Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	FEBRUARY 23	24	ASH WEDNESDAY	26	27	28
MARCH 1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	APRIL 1	2	3	4
PALM SUNDAY	6	7	8	HOLY THURSDAY	GOOD FRIDAY	EASTER VIGIL
EASTER

We get it… it’s all about chocolate, right?

Somehow, for countless people—both Catholic and non-Catholic—Lent has become known as the time of year in which Catholics give up chocolate. Why? Well, the truth is, nobody really seems to know for sure, but what we do know is that simply removing all cocoa-related products from our diet doesn’t necessarily deepen our spiritual life by itself.

That’s just one of the reasons why Busted Halo® decided to approach Lent from a completely different perspective this year. In fact, we’re so bored with the whole chocolate-abstinence routine that we’re actually giving chocolate away to our readers during Lent.

So, let’s get back to the basics…

Traditionally, Lent was intended as a time for personal conversion leading up to Easter during which Christians practiced the spiritual disciplines of Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving. The belief is that our consistent participation in these practices—like exercise we do for our physical health—is a form of purification that improves our spiritual well-being by stripping away all that is unnecessary and by becoming more mindful of our ultimate dependence on God in our lives.

But instead of chocolate, alcohol or tobacco, what if people thought of fasting, prayer and almsgiving in a broader context? What if those disciplines involved practices like reducing your dependence on electronic devices for twenty four hours (fast); contemplating the 1.6 billion people in the world who have no access to electricity for a few moments (pray); and spending the extra time you’ve saved on personal interaction with someone important to you (give)? Or what if people reduced their carbon footprint for a day by using less energy (fast); then reflected for two minutes on the magnificent gift our natural environment is (pray); and finally placed $1 in a bowl they’ve set aside to collect money to be given away to a favorite charity—perhaps one that plants trees—at the end of Lent (give).

These are just two examples of the dozens of exercises in our Fast, Pray, Give Calendar that will help readers enter into the traditional spiritual disciplines of the Lenten season every day in ways that are practical, doable and relevant to their daily lives. Each day, starting Monday February 23, our Fast, Pray, Give Calendar will feature a new quote or factoid related to Lenten history and practice as well as practical suggestions for how to carry out the ancient Lenten spiritual disciplines that day.

Failure is not an option…

Worried this Lent about once again not following through on what you’ve “given up”? Trust us, we’ve designed a Lenten plan that you can’t fail. Every day features a new set of Fast, Pray, Give suggestions, so if you slip up one day, don’t give up; simply pick up again the next day with a new Fast, Pray, Give. You can even share any struggles you might be having at our “Slip Support Station” on BustedHalo’s Facebook page.

The idea isn’t to be perfect but to continue on our path—despite our screw-ups—in a way that builds toward Easter Sunday. (We’ve even sprinkled in five “Spiritual Challenge Days” throughout that will increase in difficulty and gradually push you along.) Like any type of exercise, if this plan of action is followed with any sort of consistency there should be a cumulative effect — in this case, of a deepening spiritual awareness and renewal.

A little help…

Of course, everyone needs a little help or encouragement now and then, so in addition to our Facebook “Slip Support Station” we’ll be offering “Lent Incentives” each day beginning February 23. Every day we’ll give readers the chance to enter a random drawing to win a different “Lent Incentive,” including: a copy of The Green Bible; a tin can of Busted Halo M&M’s; the March issue of Magnificat with the Lenten Companion; a bag of Busted Halo Swedish Fish; and a copy of The Sacred Art of Fasting. Each entry will also make you eligible to win our “Ultimate Lent Incentive” that includes an Easter basket stocked with all of the above-mentioned prizes and a brand new iPod Nano, specially engraved for Busted Halo.

All you need to be eligible each day is to come back to our calendar, open that day’s link and follow the instructions on how to enter your name in the drawing. It’s easy, you can enter as often as you’d like (and up your chances of winning).