One Easy Way To Have A Transformative Lent

It’s almost inevitable. It's Lent. The classic question will be asked by family and friends: what are you giving up this year? While this question is so good and true for the liturgical season (fasting being a core element of Lent), I can’t help but wonder, how is our soul being filled up? When we let go of something through fasting, we do have greater room and capacity for God. However, we are often left in-need of direction and guidance about how to invite God in more fully and experience His presence in a deeper way. So while fasting is good, I believe we need to accompany it with prayer. Which is incredibly difficult (or at least, I find it is!). This is why one easy way to have a transformative Lent is to get to know one of the saints. Seriously. That’s it. The saints are masters of penance, prayer, and, well, loving God perfectly. I have found that reading the lives and works of the saints has been beyond helpful and inspired me to deepen my prayer life.  

When I look back on the past few years and where God has led me, I can’t help but see a pattern. In my different seasons, God has introduced me to different saints to help provide clarity and guidance. This may sound strange, but it’s oddly true! From walking in the household library and randomly picking up a book, to hearing about a title in passing- each saint seems to have been placed in my life at the exact moment I needed it. Coincidence? I think not- but rather, God’s perfect and hidden designs: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9). 

I have received so much help and fruit from the lives of the Saints that I thought I would share three titles from my dear heavenly friends. Take a look below and see if there is something that stands out to you. Perhaps this is your personal invitation to get to know one of these saints!

Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska

Why I love It- This book is not for the faint of heart. It is written by a mystic and depicts with startling clarity divine realities (heaven, hell, purgatory). Reading the bolded words from Christ himself to Saint Faustina made it almost impossible to put the book down. I actually visited the chapel of the miraculous image of the Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina in Poland a few years earlier, and I believe it was a grace that I randomly picked up her work when I did. This book is easy to read (which was a highlight for me), but it is long in length. Through this book, you get to encounter St. Faustina’s intimate relationship with Jesus in a very vivid way.

Story of a Soul- St. Therese of Lisieux

Why I love It- For years I had heard about this saint and doctor of the church, and even heard about her “little way”, but it wasn’t until I was a young adult in university that I decided to pick it up and read it. It’s a masterpiece. The end left me in tears. Reading the account of St. Therese’s life allowed me to get to know her in a real way. She was the first saint that I befriended spiritually. Through her simple language, St. Therese reveals the depths of God’s love for us, and our calling to love Him in return, no matter our situation in life.

Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry: True Stories of Padre Pio- By Diane Allen (two volumes)

Why I am Loving It- I am still working through this one! This book contains short, digestible, first-hand accounts of the saint. The book details Padre Pio’s ability to bilocate (be in two places at once), read the hearts of people in confession, and heal countless people through his prayer. However, what I found most beautiful is Padre’s unshakable confidence in God and his desire to suffer for others. Reading about his  experience of living with the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) was deeply moving. This book too is a very easy read and a great choice for those who are busy, including us moms on the go!

I hope these recommendations are of help to you this Lenten season. I pray that your Lent is an experience of renewed encounter with Christ. 

Invitation to Prayer: Jesus, I ask for your Holy Spirit to guide me this Lenten season. If there is a saint that You desire I get to know, please make that known. Jesus, I trust in you! Amen.