Lent is a privileged time to place God back at the center of our lives. As Doug Hinderer reflected this week, true conversion begins when we allow the Word of God to penetrate our hearts — and that transformation doesn’t stay private. It spills into our marriages.
Traditionally, Lent focuses on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Doug invites couples to begin with prayer as a path to deeper intimacy with both God and each other.
“Prayer is cultivating an intimacy with God and with your spouse,” Doug explains. When husband and wife pray together, they grow closer to the Lord and to one another.
The simplest step? Start small and stay consistent. Pray together every day. That might mean reading Scripture and practicing Lectio Divina, slowly reflecting on how the Holy Spirit is speaking through the Word. It could also mean praying a Psalm each evening or setting aside time for the Rosary.
If a full five decades feels overwhelming, Doug offers practical encouragement: “If you’re not in the habit of doing a rosary, just do a decade.” Begin with one decade after dinner. The following week, add another. By the end of Lent, you will find yourselves praying the full Rosary together.
Couples can also deepen their prayer life by attending daily Mass a few times a week or spending quiet time in an Adoration Chapel. Sitting before Our Lord together fosters unity in a powerful way. As Doug puts it, when you go together before Jesus, “I promise you, you will leave there feeling closer together.”
Finally, he suggests a nightly examination of conscience tailored to marriage: “Lord, did I love my spouse well today? Where did I fail to love him or her today? What’s one concrete way I can love my spouse better tomorrow?”
Lent becomes both a season of sacrifice and a season of renewal, strengthening your relationship with God, but the covenant you share with your spouse.
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