Walton’s “Lean into Lent” a fresh take on preparing for, considering the holiest of seasons
By David Tisdale
Helping believers take a fresher approach and deeper commitment to their Lenten journey is the aim of author Monica Walton with her new book Lean into Lent.
Walton, a member of Saint Paul Catholic Church in Brandon, Miss., says Lean into Lent was inspired by her research into the history of the Christian Church when she learned Lent is the oldest recorded liturgy, first mentioned in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea. Lean into Lent is published by Sunrise Press (a subsidiary of Dogwood Press) and is available now with Lent approaching March 5.
“As I studied some of the earliest Christian writers, I found that many of the traditions we practice today haven’t changed much from those times,” Walton noted. “Since the earliest days, the Church has set aside 40 days to fast, pray, and prepare for Easter. Historically, it was mainly a practice for those who were awaiting baptism to clarify their intentions and purify their life by purging anything that wouldn’t fit into their new life as a Christian.
“This grew into a practice for all the faithful, but I think we have moved away from approaching Lent as a time to take inventory of our habits, actions, and lifestyle each year and work to clarify, purify, and purge our lives of anything unfitting a follower of Christ. That realization was the inspiration for Lean into Lent.”
With that mindset framing her approach, Walton prayerfully considered new approaches to embrace old, familiar traditions and “lean” into the key elements of Lent: Almsgiving, Praying, and Fasting, “so that we can move ourselves into a deeper, more authentic experience of being with Jesus on His journey to Calvary,” further noting that it gives special consideration for “the busy person” with its weekly focus, which she believes can be much more manageable then a daily regimen of study and reflection.
Included in the book are the weekly Sunday Gospel Readings, accompanying Modern Day Parables, Prayers, Reflection Questions, and space for the reader to record their inspirations, thoughts, and struggles.
“We all want to be holy, healthy, and engaged, but our dependency on things that were designed as conveniences has made them intrusive and inconvenient,” Walton said on further reflection of her considerations in writing the book. “And it is so easy to take in more, so we do. But there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day, and we can easily lose sight of what is of the most value in our lives. When we are tired and pulled in many directions, it is difficult to give anything or anyone, even God, our best.”
From the beginning of Lean into Lent, Walton guides readers on how to get a good start in doing just that.
“Every Ash Wednesday, we hear the beginning of chapter six in the Gospel of Matthew proclaimed at Mass,” Walton further notes. “Jesus said, ‘When you give alms, pray and fast,’ not ‘if’you do these things. The first chapter offers a plan to make a Lenten commitment to lean into true generosity, deeper prayer, and meaningful sacrifice, and to be very intentional about following through by examining our habits and what we allow to occupy our mind, heart, and body.
“We all have room to be more charitable, to deepen our prayer experience, and to trim our lifestyles,” she continued. “This book greatly challenges me, and I believe others will find it helpful in becoming the persons they want to be, the persons God created them to be.”
Lean into Lent’s weekly chapters feature a shift of focus pointing our thoughts and actions toward the upcoming Sunday Gospel, with weekly reflections and questions helping readers open space for the Lord to change the way we live and the way we worship. Two pages at the end of each chapter feature Daily Remembrance questions for quick reference and meditation throughout the week.
“We ask that we may receive and repent,” Walton said in explaining the approach taken in the book. “We will seek that we may find and release. We will knock that we may be opened and renewed. The material is relevant every year, so readers will want to keep their copy and revisit it.”
Faith was an important part of Walton’s upbringing growing up in her beloved southwestern Louisiana, where she was raised in a big Catholic family and where her home was just across the street from their church. “We were very involved in our Faith,” she fondly recounts.
A native of Louisiana who has lived in Mississippi for the last three decades, Walton is a multi-talented and skilled media professional specialist who in 2022 felt a divine call to give writing her full-time attention. Her first book, Advent Reflections for this Day, was published in 2023, also by Sunrise Press; Lean into Lent is her second book. Her stories have been published in multiple publications to include The Mississippi Catholic and most recently a feature story in the Advent 2024 edition of The Word Among Us.
After graduating with a degree in journalism from Louisiana State University, Walton moved to Georgia and worked in print and broadcast media. Desiring to be closer to her native Louisiana, she moved to the Mississippi Delta and worked in communications, and while raising her four children worked as a freelance writer for local and state publications. In 1993, her family moved to Brandon, Miss. and then in 2011 she began an 11-year career working in liturgy, ministry, and communications at St. Paul.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, Walton began writing Modern Day Parables, which places the Gospel message into a contemporary setting to help Scripture come alive for readers. That inspired a weekly St. Paul Parish Facebook Live show Lectio Live! which she hosted with two fellow parishioners that spotlighted the Sunday Gospels, Modern Day Parables, praying Lectio Divina, and sharing reflections. “We had a loyal audience of prayer partners from several states and even a few countries,” Walton said.
Walton’s personal website SacredAndSensible.com features spiritual reflections on living as Christians in today’s world. She says the name of her website site speaks to the way she approaches her life as a disciple of Jesus Christ: “I want to view everything through a lens of the Sacred.”
“Having raised four children who now live in four different states and having four grandchildren with a fifth one on the way, I am always seeking practical and sensible ways to be His hands and feet in our busy and overstimulated world,” Walton explained. “I prayerfully contemplate and write about living a spiritual life in a secular world. This is my little way of answering God’s call to share the Good News of Salvation with the world.”
Walton believes Lent should be a time to “interrupt our routine, wake us up, and set aside time to reevaluate our lives.”
“I want readers of Lean into Lent to make a plan to pause more often, feel God’s love more deeply, and grow to be more like Jesus,” she said. “As Baptized Christians and disciples of Jesus, we’re meant to be holy and influence the world, not the other way around. I hope the measures we take during Lent will become life-changing habits renewing our spirits and leading us to live in greater joy, creating true peace in our hearts, families, communities, and our world.”
Walton would like to see Catholics and Christians reconsider modifying their Lenten ‘gameplan’ that they may have followed since their youth – “get your ashes, give up sweets, donate to charity, and plan to pray more” by examining the strategies she outlines in her book in order to get more out of the season spiritually.
“We also throw in meatless Fridays and Stations of the Cross, and while those are all good practices, it’s easy to become complacent and for this to become a familiar plan that lasts only six weeks out of the year. But then [in doing that], we only touch the surface of the beauty and potential of what this time can be for us.”
As Catholics and Christians prepare for this time in the Christian church so central to the mystery of salvation, Walton longs for a revival of faith and dedication among God’s followers to embrace His word and the example of his Son.
“Lent is when the Church leads us to reflect on why God became man, suffered, and died, and how He showed us the way to be in communion with Him and each other,” Walton said. “We look forward to the Glory of Easter when He arose from the dead -that is the story of our Salvation. He did all of this for us.”
With our daily distractions further magnified through advancing technology – along with work, social and community commitments and activities – it’s easy to find ourselves unintentionally placing our spiritual life on the backburner. Walton hopes Lean into Lent will be a valuable tool in our spiritual toolbox to help us prioritize what’s important for the transition into this holy season.
“It’s a challenge to break away from what is familiar, whether it’s good or bad,” Walton reflected. “But, when we step into the quiet and ask ourselves, ‘What do I really want?’ the truest answer is we want to one day be in Heaven with the Lord for eternity. And so, Lent is the time to answer the next natural question, ‘How can I get there?’
“My prayer is that this book is a tool to assist all readers in obtaining that lofty goal, and I hope many will join me this Lent as we set aside the things that interfere with our path to holiness, draw closer to the Lord, and cooperate with His plan.”
Walton says Dogwood Press is offering generous discounts on Lean into Lent for small group and bulk orders, with pricing details available at the Dogwood Press website. Orders of 100 copies or more qualify for free shipping by contacting Owner/Editor-in-Chief Joe Lee at jlee@dogwoodpress.com. For more information about Walton’s work, including her blog and information on how to order her books, visit: www.sacredandsensible.com.
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