I was stumped. I didn’t know what my Lenten goals this year would be. Previous years have been easy. The additional focus on the Year of the Mercy complicated things.

My spiritual director recommended flexibility with my goals.

Ash Wednesday started with a day of recollection at St. Clement’s. Previous days of recollection were at various retreat houses. It felt weird to enter into deep prayer here at the seminary.

But I stuck to my plan and had four meditation sessions during the day. The first one was on my goals. I reviewed all my goals from my birthday and the Year of Mercy. Jesus helped me focus on possible goals and set up action plans. In my imagination, Jesus literally pointed to my list of goals. I felt very comfortable with them.

The rest of the meditations focused on how I had received mercy over the years. It ended beautifully with an image of Mary and me hugging with our cheeks touching.

Here are my Lenten goals. If you’re stumped, you can consider these:

1. Add background music (Taize or Gregorian chants) to my meditations.
2. Help the Back Bay Mobile Soup Kitchen at least once during Lent.
3. Make the Virgin Mary known and loved by sending tweets and photos on every Wednesday.
4. Read Matthew Kelly’s Rediscover Jesus for my mediations.
5. Use Lenten reflections from Pope Francis’ Misericordiae Vultus on Sundays.

Also, Sister Aletheia, a Daughter of St. Paul, posted her blog entry on Lenten tips from Pope Francis.

If you crashed and burned with your own goals, DON’T give up. Begin again. Jesus always gives us a fresh start if we want it.

In the words of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, Nunc Coepi (Now, I begin).