In our commitment to prayer this Lenten season, we invite you to join as we post reflections leading up to Easter.
Fairfield Prep Lenten Reflections
Reflection is an important aspect of the spiritual life of the Fairfield Prep Community. We gather in communal reflection during the weekly Examen prayer, during the Liturgical celebration of the Mass, through retreats and on a weekly basis in the classroom.
Lent — a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we approach the Easter season — is also a time to reflect on the gifts God gives us and how we can continue to live out Christ's mission in our lives.
During the 2023 Lenten season, members of the Fairfield Prep Community including faculty, administrators, staff and students provided reflections on each of the daily readings. This was an effort to highlight individual voices and to connect the lives of the Prep community with scripture.
Please enjoy the past reflections below.
Full Lenten Reflection Calendar
Feb. 22 (Ash Wednesday)
Feb. 23
When was the last time you really examined how well you live according to the Ten Commandments?
Feb. 24
We sometimes need to be reminded that we are intentionally making our Lenten sacrifices to enhance our personal relationship with God.
Feb. 25
Through our giving, we become better and we grow closer to God, and we make this world a better place.
Feb. 26
Today's readings remind us of how fearfully and wondrously we are made.
Feb. 27
The Christian community in the necessity of one another: We’re better together than we are apart.
Feb. 28
God describes how when the heavens water the earth to make it fertile, God has given His word to humans to nurture and grow their own prayer lives
March 1
God does not ask for much from us, he asks us for our faith in Him and to not be fooled by false information.
March 2
We can find God in our desires because God is the ultimate end of our human desire.
March 3
We must take responsibility for our own sins and our own righteous deeds – this is the magis.
March 4
Can we work to make fewer enemies so it is easier to love with God’s perfection?
March 5
We are challenged by Abraham’s courage to leave behind old burdens and trust that God will never abandon us or lead us astray.
March 6
Generosity begets generosity, and an awareness of our own blessings leads us to share those blessings with others.
March 7
As God asks us to always help our brothers, he invites us to do this action in silence.
March 8
I like the idea of kindness. It implies action, much more so than its synonym “nice.”
March 9
Are we keeping the word with a generous heart? Are we capable of giving and keeping our word?
March 10
Jesus strengthens us in the face of the many challenges and distractions we face in life which can push us off course.
March 11
God loves us. Should we not offer the same grace to ourselves and to those around us?
March 12
So often we put our time and energy toward things that do not fulfill us while ignoring and dismissing that which is life giving.
March 13
Even if it comes in a form we may not want to hear, God is always there to guide us.
March 14
May we never tire of approaching Jesus with our question of love and forgiveness in our own lives.
March 15
We are all familiar with the phrase “actions speak louder than words." If we talk a good game, we need to back it up by our actions.
March 16
How carefully do we listen and carry out the will of God in our lives?
March 17
Today’s reading invites me to consider the ways that I show my love to others.
March 18
God wants the best for us which means learning from our mistakes and becoming better people because of it.
March 19
If there was hope for King David, so it must follow that there is for all of us.
March 20
I also see my role as educator but also modeling the many admirable characteristics of Saint Joseph to the young men before me each day.
March 21
We make the difference in how the water flows and who we bring along with us.
March 22
As we turn to God with contrite hearts, we experience the healing and renewal that comes from a restored relationship with the Lord.
March 23
The importance of being able to focus on the word God and the actions that Jesus Christ performed for us is crucial to our lives as Christians.
March 24
One of the greatest challenges in our world today is combatting systemic and economic inequalities.
March 25
For me it is these moments "of getting it right" that make me feel more worthy of the grace God gives and more aware of being in His presence.
March 26
Indeed, the suffering of Jesus only makes sense in the context of love, a love so profound that it suffers into hope.
March 27
Today's gospel contains a universal message that transcends the Bible and even Christianity. And it boils down to this: nobody is perfect.
March 28
Today's reading reminds us not to be discouraged by the challenges that ultimately make our accomplishments meaningful.
March 29
An important step in becoming true to ourselves is to remove the masks that we all have.
March 30
God looks out for all of us, and we need to trust him in good and bad times.
March 31
I know that to be a better version of ourselves, for our world, and each other, we need to take make a positive change and care for ourselves.
April 1
We must spend this time on the holiest of weeks thanking God for the life we have and for recommendations on how to walk more like Jesus.
April 2 (Palm Sunday)
What motivated that same crowd to rejoice in Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem and then reverse course so completely and call for His death?
April 3
Through Jesus’ loving act of service, he gives his disciples and us a model to follow.
April 4
God wants the absolute best for us, something that can be hard to realize in our darkest times.
April 5
God not only gives life, but the confidence and tools to live life as he intended.
April 6 (Holy Thursday)
Bread is an important symbol in the Bible and is often used to reveal God’s provision, care, and love for humanity.
April 7 (Good Friday)
Jesus showed us how to be like God by letting go of our desire to be gods.
April 8 (Holy Saturday)
Wherever you find yourself today, I challenge you to settle into the spirit of waiting and the quiet tension that comes with today.
April 9 (Easter Sunday)
In dying and rising, Jesus made it possible for us to do the same. To be born again, anew.