Ash Wednesday has arrived already. If the period of fasting before Easter has snuck up on you, let me propose to you 40 pro-life Lenten sacrifice ideas to consider doing.
The Catholic Church encourages a long period of prayer and fasting in preparation of the celebration of Easter. This is a tremendously graced-filled time of the year to evaluate our spiritual lives.
The Church urges us to cut out hindrances to our walk with Christ. In their place we should replace them with acts of prayer, penance, and almsgiving to increase our charity and virtue.
Matthew 17:21 records Jesus saying some demons can be driven out only by prayer AND fasting. No doubt the devil and his minions have a grip on our society. Beyond abortion, the Culture of Death extends to contraception use, IVF usage, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, pornography, etc.
I firmly believe, unless we pro-life people are willing to practice penance in reparation for the sins of the Culture of Death, the tide will never be turned.
Today let me challenge you to pick a few of these pro-life Lenten sacrifice ideas to put into practice starting today.
1. Take the Stairs. Skip the elevator. On top of getting more exercise, you’ll have more to “offer up.”
2. Put No Sugar in Your Morning Joe. I know that’s a tough one. But wouldn’t you rather a baby be spared?
3. Drive in the Slow Lane. Not only will you have the chance to grow in the virtue of patience, but you’ll have more time to pray during your commute.
4. Take a Shower at the Wrong Temperature Offer up the inconvenience for a mother contemplating abortion.
5. Put a Pebble in Your Shoe. Every painful step could be a chance for prayer for the conversion of your local abortionist.
6. Skip Your Favorite Condiment. Go without ketchup on your fries or mayo on your burger. Tell God you would rather He accept that as reparation for the sins of pornography.
7. Wait Awhile Before Turning on Heat During Your Commute to Work. Again, another opportunity to offer a prayerful, pro-life intention instead.
8. Let Someone Else Claim the Last Piece of Food at Your Work Breakfast Buffet. You can go without that extra donut. Ask for the conversion of any friends caught in a promiscuous lifestyle.
9. Salt a Bite of Food Too Much. It won’t kill you. And you’ll have a sacrifice to offer God.
10. Add a Seasoning to Your Potatoes You Don’t Particularly Like. A few bites of lemon pepper might be a good occasion to ask for forgiveness of someone’s sins, including your own.
11. When Out to Eat, Order Your Second Choice. A small sacrifice like this might be enough to get your relative to get counseling, instead of filing for divorce. Only God knows.
12. Go with Meatless Meals on Fridays. This is already a Catholic tradition for Lent, but you could adopt it year-round.
13. Practice Abstinence on More Days Than Just Fridays. Try going meatless for Tuesdays too.
14. Eat More Veggies, if You Dislike Those. Your mom told you to do so, anyway. See? You can practice obedience too!
15. Likewise, Eat More Fruit if You Rarely Do That. Not only will you eat healthy food by doing so, but your cousin’s
16. Similarly, Eat More Fish. If you’re not a big fan of fish, and eat pretty much only on Fridays during Lent, this is for you.
17. Eat a Few Fish Sticks with the Kids. I just heard you groan! You have to agree, doing that should cause a man to rethinking pressuring his girlfriend into an abortion, right?
18. Practice a True Lenten Fast Every Friday During Lent. A fast is officially defined as one regular meal, plus two smaller meals that together don’t add up to one regular meal. Meat is allowed just once per day.
19. Skip ice cream until abortion is outlawed. Go big, or go home, right?
20. Avoid desserts all together. It is a time to get out of your comfort zone and get serious in prayer.
21. Beyond Food Consumption, Skip Your Favorite TV Show. Do you want abortion to end, or do you want to see another episode of The Bachelor?
22. Shovel Your Neighbor’s Driveway. You’ll grow in charity. And maybe she’ll stop letting her boyfriend spend the night there.
23. Pump Some People’s Gas for an Hour in the Cold. Let them stay in their cars to stay warm. Pray for anyone you see with an Obama bumper sticker.
24. Put Away the Dishes at Home, When It’s Not Your Turn. Not only will you grow in charity, but you will have something to offer to God for a pro-life intention.
25. Buy Your Porn-Addicted Spouse Accountability Software. You’re being cheated on, and this is a way you can try to help him (or her) to stop.
26. Write a Love Letter to Your Spouse, if That’s Not Your Type of Thing. Nothing wrong with injecting a little romance and intrigue into your marriage.
27. Take the Kids Away for a Few Hours, So Your Spouse Can Relax. This could be a good stress reliever for your spouse, and a way to show appreciation for your marriage.
28. Shut Off Social Media. You waste too much time on it anyway. Spend some of that time reading Scripture or praying to end abortion.
29. Turn Your Thermostat Down for a Few Hours. Put on a sweater, and “offer up” your discomfort. Some girl might be pacing her house, contemplating a visit to Planned Parenthood. You could offer your discomfort to the Lord on her behalf.
30. Give Up Soda Drinks. Not only will your teeth thank you but so might your brother someday. You could pray for him to end his adulterous affair every time you crave more Pepsi.
I firmly believe, unless we pro-life people are willing to practice penance in reparation for the sins of the Culture of Death, the tide will never be turned.
31. Don’t Wear a Coat Outside. Please don’t think I am advocating you getting hypothermia. I just think if you’re willing to be discomforted, then you just earned an opportunity to pray for the end of contraception use.
32. If You Normally Order an Expresso, Pick a Latte Instead. By doing so, an abortion worker in your town might quit work that day, assuming you prayed for her.
33. Eat a Can of Vegetables You’ve Had Hidden Away. The expiration date says they’re good for another six months, but why wait? You may not like their taste, but that’s the point!
34. Eat a Bite of Dry Toast Each Morning. Going without butter or jelly on it is not the end of the world. Your prayer that day might mean a baby survives to his birthday, who would have not otherwise.
35. Don’t Wear Makeup. If you have the ability, ladies, maybe skip the lipstick and mascara. Offer yourself in a simplified look and pray for men who are attracted to you for all the wrong reasons.
36. Wear Less-Revealing Clothes. Not to single out the women, but Lent is a time to reprioritize things. Are you trying to attract men by means of revealing tops or skirts that don’t go past the knees? What kind of man are you hoping to catch anyway?
37. Bombard That Rude Co-Worker with Kindness for Lent. You find her hard to get along with. Everyone does. Love on her anyway each day you see her. Her hard lifestyle could be eased by your kindheartedness.
38. Do a Random Act of Kindness for a Stranger. When they stop to thank you, ask them to pray to end abortion.
39. Speak Out Against Pornography, Abortion, Etc., When You Normally Would Be Too Non-Confrontational. You have heard the talk around the water cooler at work. It’s time to let people know where you stand and to not participate in their worthless conversations on such topics.
40. Boycott an Organization You Know Supports the Homosexual Agenda and/or Planned Parenthood. And when you go without your Big Mac or your Starbucks Frappuccino, write a letter to them. That way they know they just lost a loyal customer.
THESE NEED NOT END AT EASTER
I must remind you, you are not obligated to end any of these fasts when Easter comes. You could make them a year-round, or life-long sacrifice. As well, once Lent is over, you could swap out your Lenten penances for a couple others on this list.
You could make each month of the calendar its own penitential season. For Lent you’ll pray for the mothers contemplating abortion. For the month of April you’ll pray for the end to the scourge of pornography. For the entire month of May, your pro-life prayer intention will be for all teenagers you know by name to practice chastity. You get the idea.
YOUR TURN
So, what do you think of these 40 pro-life Lenten sacrifice ideas?
Which of these will you accept my challenge on?
And do you have more ideas to suggest?
Let us hear from you!
