Lent 2021: The Lent after a Lenten Year

At this time last year, I had big plans for a screen-free Lent. That got adjusted pretty quickly when Covid hit, and we entered a whole different season - at the time being told it would be two weeks only, although I believed it would be at least a few months (ha!)... this year I feel completely differently about Lent.

I'm not excitedly thinking about how I can get rid of distractions to focus more completely on Jesus. Why? Because really, after a year of it, I'm pretty done with the removal of distractions. They've been thoroughly removed, thanks very much.

But have they?

Externally, yes, they most certainly have. So my challenge for this Lent is an internal one. We are not restricting our lives any further, there's enough of that - but perhaps we haven't been using that time as well as we could have done. And there's no better time to start than now, or rather, Lent.

If this year of isolation has taught me anything, it's that I can distract myself from Jesus in an empty room! My mind can wander, I don't even need any external distractions. And that is what we now have an opportunity to work on... what we have already begun, through the past year, but can definitely deepen in this coming season. So here's what we will do...

In my mothering, I will aim to engage more intentionally with each of my children every day.
Screens will continue, but less, and with an emphasis on faith building content.
Our daily practice of family prayer, as well as prayer as a couple, will be key every day.
Our practice of daily Mass (online) will continue, along with the daily worship time provided so kindly by Olly Knight.
If lockdown eases, we'll do the Stations of the Cross at church once a week.
Online shopping has become a real crutch to me in lockdown, and that needs reigning in. Nothing set in stone, but certainly a more intentional approach.
I am retiring the private Facebook group I had for the kids, and will no longer post personal content on FB (this is for good, not just Lent, but it starts on Ash Wednesday)

This is where I'm at now: we've had a Lenten year in the sense that our lives have been so extremely restricted that we are home almost all the time now, we haven't seen our family and friends in months, and the few things left to do include the things I would normally give up for Lent (such as screens). It doesn't seem right to restrict ourselves even further when we have already been given this opportunity - and yes I'll call it an opportunity! - of having pressures and distractions removed from our lives to focus ourselves on Jesus. Because He is the source and summit of all that is good in our lives.

What are your plans this Lent?

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