we strip away distractions and give ourselves more space to focus on Him.
The Church calls us to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by eating only one full meal and two smaller meals. And we also abstain from meat on these days and on all Fridays of Lent as a form of penance and a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
But Lenten fasting doesn’t have to stop at food. You can also cut back on screen time, step away from social media, or give up a habit that’s keeping you from prayer. The goal is detachment, not for the sake of suffering, but so you can draw closer to Christ.
A great way to stay motivated in your fasting is to offer it for a specific intention. Maybe it’s for a loved one who’s struggling, for the conversion of sinners, or simply to grow in trust of God’s plan. When we fast with purpose, it stops being just an act of self-denial and becomes a spiritual offering.
(If you’re looking for some more ideas and guidance for how to successfully fast this Lent, check out the “Top 10 Things Given Up for Lent” video series put together by Fr. Jonathan Meyer.)
Almsgiving
The final pillar, almsgiving, challenges us to live out our faith in action.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls us to care for the poor, support those in need, and be generous with what we’ve been given.
(Remember His words in Matthew 25:40: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”)
Lent gives us the perfect opportunity to get out there and practice this generosity and charity by giving our time, skills, resources, and attention where they’re most needed.
Here are a few ideas of ways you can give this Lent:
- Donating to Catholic charities, missions, or organizations that support those in need
- Volunteering at a food pantry, homeless center, or pregnancy center
- Reaching out to someone in your parish who is struggling or alone
- Making sacrifices to serve others—like cooking a meal for a family in need or offering practical help to a friend.
Ultimately, almsgiving reminds us that everything we have is a gift from God and that those gifts are meant to be shared with others.
You’ve Got a Plan—Now It’s Time To Make This Lent Count
Lent is meant to strengthen our relationship with Christ. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we make room for God to shape our hearts and bring about real transformation as we journey to Easter.
Even if you don’t start Lent with a solid plan, it’s never too late to make one. Pick one way to pray more, one thing to fast from, and one way to give to others.
As we approach Christ on Calvary, trust that He is waiting for you there, ready to meet you in your efforts and transform your heart along the way.
