Resurrection joy achieved through practice

Lent begins a journey for many Christians. Its message: Slow down and refocus on who you are, what you're doing and where you're heading.
That message has taken on new meaning for me. My mother died late last month. She was 93. She was a woman of faith who cared about her family and others.
Her death, on the day before Ash Wednesday, drove home in a deeper way the significance of Lent: We are born to die. Lent underscores the unavoidable truth about life: "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return."
There is no shortcut to resurrection joy.
To help us on the journey, I asked readers to share their Lenten spiritual practices. Perhaps some of their ideas will spur you to think of Lent -- or your own faith tradition's spiritual practices -- in a new way as you move from life to death.
Emphasis on addition
"A lot of folks give things up for Lent. We decided rather than deletion or subtraction, we'd emphasize addition."
Eighty students at Friends University in Wichita, Kan., are participating in a program called the Pocket Lent Experiment.
The students are divided into teams of four. Each team reads the entire Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:27), and then one member of each team memorizes one-fourth of the sermon.
In addition, 30 students are reading and memorizing the sermon on their own.
"As Christians, Jesus should be the smartest guy you know. And the Sermon on the Mount is his main teaching." -- Patrick Sehl, director of campus ministries, Friends University
Deep awareness
"My friends, Dottie and Mardella, read the same book every year, 'The Season of the Spirit' by Martin Smith. The writings bring deep awareness of who we are and invite us to experience and trust the compassion and grace of God."
-- Marilyn Norman, Holland, Mich.
Practices meditation
"I consider myself a Christian Buddhist. I practice meditation daily (sitting and walking) and read anything I can get my hands on regarding Buddhism. Our sangha practices following the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh."
-- Bill Papineau, Wichita, Kan.
Bible reading
"I read the Bible through every year. First thing in the morning, I set aside time (five to 15 minutes) to read. Then I spend time meditating on what I've read and then pray.
"If you read three-and-a-half chapters a day, you can get through the Bible. There are many read-through-the-Bible programs, but I devise my own. This year it's four chapters in the Old Testament and one in the New. That gets me through early, and I have time at the end of the year to do more research/study on topics that catch my attention throughout the year." -- Heather Ewald, Redmond, Wash.
'The Gospel of John'
"A few years ago, when 'The Gospel of John' movie came out, we really enjoyed it and watched the DVD. I would like to try to watch that again -- perhaps 30 minutes per day, every day during Holy Week. I'll watch it with my husband, Larry, and sons Joshua and David." -- Heidi Whitman, Wichita, Kan.
Spiritual training
"We treat Lent with the same dedication as a sports season. It's what inspires the kids to participate in it."
"Eighty-five students at Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita, Kan., who commit to the God Squad agree to meet at 6:45 a.m. Monday through Friday for prayer and a Mass or Scripture meditation. All three are offered from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
"Using a sports analogy, the students who agree to participate 80 percent of the time are on the "varsity"; "junior varsity" members participate as much as they're able. A third group meets after school for evening prayer. "We take this attitude of athletic training and put it to spiritual training.
"Varsity members who complete the "training" receive a Benedictine cross. "The spiritual goal of God Squad is to be 'crucified,' as St. Paul says.
"The practical goal of the God Squad is to fully participate in the traditions and practices of Lent in preparation of an intense celebration of the Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) and Easter Week." -- Father Jarrod Lies, chaplain at Bishop Carroll High School
"To effectively aid spiritual growth, I believe that a Lenten spiritual discipline needs to be two-fold. We need to 'give up' and 'take on.' If something is taken away, something else must fill its place; otherwise we have only created a vacuum.
"For the hour given up in any of the areas above, I have taken on an extra daily hour of prayer and Bible reading. My hope is that by Easter, this spiritual discipline will become an established life habit." -- Naomi Ard, Maize, Kan.
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