What book to choose for my Lenten discipline?

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, February 10^th this year.

First, there are several ways of “discipline” for the penitential Lenten Season of 40 days that leads us to the celebration of Easter and Christ’s overcoming death in the Resurrection. As a book person my first consideration is to choose a book for the season. Without much free time the book needs to have short passages, one for each day of Lent.

Some Lenten books are so short that just an hour or two later I have trouble remembering what the day’s emphasis is supposed to be. Some books are deep enough that it takes a few pages for each day, and more concentration than I have for my little effort in my reading discipline. Our local diocesan bishop, The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel is reading Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Then the good bishop reflects on his reading each day on his blog that I could follow as well, but it requires more time during this Lent than I have. Sorry Bishop Rickel.

A couple of books that I like and have considered include:

A Grown-Up Lent: When Giving Up Chocolate Isn’t Enough, by Joanna Leiserson 

God Speaks in Many Tongues: Meditate with Joan Chittister on 40 Sacred Texts 

Then there are the other disciplines that I want to do that are not part of a reading routine. I have a small list of those too.

I hope that you can do more for your Lenten discipline than I am doing.