From the Combox...

 

Justin said... 

Being a "Low Church" Protestant, I've never really practiced Lent. I did not realize that the average Catholic parishioner went to the extent of having planned out readings for Lent. If you don't mind sharing, what have you read in the past? Do you focus on classics like Augustine's Confessions...or do you read contemporary religious literature?

 Good question, Justin.  I really have no idea of what the "average" Catholic does for Lent, but my guess is most of them have something special picked out for Lent.

 

As for me, it varies year to year.  I think it was two years ago I re-did the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life which is the Ignatian retreat.  It's available in an easy-to-use format at Creighton University and is intended to done over a period of 34 weeks.  I had already done a year-long form of the retreat at Gonzaga University a number of years earlier and so I repeated the entire retreat in 40 days.  The Spiritual Exercises are wonderful for all Christians so you may want to take a gander. There is really nothing in  "Low Church" Protestantism that proscribes not observing some Lenten practices in anticipation of Easter and more and more Protestants are doing so. 

Last year I used Father Longenecker's book The Gargoyle Code, written in the style of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, as well as The Fulfillment of all Desire, by Ralph Martin.  

 

As I was typing this post my inspiration for this year hit.  I am now planning on re-reading  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and returning to The Fulfillment of all Desire.

Thanks for the question because it jogged my tiny little brain into picking something. 

Good idea from Abbey...

of Abbey's Road (not to be confused with Terry from Abbey Roads): Adjust Your Attitude

 

For the rest of today I'm skipping political outrage.  Lent is primarily about hope and nothing I've read the past few days gives me much hope.  Despair is a sin against the virtue of hope and so I'm headed to the library and then grabbing a fab cup of coffee at one of local grocery stores that has a cafe in order to replenish my "hope chest."  (OK - that hope chest thingy is really stupid, but I couldn't resist.)