Lenten Hospitality Ideas for Couples
/CARISSA PLUTA
The upcoming liturgical season of Lent invites the faithful to pursue holiness with a greater intention.
PHOTOGRAPHY: HER WITNESS PHOTOGRAPHY
The Church suggests committing to acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and within those areas, there are many ways you and your spouse can intentionally enter into this season together.
If you and your spouse are looking for a unique way to observe the Lenten Season, you might consider cultivating the virtue of hospitality in your homes in a special way over the next forty days.
Share a meatless meal
Sharing a meal with another person is one of the more obvious ways to practice hospitality. However, with fasting and abstinence in the mix, sharing a meal during Lent may seem like fruitless endeavor.
True hospitality doesn’t require an extravagant meal, and even the simplest dish can make others feel loved and honored.
Invite some friends to join you for pizza, fish, soup, or another simple meatless dish on a Friday.
Start a Lenten Book Study
Prayer is a necessary part of a fruitful Lent and many people opt to include some spiritual reading into their daily routine.
If you want to dive into a spiritual book during this Lenten season, consider starting a Lenten Book Study.
You and your spouse can invite some friends or other members from the parish to join you in reading and discussing the book. You might even consider opening your home to host the meetings to give the others a cozy space to learn and grow.
Get to know your parish’s catchehumans
Your parish may have several new people (and families) who are preparing to enter the Church at this year’s Easter Vigil.
Catchehumans might not know too many other parishioners other than the people they see at RCIA and this can make it difficult for them to feel like they are truly a part of the parish community.
Make a point to introduce yourselves and to make them feel welcomed in the Church. Invite them out for coffee or over to your home for that meatless meal. You may even want to invite other parishioners to join you so they can also get acquainted with these soon-to-be Catholics.
Give up your phone
Phones can make practicing true hospitality very difficult. Notifications from text messages and social media often prevent us from giving others our full attention.
Obviously, we can’t just give up our phones for all forty days but consider sacrificing your phone when you are spending time with other people, including your spouse.
Keep it in your bag or pocket when you’re grabbing coffee, or keep it in another room during dinner. Rid yourselves of distractions and allow yourselves to be fully present with the people you are with.
