Lenten practices/Gospel ritual

Q What should I do for Lent?

A Every year, many of us ask this question.  I came across an article on bustedhalo.com listing 25 great things to do for Lent.  Here are several of those suggestions:
Make a commitment to read the Sunday readings before Sunday Mass. In the same way that studying up on football players, opposing teams and coaching strategies help you experience a game more fully, familiarizing yourself with the readings ahead of time helps you appreciate and experience them in a deeper way on Sunday.
Try a new spiritual practice. Sign up for an hour of eucharistic adoration or just drop by and visit Jesus for a few minutes each week.  
Go to (or watch) a weekday Mass one day each week during Lent.  Check your local bulletin for Mass times. 
If you don’t have a crucifix in your apartment or house, buy a simple one and put it in your bedroom or over your front door.
Unplug your phone or turn off your car radio on your commute. Use this silent time to say a rosary or other prayers.  Additionally, you may find that you are able to concentrate better and will be more observant of your surroundings.
Buy a book of daily reflections and keep it by your bed. One of our local Catholic bookstores should have some good ones.
Make a commitment to fast from insensitive, cruel comments about others. Gossiping only hurts.
Celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. Can’t remember how?  Don’t worry.  The priest will guide you through it.
For the complete list, Google:  25 great things you can do for Lent.

Q Before the Gospel, why do we cross our head, lips and hearts?  What does this mean and where did it come from?

A We do this to emphasize the importance of the word of God that we are about to hear.  St. Paul in his Letter to the Hebrews states, “the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
We use this ritual as a prayer asking God to pierce our mind, lips and heart with his word.  We are expressing to God that we want to hear the word of God and understand it, that it will be on our lips so that we can share it with others and that it will be in our hearts, inviting God to strengthen our love for him.  
According to “Catholic Straight Answers,”  “The first recorded instance of making the sign of the cross at the proclamation of the Gospel is found in the ninth century:  “Regimius of Auxerre” (d. c. 908) in his “Expositio” recorded how the people in the congregation would sign their foreheads and the deacon would sign his forehead and breast.  By the 11th century, as attested to by Pope Innocent III, the deacon would make the sign of the cross on the Lectionary or Book of Gospels and then both he and the congregation would sign the forehead, lips and breast.”
So, the next time at Mass before the Gospel is read, cross your forehead, lips and heart, not just out of habit or as a ritual, but as a silent prayer asking God to help you understand his word, proclaim it and embed it in your heart.
Deacon Hooper is a deacon assistant at Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs. He can be reached at [email protected].