Mudita Sodder RSCJ of India shares a list of Lenten practices that will help her feel closer to God in this contemplative season.
Lent is springtime for the soul, a time of prayer, and an opportunity to tune in to God’s presence within me. To that end, I will fast and abstain on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and will abstain from meat on all Fridays of Lent. I will also take Daily Mass and Holy Communion, which are non-negotiable for me as a religious.
I have also decided to chart a course of simple Lenten practices to make it a more penitential season. You can try out a few, if you like.
- I will talk to Jesus in my own style, like I talk and converse with my close buddies and make these conversations frequent and enjoyable each day, occasionally with a cup of coffee and a special snack to celebrate this tête-à-tête with Jesus, to improve the quality of my relationship with Jesus each day.
- I will read one chapter of St. John’s Gospel, sometimes called “the spiritual Gospel”, daily. This is also the Gospel that has the dramatic encounters of Jesus with various individuals like Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the man born blind, Martha and Mary when Lazarus dies, and so forth.
- Inspired by the lifestyle of Pope Francis, I would like to follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi, which provides us with a good model of Christian life.
- I need more wonder and awe in the presence of Jesus. To make this a reality, I will spend more time appreciating all God’s creatures: human beings, especially the elderly and sick, as well as plants, birds, and animals.
- I will make a conscious effort to discover God in the smallest and most ordinary things by abandoning myself to God. This means finding contentment in the present moment by relishing and adoring God’s divine will in all things.
- Living in accordance with the Gospel is tough. To forgive 70 times 7…to turn the other cheek…to do good to those who hate you…these things do not come easily. I often struggle and falter. During Lent, I will try it on a small scale, i.e., the way I treat people I encounter, my willingness to “die” when a cutting remark is made and I want to stab back. I know these small thoughts will become real and when they are real, they will slowly become big.
- I will set aside one day of the week for silent prayer, simply experiencing God’s presence.
- I am a perfectionist by temperament, so I have also decided to take steps to self-love by being kind to myself, allowing myself to make mistakes, forgiving myself and others, not comparing myself with others, and looking for the positive in every situation.
Everything belongs to God and we have to return it cheerfully and with abundance, for we are made of dust and to dust we shall return.
A BLESSED LENTEN SEASON 2025
Mudita Menona Sodder RSCJ
Sophia College campus, Mumbai
Section |International News
Province |India
Our Spirituality |Celebrating the Seasons
