As many of you know, Lent officially begins on March 6 and ends on April 18. It is a time when people proclaim their spiritual faith, practice sanctification, fasting, and other different forms of penance. And for many devoted Catholics in the Philippines, this season will not be complete without doing their traditional penitential rituals and practices.
Among these practices are ‘self-inflicted’ penances like carrying a wooden cross while walking on the street barefooted, beating themselves with whips, and even crucifixion – symbolizing oneness with the Lord’s suffering.
However, you can now repent without physically harming yourself with these alternative ideas to penance.
Plan a Bible marathon
If you can binge-watch movies for six hours or more, we believe that you can also finish reading a number of chapters in the Bible this Holy Week. This helps every one of us to deeply understand God’s character because it is the only spiritual source for our questions about faith and religion.
You can also invite your friends, family, or other church members to join you. It all starts with deciding how much time you desire to read the Bible every day, be it 30 minutes or 1 hour. Then, continue on with this practice until you finish the entire book.
Take a social media break
Taking a break from social media is one of the best ways to reconnect with God. This could motivate you to do activities you really want to do aside from scrolling through your phone screens.
More importantly, staying off from social media will help you focus on your “spiritual cleaning” this Lenten season.
Stream less and pray more
Streaming your favorite movie and shows has probably become part of everyone’s normal routine. But this Holy Week, lessen your binge-watching and focus on having a prayer devotion alone or with your family. By simply spending more time in prayer, you can finally earn God’s favor.
Avoid temptations like pornography and gossiping, instead read more about Bible covenants
Let’s face it, most of the people nowadays tend to be addicted to pornography and gossip – both of which are considered sins. Instead, make this your chance to overcome any misdeed by reading Bible covenants and doctrines. This’ll help you to better understand forgiveness, repentance, and sanctification.
Memorize one bible verse every day and recite it every hour
Bible verse is a significant part of Christian life and this can be the easiest “penance” you can accomplish at this time. In order to do this, you may start on the scripture that relates to your personal life for easy memorization. You can also write in paper and include those verses when you pray. Hence, the best way to remember the Bible verse is to repeatedly speak, sing, and pray it.
