'Don't Give Up Chocolate'

ROCKAWAY  This Lent, some Catholics in the Diocese have decided to go beyond the tradition of “giving up” something — a bad habit or favorite activity or snack, such as chocolate. These local faithful have been participating Best Lent Ever: an online program by Dynamic Catholic that promises them a sweeter experience of preparing for Easter by helping to deepen their spirituality and to encourage them to become the best person — and Christian — possible.

At least three parishes in the Diocese have been promoting Best Lent Ever, which bears the provocative tagline “Don’t Give Up Chocolate for Lent” — St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Mount Hope; St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany; and St. Clement Pope & Martyr, Rockaway. Through the program, Catholics in the Diocese can subscribe online to receive a free daily email during the 40 days of Lent, which contains a short video message, as well as inspirational statement, a call to action and a prayer, among its materials.

The Best Lent Ever, which started on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, is “designed to help you have a life-changing Lent.” Despite its tagline, it does not discourage participants to “give up” something as part of their Lenten practices, said Matthew Kelly, founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute, a nonprofit organization, which seeks to re-energize the Church in the U.S. by developing resources that inspire people to rediscover the genius of Catholicism.

“This program will help you identify what stands between you and happiness and what to do about it,” said Kelly, also a bestselling author of Catholic books and internationally known speaker, who has spoken at conferences and parishes in the Diocese over the years. “Participants will discover how to open their hearts to God and do more than just give up chocolate for Lent.”

One local participant this year, Father Alfred Lampron, St. Bernard’s administrator, also joined Dynamic Catholic’s program for Lent last year. The priest said that he been promoting the program through blurbs in his parish’s bulletin and posters displayed around the church and its facilities. He noted that he enjoys the short daily reflections — “one sentence to think about” — and that participants can post insightful comments on each day’s web page at www.dynamiccatholic.org, where Catholics can sign up for Best Lent Ever.

“There are many things that people can take to heart. It’s a different way to do Lent — and it only takes 10 to 15 minutes per day,” Father Lampron said.

On the first day of Best Lent Ever, Kelly opens the video by calling Lent “a really unique thing” that leads us into “springtime” of our spirituality: Easter.

“We all need a new springtime in some aspect of our lives,” says Kelly, who noted that, often in our lives, we feel “pain, some real need, some real yearning, some real desire for something that is good and beautiful, and right and noble.” “I want you to see Lent — as an incredible opportunity to burst forward into a new springtime in your life. As spring comes on, a new joy begins to erupt within us…experiencing that joy . . . God wants to fill us with that joy and send us out into the world with that contagious joy to share it with everyone who crosses our paths,” he said.

In the same video, Matt Scherr, Dynamic Catholic’s senior development officer, offers personal testimony, as do others on subsequent videos. He says that he vows to spend more time this Lent “on carefree timelessness with my friends and family that I love” and “reading the Bible” — instead of so much time on social media.

The web page for the first day gives an inspirational message — that “Lent is the perfect opportunity to discover God’s dream for you,” a suggested action — “to make a personal commitment, whether that means giving up something or building a new habit” and a recommended prayer — “Jesus, open my heart and my mind this Lent to realize your dream for me.”

At St. Clement’s, Valerie Williams, the parish secretary, also signed up for Best Lent Ever this year and participated in Dynamic Catholic Lenten program last year. She called Best Lent Ever “wonderful.”

“It gives me things to do and think about to get more out of Lent spiritually and to help others,” said Williams, who noted that last year, Kelly suggested attending daily Mass. “Best Lent Ever is a mini-retreat — an easy way to do something other than give up chocolate that doesn’t take a lot of time.”

In the third day’s video, Kelly calls Lent “a phenomenal chance to really look deep into our lives and ask, ‘Where do I need to grow?’ ‘What is God calling me to?’ and ‘Where is my biggest opportunity for growth?’ ” — all in the pursuit of becoming “the-best-version-of-yourself.”

“The reality is, whatever your thing is, however big you think it is, however unscalable you think that mountain is, don’t forget, somebody's already conquered it. Lots of people have already conquered it. And God? He’s waiting. He’s ready. He wants to help you conquer that big thing. So let’s get after it,” Kelly says.

In the same video, Jenna Greiwe, Dynamic Catholic’s mission team leader, admits that her deepest desire in life is to become a mother — a dream differed after a miscarriage last year.

“Today I still grieve for the loss of this sweet life. My husband and I yearn to know this child, who we never met but feel so close to…We pray for our child often, and lately I find myself asking for his intercession to help us conceive again and have a healthy, successful pregnancy,” Greiwe says.

The materials for the third day include an inspirational saying — “Failure plays an important role in our development and a critical role in our attempts to become more perfectly ourselves,” a suggested action — “Think about one time that you failed. Now think about what you learned from it and how God used that failure to help you become a-better-version-of-yourself” and a prayer — “Jesus, grant me the grace to accept and learn from my failures.”

Sue Von Dollen, former director of religious education at St. Clement’s, signed up for Best Lent Ever last year. She said that the program “gives wonderful kernels of practical application.”

“They don’t replace normal Lenten practices; they complement them. They complement the Scriptures,” said Von Dollen, who noted that the videos feature reflections from young people, who use Scripture and prayer to overcome the challenges in their lives. “It’s so hopeful.”