Lent 2026 A journey through Lent 2026 with Exodus 40 and Magnificat Ash Wednesday: 2/18/26 Lent One Day at a time for Catholic Teens  Read Matthew 6:1-21 and write a brief note to Jesus giving your plans for Lent. Try three things that match the three disciplines of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Jesus, I am planning to make a holy hour, giving my time more fully to You. I also plan to fast from sweets, sodas, and snacking, TV, and video games. I plan to pray and reflect each night about the day before and pray and reflect on the Rosary. These things I plan to do in communion with the friends you have given me, uniting our sacrifices to You. Magnificat Lenten Companion 2026 Why do we pray? To become closer to God. Then, to not spoil this, we must give our prayer to God and Him alone, not praying for the recognition of others. (Mt 6:21) Do as Jesus says and go to your upper room and pray. The Thursday After Ash Wednesday: 2/19/26 Lent one day at a time for Catholic teens Grow your Soul Write about a struggle you had to overcome. Ask yourself: how did I make it through? Who helped me along the way? One struggle I overcame was a couple of soccer lessons where I knew nobody and the coaches were extremely uninvolved, through Mahtomedi public schools. I was an Alien. I made it through the first few weeks by praying throughout and offering it up and the help and advice of my good friend Lucas helped me get through the first three or four lessons, but I was having a hard time still, being completely unused to that type of situation. After that, I stopped going, but only after lessons with trial and error which all proved to me, I shouldn't be here. But also, leaning into friends and prayer was super beneficial to me. Magnificat Reflection We need not run from our daily crosses, but embrace them. The embracing is what makes these crosses fruitful, giving us chances to grow closer to God. Magnificat Meditation One thing that struck me in today's meditation was what Elizabeth Leseur wrote: "[...] and end this sad spiritual isolation that weighs on me so much." This struck me because even when she was completely alone in her faith, God was there, and she reached out to Him for help. This example of faith even when alone is very profound to me, as I have experienced something like it. The Friday after Ash Wednesday: 2/20/26 Lent one day at a time for Catholic teens Grow your Soul One moment that I fell short of being the person I wanted to be was when I resolved I was going to quit bloxd and youtube, and I was not able to. One thing I learned from this though was that sometimes the best way to quit something is not to immediately stop, but slow down until you eventually stop. Going completely cold turkey makes the temptation to start again harder. The other thing I learned was that these things can be good when used well (Like any tool) and aren't inherently evil. Feel Ambitious? We talked about psalm 51 in our fraternity meeting (The general answer was about being nicer to siblings due to less distractions) Magnificat Lenten Reflection Why do we fast? We fast to strip away the fake so we may encounter the Real. The fake here would be the importance of our own feelings, like hunger, while the real is the true presence and appreciation of Jesus. Magnificat meditation Both our soul and body should pay homage to their creator, meaning that we shouldn't just fast or just pray, the goal is the communion of body and spirit raised to God. The Saturday after Ash Wednesday: 2/21/26 This week's wins (LODATFCT) Some ways I stayed true to my Lenten sacrifices and fasting was fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, taking cold showers, morning offering and the Examen, and no sweets or desserts. I set aside time for prayer when I assured I would have at least 30 minutes towards the end of the day for God, to pray and reflect. It felt truly satisfying to focus on talking to God but it also made me realize we need to listen as well. One time I served another was when I spent the time to help Sophia with her homework, and it felt great to help someone in this way. Magnificat Lenten Reflection Invitations can be declined, same with God's invitations for us, but what we need to remember is that because we choose doesn't mean we made the right choice. Magnificat Meditation In today's meditation St. Peter Damian mentions a great verse: 'This momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight beyond all comparison' (2 Cor 4:17) We seek the weighty and suffer lightly. Therefore, rejoice in your suffering, because you have come to know it will pass! But eternal glories shall never fade away!