What are you doing…for Lent 2026?

When I was growing up, we used to start the Lenten Season in Tunapuna A.C. School by singing the famous Anglican hymn, “Forty days and forty nights”.  I remember being in Teacher Elsie’s class and singing lustily this hymn and looking forward to starting the Lenten season.  The 1^st and 3^rd verses stood out to me as follows:

Verse 1.         Forty days and forty nights 

Thou was fasting in the wild

            Forty days and forty nights

            Tempted and yet undefiled

Verse 3.         And if Satan, vexing sore

                      Flesh or spirit should assail

                      Thou, His vanquisher before

                      Grant we may not faint or fail

As I grew older, Lent was more than singing lovely hymns. For Christians, Lent is a 40-day period of repentance and the preparation for Easter, the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection. It is a time of deep spiritual reflection and self-denial. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. During Lent, we had to make a sacrifice of some kind and we had to go to Church Ash Wednesday to get the ashes marked on our foreheads.   For me, it was always about giving up meat for the entire Season.  For some practicing Christians, they would desist from eating meat on Fridays only.  Instead, they would eat fish.  In addition, we knew that the ecclesiastical furnishings had to be changed.  When I went to church last Sunday, First Sunday of Lent, I noticed that the reredos (screen behind the altar) as well as the other furnishings were all purple.  

When I was in my 20’s, I decided to make an even bigger sacrifice and give up chocolates in addition to the meat.  As the years went by, I decided to sacrifice even more by giving up meat for a period longer than 40 days.  My longest ‘no meat” period stretched from February to November of that year.  This year, I am denying myself of meat, chocolates and soft drinks!  That is a real sacrifice, especially Coca Cola!

Over the years, people have chosen to do several things during Lent. My good friend, Francilla, shared some interesting ideas and suggestions with me which I would like to pass on to you.  The list starts with the traditional things to give up and develops into “Creative or Fun Challenges”. So, if you haven’t thought about Lent as yet, (better late than never!)  please consider one of the following activities below. I call this list, “Lenten List for the 21^st Century!”

1) Classic things to give up

1. Sweets or desserts

2. Alcohol

3. Fast food or takeout

4. Soda or sugary drinks

5. Snacking between meals

6. Meat on more days than required

2) Modern Lifestyle Based Ideas (Give Up)

1. Doomscrolling or excessive social media

2. Online shopping “just to browse”

3. Complaining or negative self talk

4. Impulse spending

5. Screen time after a certain hour

3)“Add something” instead of Giving up Something

1. Daily gratitude journaling

2. A short morning reflection

3. A short evening reflection

4. Acts of kindness

5. Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while

6. Volunteering or donating 

4) Well-being and Mindset challenges

1. A daily walk or stretch routine

2. Reading instead of scrolling

3. A weekly digital Sabbath

4. Decluttering one small area each day

5) Creative or Fun Challenges

1. Give up multitasking and practice doing one thing at a time

2. Give up the background noise and embrace silence

3. Give up rushing – build in buffer time

4. Give up perfectionism in one area of life