In this spiritual combat, we have three enemies namely,

1. The World (1 John 2:15-17)
2. The Flesh (Romans 7:15-25)
3. The Devil (James 4:7-10)

During this Lenten season we have adopted small penitential practices to break bad habits and strive to grow closer in an intimate relationship with the Lord. Our ultimate goal is God. But how do we grow closer to Him? By actively engaging our intellect and will to strive for a life of holiness, taking small steps every day to conform ourselves to Christ through these disciplines. We have already started this journey, remember to be patient with yourself and set realistic goals.

This is not an endurance exercise to see how much you can do. It is about reorienting our lives so that we fix our gaze on Christ. So I ask you to pray. Pray fervently to God to grant you the strength to undertake these penances out of love for Him.

Choose a few penitential practices from the list that you can implement immediately and gradually add more during the course of the year. The goal is not to overwhelm yourself with a daily to-do list, but rather to spend time with the Lord.

Lent has given us a launch pad for 2024 to take small, concrete steps every day to grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Also, feel free to share any other fruit-bearing penitential practices that brought you closer to our Lord in the comment section below.

+ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. +