The season of Lent has traditionally been set apart by the Christian community as a time of reflection, repentance and renewal.

The Lenten resource, Less is More, is one of the useful guide to help you to walk this Lenten journey. In week one, it encourages us to spend some time for solitude.

Less Noise/ More Listening

Multi-media. Multi-sensory. Multi-tasking. We are bombarded on a daily basis with sounds, sights and smells. As exciting and stimulating as life in the 21st century can be, it can also drain our soul’s resources.

The discipline of solitude is a purposeful retreating from all the stimuli of everyday life, withdrawing to a place of quiet and rest, if only for a few minutes at a time. Practicing this discipline may seem foreign to those who are accustomed to being perpetually connected via phone, email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But all this connection produces a great deal of noise in our minds and hearts- and it can dull our ability to hear God’s voice.

Imagine yourself sitting next to a loved one, saying nothing. These are times when no words need be spoken. It’s enough to be together. Nothing spoken. Yet, nothing left unsaid. That’s the discipline of solitude.

What can I do?

-Find a quiet time, maybe before others wake up or after they are asleep.

-Choose a place that is good for your soul and removed, as much as possible, from the noise of the world. Create a place in your home. If you love nature, go to a beautiful spot.

-Sit in quiet beginning with five minutes and increasing as you become more comfortable.

- Breathe deeply, focusing as you start, on each inward and outward breath.

- As thoughts come, imagine a little conveyor belt next to you. Place the thought on the conveyor belt and let it go away, knowing you can get back to it when finished.

- Some people find that focusing on a word (peace, love, etc) or an image allows them to bring their focus back when their minds wander. Whatever is helpful for you, do it.

- When finished, say something like, “Thank you God, for being present in my life.”

If you are interested to get a copy of Less is More, please visit https://www.renovare.org/giving/renovars-lenten-guide.