Getting Ready for Lent – What Could You Give Up For Haiti

It is hard to believe that we are already into February and that Lent is just around the corner – it begins with Ash Wednesday on February 17th.

Last year I posted a number of resources for Lent which I have linked to again at the end of this post, but for this year we want to focus on the suffering in Haiti and how we can during Lent give up something that will free up resources that could be used in Haiti.

In MSA we are planning to participate in the $2 challenge – restricting our food budget to $2/person per day for a week.  The money we save will be sent to an organization that works in Haiti.  the people of Haiti continue to suffer so much and we can all do something to help.

The question is – will you join us? We would love to see a wave of people around the world participating in this challenge.  If you are not sure how to do this I recommend that you download  the MSA Lenten guide – A Journey Into Wholeness which not only provides instructions but also provides a menu plan and recipes for the week.

If you do decide to accept this challenge we want to hear from you.

Sign up by leaving a comment, on facebook or by emailing me.  During Lent let us know how the challenge is shaping up.  Then at the end of Lent let us know how much you saved and what you plan to do with it.

This challenge works better in the company of friends who can support, encourage & participate with us.  It is also easier if you cook together for the week – each person taking responsibility for one evening meal.  So recruit your friends and join the $2 challenge with us.

For me this kind of observance is a profound and moving spiritual practice.  It not only draws us into the suffering of our world but also challenges us to look at our own lifestyles and how we can all continue to free up more of God’s resources so that we can be God’s compassionate response in times on need.

If you want something less challenging to do this Lent here are some resources to consider

Lots of Lent Resources

Reflections on Lent – A Meditation Video

Ash Wednesday Reflections

And here is a wonderful prayer from St. Thomas Aquinas posted by Karen B at Lent and Beyond that you might have missed last year

‘Almighty and everlasting God, you see that I am coming to the sacrament of your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come to it as a sick man to the life-giving healer, as one impure to the fount of mercy, as one blind to the light of eternal brightness, as one who is poor and destitute to the Master of heaven and earth. I turn therefore to the abundance of your immense generosity, begging that you will deign to heal my infirmity, cleanse my uncleanness, give light to my blindness, enrich my poverty, clothe my nakedness.’