Lent: a time for growth in virtue and self-mastery

Each year in Lent, we give up things like soda, coffee, social media, and television. Sometimes, we even add things like times of prayer, serving the poor, spiritual reading, and going to Mass more often. All of this is added to the fasting that the Church requires on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and Friday abstinence from meat throughout the 40 days.

But we might wonder, why are we sacrificing?

Many reasons, among them is we mirror Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and being tempted in the desert. We sacrifice to be united to Jesus’ suffering and death on Good Friday. Our Lenten promises are also a way to enter the “apprenticeship of self-mastery.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church uses the phrase apprenticeship in self-mastery when it teaches about growing in chastity (2395). It also refers to self-mastery when it talks about growing in human virtues, stating they “make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life,” and that “moral virtues are acquired by human effort” (1804). 

Thus, the effort we put forth via our Lenten practices serves the purpose of helping us grow in virtue. As with most things, the amount of human effort put forth directly correlates to the amount of growth in virtue achieved.

When contemplating this year’s Lenten plans, it is worth some deeper thought about our weakest virtues and ways we might put in some serious effort to grow in them. 

These ideas may help you grow in specific virtues:

Faith: Supernatural gift of belief in the unseen God.

Pray more. However much you pray currently, add to that. Ideas: Rosary, prayerfully read Scripture, maybe the daily readings; attend Mass more than usual; go to confession at least once; pray a Humility or Sacred Heart of Jesus litany, or any of the many others to choose from. 

Hope: Wait for the goodness of God in the land of the living and anticipate heaven.

Pray the Litany of Trust, the Prayer of Abandonment, the Jesus Prayer, or the Act of Faith and Act of Hope. Also, take time to just daydream about heaven, the ultimate object of our hope. Maybe even ask for the intercession of the saints or your loved ones who have gone before you.

Charity: Will the good of the other.

Pray the Act of Love; read 1 Corinthians 13 and replace ‘Love’ with your name, then replace it with the name of Jesus; find ways to put your love into action by serving others.

Prudence: The wisdom to make the right choices in life.

Do a daily Examen Prayer; reflect deeply before making a decision; start a decision journal to keep track of your decisions and how they went. If you are an over-thinker, practice making snap decisions on smaller things. Work to develop your conscience while reading the Catechism, starting at paragraph 1776 (or Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism in a Year, starting at episode 238).

Justice: Give what is due to God and to others by choosing what is right.

Look up and study Catholic Social Teaching principles; review times you were dishonest and work to repair the damage; take stock of your life and be sure things are in proper order: God first, family, work, neighbor.

Fortitude: Moral courage.

Calm your frustration when you are in traffic or in a long line; practice patience and just be content. Avoid the temptation to be mediocre — aim for greatness in how we treat our family and friends, in the quality of our work, in our participation at Mass.

Temperance: The virtue of self-control and moderation.

This is the virtue we usually work on in Lent when we give up certain foods and drink. But maybe this year, add language, negative attitudes, gossip, complaining, and other internal passions that can get out of control.

If we can work on even one of these virtues, our apprenticeship of self-mastery might just progress to journeyman someday; and with time and dedication, someday we might be masters of our passions.

Jeff Hedglen has been working in youth, campus, and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Fort Worth since 1986. He is currently the Director of Campus Ministry for the University Catholic Community at the University of Texas at Arlington. Find his regular columns for the North Texas Catholic here.