1. Fasting – The weekdays of Lent are fast days, meaning that the amount of food is reduced. A good (if modern) rule is no snacks, no seconds, no desserts, and no alcohol. If you don’t normally eat snacks or drink, you may consider giving up some favorite food. The idea is to undertake something sacrificial, yet not overwhelming. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are strict fast days: one full meal in the evening, a very light one in the afternoon and generally nothing before 3pm. Those who are ill, elderly, pregnant or nursing are excused from this discipline. (Page 17, 1979 B.C.P.)
2. Abstinence – Abstaining from flesh meat on Fridays (as required by the Prayer Book) is a common discipline for Lent. The Ancient custom is to abstain from flesh meat on Wednesdays as well as Fridays. Flesh meat includes all meat except fish. Going vegetarian these days is also an option. (Page 17, 1979 B.C.P.)
3. Holy Communion – Lent is a good time to add an additional service to your usual Sunday attendance.
4. Daily Office – If you do not now read Morning and/or Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book, Lent is a good time to begin doing so. If you can attended the morning office in the chapel at the parish, that would be ideal, but if not many people certainly pray this alone or with their families.  It takes some effort and discipline to get the habit established, but once accomplished, it can bear great fruit in your spiritual life. Each Office takes 10-15 minutes a day. Fr. Jeff is available for help in the mechanics of the rubrics and lectionary.  There are also many websites that can help you with this- just google “The Daily Office”
5. Spiritual Reading – An ancient custom is to take a spiritual book for regular reading during Lent. This can be a book on the Scriptures, or one of the spiritual classics. Many are available in the parish library or you may see Fr. Jeff for suggestions.
6. Confession – A sacramental confession, in private to a priest, is not only an opportunity for a thorough self-examination, but also a powerful weapon against the temptations which come our way in Lent. Fr. Jeff is available for this sacrament, as are other priests in the area. Although the Anglican Church does not require Sacramental Confession, it is recommended, and helpful.
7. Self-Denial – You may want to give up some special pleasure or recreation for Lent (tobacco, sweets, television, the evening ‘toddy’), and perhaps give what you would have spent on it to charity. This can be done in conjunction with other practices: if, for example, you give up an hour of TV every day, you might use it to read Evening Prayer and some Scripture.
8. Service – As well as “giving up” something in Lent, some wish to “take on” some special service, such as visiting a shut-in parishioner, volunteering at the hospital or a  nursing home, running errands for an elderly neighbor, or some special project at the church.
9. Scripture Reading – Delving into the Word of God is never out of season. Lent is a good time to establish (or re-establish) the discipline of a daily time of Scripture reading.
10. Educational Opportunities- Take the opportunity in Lent to join the Adult Education Class on Sundays at 9:30am.
11. Corporate Special Devotions – There are numerous opportunities for your spiritual growth throughout Lent. In addition to the Sunday morning Liturgies, on Sunday’s at 5:00pm the parish will gather at the Church for Stations of the Cross and Benediction.  And on Wednesday nights, we will gather for Evensong at 5:30pm followed by a soup supper.
12. Evangelism – Lent is a good time to renew ones commitment to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with friends and neighbors, and to invite them to worship with us here at Saint John’s, Laurel.

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