Prayer: perhaps we can think of one way of adding to our prayer life this lent: grace before/after meals; morning / evening prayer; the rosary; coming to an extra Mass during the week; praying the stations of the cross; using the Pray as You Go download ten minutes a day prayer (www.pray-as-you-go.org/); or even try and say one Our Father a day for someone you don't like or find it hard to forgive. Just a few suggestions. Don't make it something impossible to maintain. Instead make it something simple that then becomes part of your routine.

Fasting: perhaps we can think of giving something up that we enjoy that reminds us of our hunger and thirst for God and that they key to life is sacrifice in which we follow the example of Jesus himself. It may be a favourite food or drink; it may be a luxury food or drink; it may be giving up something that isn't doing us any good. Again make it something achievable and sustainable for forty days and help it make us recognize that we need to rely on God and not be fed up if we fail but instead try again!

Almsgiving: save all your bits of change and let someone else benefit from it! We will be having a nominated charity for the parish and this year it is an orphanage in India. Another things to do might be to tithe (give a tenth) of some money that you were going to use on treating yourself. Again make it something that is achievable and helps us remember that all the resources that we have come from God and that we are called to share them.