As I shared in the laws issue of this particular article, the Great Fast can be a time of great spiritual growth if it is embraced in an intelligent, prayerful and voluntary manner. I shared with you some traditional ways to approach its observance.

Again, one way does not fit all. I think that there are many other ways to observe the Great Fast. I have been mulling over a number of ways in my own mind. Here are some thoughts.

• Don’t be a slave to your cell phone. Turn it off and let people leave voice-mail messages and, whatever you do, don’t answer it when you are with others.
• Turn off your radio or television for certain time periods. Cut down the noise in your life – Give up your favorite television or radio program.
• Integrate a special time for prayer into your schedule if you don’t already have one. You can always just increase your time at prayer.
• Integrate a silent period of reading into your life – it doesn’t have to be just spiritual reading.
• Go to bed earlier than you usually do if you are a late-night person – that is get more sleep (its healthy too).
• Send cards or letter to those you have not been in touch with for a while or who are shut-in.
• Phone persons you know are alone and perhaps could be made happier if you contacted them.
• Integrate acts of kindness into your life.
• Give something up and save the money you would spend and donate it to a good cause.
• Integrate going to Lenten Services into your schedule.
• Read a few paragraphs of the New Testament each day or use the parish calendar to read passages from the New Testament each day
• Do something that will make your life a little more peaceful.
• Spend some time thinking about your life and assessing what you can do to become more like Jesus.
• Spend some time creating a personal journal.

Again it is not so important what you do as that you do something to observe the Great Fast. AND, of course, don’t do something because you feel obliged to do it or that if you do something God will love you more. Remember, God cannot love us anymore than He already does. All we can do is to become aware of how much He truly loves us. Our efforts during the Great Fast should lead us to a deeper awareness of God’s love otherwise it is not doing what it is really meant to accomplish. The Great Fast is all about spiritually growth.