Lent in Time of COVID-19: How to Spend Meaningful Holy Week on Quarantine

Are you wondering how you can spend a meaningful Holy Week during this time of pandemic?

Over the years, most Filipinos observe Holy Week through various outdoor activities such as visiting a church, going to prayer mountains, or enjoying a relaxing vacation with loved ones. However, doing such things may seem out of the question now, as most are on quarantine to stay safe from COVID-19. 

Worry not, here are some ways to make your Lenten season still meaningful even when you’re stuck inside your household: 

1. Spend time with God.

The world needs your prayers, now more than ever.

Whether as an individual or as a family, this quarantine provides an opportunity to spend more time with God. Close that door, open the Bible and meditate on God’s Word.

Ask, “What is this crisis telling me? How can this pandemic lead me closer to God?”

Apart from praying for protection, provision, and healing of this nation, may your prayer times be aHannah Goodwyn puts it in her CBN article entitled Lent: What Is It Good For? The days of Lent are a time of meditation, fasting and repentance, and a time to wage war against desires that may be contrary to God’s Word. 

2. Spend time with family.

Spending quality time with your family is one of the many things you can do during the quarantine.

You may gather and watch shows that foster good family values, help find your identity in Christ, and help you strengthen your faith and believe in miracles again. You may also dig into child-friendly resources online so the youngsters can enjoy them, too! 

Now that everybody’s at home, it could be a perfect time for expressing love, restoring relationships, and creating meaningful conversations with your family members.

Extend help.

Aside from taking care of the family, God also calls His people to show compassion to their neighborsBut, how can you perform acts of charity in a time of social distancing? 

Good news! You can help protect the frontliners and help families who are severely affected by COVID-19 by donating to organizations, like Operation Blessing, which distributes much-needed protective gear and food packs to hospitals and communities. Also, avoiding hoarding suppliecould help lessen the plight of others. 

As the saying goes, every crisis is an opportunity. Being on a quarantine this Holy Week could be a good opportunity to spend time with God, spend time with your family, and extend help to your kababayans in need. May you have a safe and meaningful Holy Week. 

Do you need prayers and encouragementSend your prayer requests to CBN Asia Prayer Center or call 8-737-0700. We would love to pray for you!

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Lent: What Is It Good For?

CBN.com – The days of Lent are a time of meditation, fasting, and repentance. With the mercy of God shown through Christ’s sacrifice in full view, observers wage war against desires that may be contrary to God’s Word.

For 40 days and nights (not counting Sundays), Christians around the world take on a mantle of spiritual discipline as a way of deepening their faith in God. Observing Lent looks different for every believer, though fasting is usually a major factor. Some choose to fast in the traditional way, giving up a meal or certain types of foods. Others, after evaluating their lifestyle, determine to give up luxuries in order to focus more on their walk with our Heavenly Father, such as turning off the television or radio for Lent or cutting back on their sleep to devote the early morning hours to prayer and Scripture reading.

The options are endless. The important thing is to be obedient to the moving of the Holy Spirit and follow through on exercising self-control in the area God is touching His finger on in your life. Whatever you decide to give up make sure you are in line with what the Bible says about fasting. In the book of Matthew, we are encouraged to fast in “secret”.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18

Be careful that your motivation for fasting, and observing Lent for that matter, is to honor God and not to stoke your self-righteousness.

Just as the Son of Man resisted sin in the wilderness, purpose in your heart to remain steadfast during this time of consecration to God. Temptations come each day and will continue through this season, as it did during Christ’s wilderness testing, as recorded in the New Testament book of Mark.

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the Good News.” Mark 1:12-15

The Bible records many times when Jesus went away by himself and focused his attention on His Father, in Heaven. Lent is a set-aside time for us to do the same. As we fast and meditate on God’s Word, take hold of Joel 2.

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Joel 2:12-13

Fasting is an integral part of observing Lent. For us, our self-pleasing nature will wage against our desire to deny ourselves. Stay strong to the calling you have in this season. God’s blessings are greater than the momentary pleasures we are giving up.

Mourning is part of the process as we remember Jesus’ death on the Cross, but it’s also a joyous time as we reflect on His resurrection. Our joy is found in Him. Let that be the lesson we all learn during this time of consecration.

Lent, what is it good for? Absolutely everything… that matters.

God’s goodness is better than what our human minds and hearts could ever imagine. | by Hannah Goodwyn, CBN.com Senior Producer

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