What Is Lent?
Lent is the 40-day season of preparation before Easter Sunday, beginning on Ash Wednesday. It commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before his public ministry (Matthew 4:1–11) and serves as an invitation for Christians to enter into a period of intentional repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
While Lent is most associated with Catholic and liturgical Protestant traditions, Christians across denominations have found the season to be a powerful anchor for spiritual growth. The discipline of intentional preparation amplifies the joy and meaning of Easter Sunday in ways that are difficult to achieve any other way.
How to Fast During Lent
Fasting during Lent traditionally involves giving something up — and the classical practice is fasting from meat on Fridays. But meaningful Lenten fasting can take many forms:
- Food fasting: Skip one meal per day and use that time for prayer
- Media fasting: Give up social media, streaming, or news for the season
- Activity fasting: Sacrifice a recreational activity and replace it with prayer or service
- Digital fasting: Reduce screen time to create space for silence and Scripture
The goal of fasting is not the deprivation itself but the spiritual space it creates. Every time you feel the absence of the thing you've given up, use that moment as a prompt to turn to God in prayer.
Devotional Practices for the 40 Days
Daily Scripture reading. Choose a structured reading plan that leads you through prophetic texts about the suffering and glory of Christ — Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, the Gospel Passion narratives. HolyJot's Lent devotional plans walk you through these texts day-by-day with guided reflection questions.
The Examen. A 10-minute evening prayer practice from Ignatian spirituality: review your day looking for moments of consolation (where did you feel close to God?) and desolation (where did you pull away?). Journal both. The Examen builds a habit of noticing God's presence in the ordinary.
The Lord's Prayer as lectio. Spend one week praying slowly through the Lord's Prayer, one phrase per day. Write your thoughts and prayers for each phrase in your journal. You'll emerge from the week with a richer understanding of what Jesus was teaching his disciples to ask for.
The Stations of the Cross. Walk through the 14 stations of Christ's passion, meditating on each moment between the Garden and the Resurrection. Many find this practice particularly moving in the final week of Lent.
Lent With Others
The Lenten season is more powerful when shared. Study the same Scripture plan with a small group. Share what God is revealing in your fasting. Pray for each other's disciplines. Group Bible study features in HolyJot make it easy to walk the 40 days with your community without adding logistical complexity.
Holy Week: The Summit of the Season
The final week of Lent is Holy Week — Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. This week is the spiritual summit the previous 40 days have been preparing you for. If you've been journaling through Lent, spend Holy Week re-reading your entries. What did God surface in your fasting? What did he say in your silence? What are you bringing to the cross on Friday, and what are you receiving at the empty tomb on Sunday?
Start Your Lent Devotional on HolyJot
HolyJot's guided Lent devotional plans walk you through the 40 days with daily Scripture, reflection prompts, and a journal to record what God is teaching you in the wilderness. Start Ash Wednesday prepared — or start wherever you are in the season.