OPERATION TRUE CROSS

The Ultimate Lent List

This comprehensive list was originally created in 2009 by the bestselling Catholic novelist, Bud Macfarlane, and includes many suggestions submitted by his readers. May you have your best Lent ever!

1. Pray the Rosary every day.
2. Join Operation True Cross to help God save America.
3. Receive Communion at Mass every day.
4. Go to Confession every Friday or once a week.
5. Pray the Family Rosary every day or once a week.
6. Pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday.
7. Pray in silence 15 minutes a day.
8. Make a Eucharistic visit every day.
9. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day.
10. Fast on bread (or potatoes) and water one to three times per week.
11. Read a spiritual book (Do my novels count? You decide).
12. Give a seriously large donation to charity. (Try adding an extra "zero" when you write the check.)
13. Donate to charity instead of buying something for yourself.
14. Pray "Jesus, I love you!" in the first waking seconds of the day.
15. Listen to Catholic talks during your commute.
16. Do something romantic or sacrificial to improve your marriage.
17. Volunteer anywhere: at your kid's school, homeless shelter, etc.
18. Visit a home for the elderly.
19. Read a Gospel or all four Gospels.
20. Memorize ten favorite Bible verses.
21. Join an Exodus 90 group.
22. Join a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil.
23. Did we mention fasting one to three times a week?
24. Distribute Mary Foundation materials in nearby parishes.
25. Distribute The Warning.
26. Oh, why not? Pray in silence for an hour every day.
27. Set more time aside to be with your children or grandchildren.
28. Choose someone you have difficulty getting along with, or someone who needs extra love, and treat them daily or weekly with special kindness.
29. Evangelize with Three Angelus Cards.
30. Pray the Daily Prayers to Save America.
31. Try Fr. Boughton's amazing 33 Days of Forgiveness spiritual exercise.
32. Text or call a different loved one every morning with a kind word.
33. Give someone a Purple Scapular to protect their home.
34. Give up something you absolutely love, crave, or spend time on, or that annoys others, including:

• lying
• your cellphone (or texting, shopping online, etc.)
• television or your favorite television show
• television before a certain hour
• television after a certain hour
• eating while watching television
• coffee or tea (yes, coffee)
• Starbuck's, Dunkin, etc.
• caffeine in any form
• diet soda (or soda)
• donuts
• hamburgers
• your favorite meat, fish, or fowl
• pizza (yes, pizza)
• chocolate
• anything with chocolate flavor
• all snacks or desserts
• going to movies or streaming movies
• non-essential Internet
• social media
• March Madness
• following your favorite sports team
• video games
• not wearing the Brown Scapular
• slouching
• gambling (legal or otherwise)
• celebrity magazines
• golf (an objectively grave moral evil...only kidding)
• booze (yes, booze)
• a destructive, irresistible "friendship"
• foul language
• crude language
• picking your nose
• losing your temper (difficult, but it can be done)
• showing up late
• not grooming properly
• not flossing daily (yuck!)
• sports, music, or talk radio
• fantasy sports
• restaurants
• your beard (or, grow one)
• eating lunch outside of work
• driving when you could walk
• sleeping in late
• hot showers
• hitting the Snooze Button
• fast food drive-throughs
• not cooking breakfast or dinner for your kids
• shopping for clothes or fun
• not stopping by your neighbors to say hello
• failing to visit or call your relatives
• soap operas
• the beach (for those of you lucky enough to have one nearby)
• the woods, lakes, or mountains (ditto)
• working on cars
• working in your shop
• chess, checkers, cards, board games
• fishing, hunting, four-wheeling
• skateboarding
• your "me" time
• your favorite hobby
• not reading
• reading (ha!)
• not exercising regularly (here's how to start)
• exercising (too much)
• nagging your husband (you know who you are)
• criticizing your wife (she knows who you are)
• not going on dates with your spouse
• not dressing respectfully (if it applies)
• being a slob
• not smiling whenever you meet someone
• crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, sudoku
• knitting? (you addicts understand)
• those filthy, filthy cigarettes (this book actually makes it easy)
• half or a third of those cigarettes
• cigars, chew, or other tobacco
• vaping (or other forms of nicotine)
• candy or gum
• "phony" breath mints (that are actually just candy)
• not taking real breath mints
• cookies, biscuits, energy bars
• chips, pretzels
• cellphone calls in your car (more difficult than you think)
• podcasts (or listen only to religious podcasts)
• all non-necessary texting
• not eating your vegetables (even you adults)
• the News (you're an addict, and it disturbs your inner peace, doesn't it?)
• littering
• ice cream
• donuts, cakes, or muffins
• your favorite dish
• fudging on your tax return
• gossiping at work (say something nice instead)
• gossiping anywhere
• stealing "little stuff" from your employer, including time online
• relations with your spouse (on certain days or weeks)
• not having relations with your spouse (if it applies)
• thinking about yourself when you wake up or go to bed (pray instead)
• thinking about yourself when you drive (pray instead)
• talking when you don't need to (you could listen)
• interrupting (and apologize when you do)
• buying anything you don't really need
• not making your bed
• being a selfish jerk all the time

No matter who you are, where you are, or when you are reading this, I will be mystically joining my fasting, prayer, and self-denials with yours because I'm fasting every day during Lent. Let us gaze upon Jesus on the Holy Cross...

With the Mother of God,

Bud Macfarlane
Founder

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