"Your Best Lent Ever! (2021 Edition)"

Volume XXV, Number 3 – February 15, 2021

Note: Adapted from the most popular CatholiCity Message ever written. This is the one to share with everyone.

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

Our only purpose is to help you begin your Lent well. And yes, this message includes our famous, scary, and comprehensive Ultimate Lent List. Plus: How to meet me in Georgia this week, "Famous Dying Words" Quotes, and, of course, our group prayer.

Before we get started, remember to order our free materials for Lent, including our new life-changing bestseller, The Warning, and our new Relic Prayer Medals touched to the True Cross and my first class relics:

Order Tools for Evangelization

You can also order up to ten free items by mail with free shipping, using this print-out order form.

Your Best Lent Ever!
Let us begin with...a conceit. Huh? A what? As some of us may recall from English class in the olden days, a conceit, according to the fourth definition of the third meaning of the noun in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is (drumroll please): "an organizing principle."

A Lent well-lived needs an organizing principle. May we suggest that your conceit for this Lent be:

Go for it!

Don't Waste Another Lent

We only have so many years on this earth, and to waste another Lent (you know who you are—I'm guilty, too), is just plain subpar for a believing Catholic. Challenge yourself spiritually in 2021.

Choose difficult mortifications. Give up your most favorite things. Fast more often than ever before. Commit to more prayer or daily Mass or praying the Stations of the Cross or Lenten devotions like never before.

Make Divine Mercy Atonement a big part of your daily routine:

Join the Divine Mercy Movement

Ignore Modernist Propaganda

By the way, all the lazy, ridiculous modernist propaganda to not give up anything for Lent in recent decades and instead "just be nice and help people" is lazy, ridiculous modernist propaganda designed to rationalize not doing anything for Lent. We all know it.

Mortification—prayer, fasting, sacrificial good works, giving up things we love—is a very positive way of walking with Jesus, who did these things, taught his apostles to do them, and gave up His very life by being beaten, whipped, tortured, and crucified!

Gaze upon His holy face.

More Catholic than a Pope

This is the only time of year when it is, in fact, a good idea to be more Catholic than a pope. So plan today, right now, to look back upon April 4th, 2021 (Easter Sunday) knowing that you did your very best to grow closer to Jesus and to help Him save souls. Do not squander another Lent!

"I Can't Give That Up!"

Some of you are motivated. Some of you are groaning. Others are nodding (hopefully in agreement, not off into sleep). Many stopped reading after the word "conceit."

And, now, for our famous Lent list (including many contributions from your fellow CatholiCity Citizens over the years). Our goal is to prompt you to exclaim: "Oh no, not that! I can't give that up!"

Yeah, we (and you) are looking for the perfect Oh-No-Not-That to give up because this year, our conceit is Go. For. It!

And remember, there is no prohibition from "doubling" up, or choosing three, five, or seven things for Your Best Lent Ever. We know that many of you have been intending to get off your duffs and do several of the following for years (and even decades—you know who you are).

Print it out. Highlight your choices. Share and discuss with family members or your best friend.

I can only offer this bold encouragement because I am weak, slothful, sinful, selfish, vain, lazy, prideful, ashamed, and cowardly. Here is the famous Ultimate Lent List, followed by helpful hints for children, something about death, and inspiring quotes.

The Ultimate Lent List

1. Pray the Rosary every day.
2. Receive Communion at Mass every day.
3. Go to Confession every Friday or once a week.
4. Pray the Family Rosary every day or once a week.
5. Pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday.
6. Pray in silence 15 minutes a day.
7. Make a Eucharistic visit every day.
8. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day.
9. Fast on bread (or potatoes) and water one to three times per week.
10. Read a spiritual book (Do my novels count? You decide).
11. Give a painfully large donation to charity. (Try adding an extra "zero" when you write the check.)
12. Donate to charity instead of buying something for yourself.
13. Pray "Jesus, I love you!" in the first waking seconds of the day.
14. Listen to Catholic CDs or stream Catholic talks during your commute.
15. Do something romantic or sacrificial to improve your marriage.
16. Volunteer anywhere: at your kid's school, homeless shelter, etc.
17. Visit a home for the elderly.
18. Read a Gospel or all four Gospels.
19. Memorize ten favorite Bible verses.
20. Join an Exodus 90 group.
21. Did we mention fasting one to three times a week?
22. Distribute Mary Foundation materials in nearby parishes.
23. Distribute The Warning.
24. Oh, why not? Pray in silence for an hour every day.
25. Set more time aside to be with your children or grandchildren.
26. Choose someone you have difficulty getting along with, or someone who needs extra love, and treat them daily or weekly with special kindness.
27. Give up something you absolutely love, crave, or spend time on, or that annoys others, including:

• lying
• your cellphone (or texting, shopping online, social media, etc.)
• television or your favorite television show
• television before a certain hour
• television after a certain hour
• eating while watching television
• coffee or tea (yes, coffee)
• coffee or tea you don't brew at home
• caffeine in any form
• diet soda (or soda)
• donuts
• hamburgers
• pizza (yes, pizza)
• spices, seasonings (even salt or pepper)
• chocolate
• anything with chocolate flavor
• all snacks or desserts
• going to movies or Netflix, Hulu, Redbox, etc.
• non-essential Internet
• March Madness
• following your favorite sports team
• video games
• slouching
• gambling (legal or otherwise)
• celebrity magazines
• golf (an objectively grave moral evil) (only kidding)
• booze (yes, booze)
• a destructive, irresistible "friendship"
• foul language
• picking your nose
• showing up late
• not grooming properly
• not flossing every day (yuck!)
• sports, music, or talk radio
• fantasy sports
• restaurants
• eating lunch outside of work
• driving when you could walk
• sleeping in late
• hitting the Snooze Button in the morning
• fast food drive-throughs
• not cooking breakfast for your kids
• shopping for clothes or food
• not stopping by your neighbors to say hello
• failing to visit or call your relatives
• soap operas
• the beach (for those of you lucky enough to have one nearby)
• the woods, lakes, or mountains (ditto)
• working on cars
• working in your shop
• chess, checkers, cards, board games
• fishing, hunting, four-wheeling
• skateboarding
• some of your "me" time doing any hobby
• your absolute favorite hobby (aha, you just fainted!)
• not reading
• reading (ha!)
• not exercising regularly (here's how to start)
• exercising (too much)
• nagging your husband (you know who you are)
• criticizing your wife (she knows who you are)
• interrupting others
• not smiling whenever you meet someone
• crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, sudoku
• knitting? (you addicts understand)
• those filthy, filthy cigarettes (this book actually makes it easy)
• half or a third of those cigarettes
• vaping
• cigars, gum, and "phony candy" breath mints
• not taking real breath mints
• cookies
• chips or pretzels (I skipped pretzels when I was a kid)
• cellphone calls in your car (more difficult than you think)
• podcasts (or listen only to religious podcasts)
• all non-necessary texting
• not eating your vegetables (even you adults)
• ice cream or cake
• your favorite dish
• fudging on your tax return
• gossiping at work—say something nice instead
• gossiping anywhere
• stealing "little stuff" from your employer, including time online
• relations with your spouse (on certain days or weeks)
• not having relations with your spouse (if it applies)
• thinking about yourself when you wake up or go to bed (pray instead)
• thinking about yourself when you drive (pray instead)
• talking when you could listen
• buying anything you don't really need
• not making your bed

Little Children

That should, ahem, get you started. We are also big advocates of little children giving up "screens": cell phones, video games, tablets, and television. Consider encouraging your little ones to abstain from meat on Friday and even to fast (under your supervision of course). Have them put 10% of their piggy bank into the collection basket. If Your Best Lent Ever includes corporal or spiritual works of mercy, bring them along.

Let's review our conceit: Go. For. It.

You Are Not Dead

May we mildly suggest that you are not dead. You are not a corpse. You are breathing. Put your index finger into your belly button. Dig.

That's lint. This is Lent.

And it is Lent 2021 and it shall never come again, and it shall never begin again, so that is why it's so crucial to have courage on Ash Wednesday. Lent is about two billion people around the world changing how they live for forty days.

In sum, because we are all connected by baptism through the Mystical Body of Christ, everything matters, and Your Best Lent Ever will help other souls around the world in ways only Our Lord can fathom.

Let Us Pray Together

Let us, tens of thousands together, begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Oh Jesus, sometimes You feel far away.
Sometimes You feel close enough to put your hand on my shoulder.
Show me how and give me the grace to give you everything this Lent.
Please help me to do my best,
and by leadership or by example,
to help my family and friends to do their best.
Because I love you and I want to love you more.
Teach me that your grace is the only wealth I need.

Please, dear Jesus, you healed so many people
during your time on earth and during the ensuing centuries,
through the intercession of your Immaculate mother,
all the saints,
all the angels,
all CatholiCity Citizens in heaven,
and all our relatives in heaven,
especially their angels,
please give me the courage to allow my Cross to carry me,
and to convert and heal me and everyone I love
in mind, body, and soul.
For the sake of your sorrowful passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Thank you.
Amen.

Lenten Quotations

"Fasting is better than prayer and almsgiving is better than both."
-Saint Clement I

"Study the generations long past and understand: has anyone hoped in the Lord and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken? Has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed? Compassionate and merciful is the Lord; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble, and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth."
-Sirach 2:5-11

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior!"
-Mary, the Mother of God

"I have done my part. May Christ teach you to do yours."
-Saint Francis of Assisi, final words on his deathbed

"Pondering the crucifix is a prayer."
-Joseph Wood

"My Lord has suffered as much for me."
-Savonarola, final words on his deathbed

"I have not behaved myself that I should be ashamed to live, nor am I afraid to die, because I have so good a master."
-Saint Ambrose, final words on his deathbed

"Jesus! Jesus!"
-Saint Joan of Arc, final words at her death

"Some demons can only be driven out through prayer and fasting."
-Jesus

Meet Me in Atlanta This Week!

I have been given the honor of speaking at 40 Days for Life kick-off vigils in the Atlanta area, so if you are within driving range, I would love to meet and pray with you. Here are the times and addresses:

Tuesday, February 16th
6:30 pm, outside Planned Parenthood
220 Cobb Pkwy N
Marietta, GA 30062

Ash Wednesday, February 17th
9:45 am, outside Feminist Women's Health Center
1924 Cliff Valley Way NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

3:00 pm, outside Carafem
1800 Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 30309

Visit here to participate in 40 Days for Life in your area, worldwide.

Part of the The Remnant?

Thank you for being a distinguished citizen of CatholiCity. I have always believed you are with us because Our Lady herself sent you to be part of her remnant during these current "birth pangs" of the coming tribulations before the era of peace she promised at Fatima.

Forevermore, remember that you are the ones in salvation history who pinned the Mantle of Mary over America.

Next time I write to you it shall be during Lent, amidst the fray, so to speak, of Your Best Lent Ever.

Meet me there, going for it. Take heart. Look up. Get up. Have courage.

With Christ Crucified,

Bud Macfarlane
Founder

Order Tools for Evangelization

Make a Sacrificial Lenten Gift