DAVILA: The joys of Lent

Photo by James Ramos/HeraldFor many, Lent can feel heavy. It is often reduced to giving up something, not eating meat on Fridays and finding new ways to pray. But Lent is not meant to be gloomy. It is meant to be freeing. It is a season of renewal. And when lived intentionally, it becomes a season of deep and lasting joy.

We have a responsibility during Lent to accompany young people. Teens are watching how we live our faith. They are learning, not only from what we say, but from how we pray, sacrifice, forgive and begin again. When we live Lent with peace and hope, we show them that following Christ is not a burden.

Here are four opportunities to live Lent joyfully as a family:

1. Reframe sacrifice as making space
Instead of presenting Lenten sacrifices as punishments, talk about them as ways of making space for God. If your family chooses to fast from something (sweets, screens or unnecessary spending), connect it to a greater purpose. What are we making room for? More conversation? More prayer? More generosity? Teens respond when they see meaning behind the practice. Sacrifice becomes joyful when it leads to freedom.

2. Pray together in simple, consistent ways
Lent does not require elaborate devotions. A decade of the Rosary in the car, reading the daily Gospel before dinner and even attending Stations of the Cross once during the season. Consistency and authenticity matter more than complexity. Teens find comfort in rhythm. When prayer becomes woven into family life, Lent feels less like an obligation and more like a shared journey.

3. Practice visible mercy
Lent is about turning outward. Consider choosing a family service project. Possibly volunteering at a food pantry, visiting an elderly neighbor, writing notes of encouragement or setting aside money saved from fasting for a charitable cause. Invite teens into the decision-making process. Joy grows when we move beyond ourselves. Service shifts Lent from self-focus to love.

4. Celebrate small victories and new beginnings
Go to confession as a family during Lent and talk afterward. You do not need to go into all the details, but seek a deeper conversation about gratitude and emphasize the beauty of mercy. When teens understand that repentance leads to freedom, they begin to see Lent differently. Celebrate progress and notice the beauty of their growth. Lent is not about perfection; it is about returning to the Father.

Lent ultimately prepares us for Easter joy, but that joy does not suddenly appear on Easter morning. It is cultivated day by day in quiet prayer, intentional sacrifice, acts of mercy and humble repentance.

As adults, we set the tone. If we approach Lent with dread, our teens will too. If we approach it with hope, seeing it as a season of growth, healing and renewal, they will begin to recognize its beauty.

The desert of Lent is not barren. It is where families can grow stronger, where hearts soften and where Christ meets us with transforming love, and that is something worth walking toward together.

Amy Ann Davila is an associate director of the Office of Adolescent Catechesis & Evangelization.