SIMPLE40 - Ash Wednesday - Day 1

Katie Donahue
Feb 18
4 min read

February 18th - Ash Wednesday - Day 1 of Lent 2026

It is a day of fasting and abstinence, and the beginning of the Lenten disciplines you have chosen. Remember that Lent is all about growing in your relationship with God. Let's keep it simple. More God, less me.

SIMPLE40 Lenten Challenge #1:

GRAYSCALE YOUR PHONE FOR THE ENTIRETY OF LENT

Several years ago, I learned about the capability our phones have to go completely black and white, or grayscale, from a trustworthy FOCUS missionary. He was touting its benefits for the brain and I was intrigued. Most of your phone's addictive properties come from the dopamine hit you get from the bright colors and highlights. You are enticed and spend more and more time on your phone. Your brain is happy, but your mind and soul are weary.

Simply changing your screen to grayscale can drastically curb your phone use by essentially boring your brain, so you instinctively spend less time on your phone and move on to something else more easily. A double bonus is that you decrease your exposure to

blue light. WooHoo!

Yep, it is true. I gave it a try and my brain did not like it at all. Within a couple of hours, I changed back to my full color mode to take pictures because I thought all my pictures would be black and white...but they were not. (Pictures will still be taken in full color. They just appear black and white while in grayscale mode.)

That's when I got the idea to keep my phone on grayscale for the entirety of Lent and now I am inviting you to join me in this effort to detach from the screen. Less time on the phone gives you for time for the things that really matter.

TIP: In grayscale mode, it is harder to find the app you are looking for, so I found that using the app search on the last home page is the best way to be efficient and find what you need.

spiritual

SIMPLE40 Challenge #2: 40 minutes of prayer every day.

Do you need inspiration on how to do this? Check out the SIMPLE40 page.

Although Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, try and get to Mass to get your Lent off to a beautiful and blessed start. (That would most likely be your 40 minutes for today!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPTcMWpHfKk

self

SIMPLE40 Challenge #3: 40 minutes of intentional movement every day.

Your body needs to move. If you are anything like me, I want to move, with the intention of increasing my overall health and strength. It's going to be freezing cold here in Montana, so I'm going to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then do 10 minutes (at least) of pilates exercises.

“Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves… What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it out, without a moment’s hesitation.” ~Catherine Doherty

Fasting This Lent: Food, Speech, and Media Options

When we hear “fasting,” many of us think first of food, the classic Lenten practice of giving something up. But Lent invites a deeper kind of fasting: one that reorients our desires so that we hunger more for God and less for whatever pulls us away from Him.

This year, I am adding the option to fast in three distinct areas: food, speech, and media...each offering a way to empty ourselves so Christ can fill us. This is not complicated and does not require any more of your time to complete. These things are a matter of choice and will actually help you live more simply.

1. Food: Not Simply Giving Up, but Nourishing Well

For food, fasting might mean setting aside a familiar comfort, the thing you reach for without thinking. Classic ideas include:

sweets or dessert
sugary drinks or coffee additives
fast food or eating out
snacking between meals
processed foods high in sugar or preservatives

2. Speech: Disarming Our Language

The second area of fasting is less familiar but deeply transformative: speech. In his 2026 Lenten message, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to “disarm our language”...to refrain from words that wound, harsh judgments, rash comments, gossip, or speaking ill of those who cannot defend themselves.

He asked the faithful to measure their words carefully, cultivating:

kindness and respect in families
considerate speech among friends and colleagues
charity on social media and in public discourse

This form of fasting helps free our hearts from the inner noise that dulls our ears to God and to one another. When hurtful words give way to words of hope and peace, we begin to build communion rather than division.

3. Media: Creating Space for Silence and Presence

Finally, we fast from the noise of media, the constant pull of screens and endless input that shape our attention and imagination. Consider what you might choose to set aside for Lent:

social media scrolling or television binges
repetitive podcasts or constant music
aimless YouTube watching or news consumption

Then ask: What will take its place?

Some ideas:

silence - spiritual reading - prayer - reading Scripture - preparing a healthy meal for your family - a quiet walk with God

Reclaim your mind and your attention so your heart can hear God’s voice again.

Fasting in these three areas of food, speech, and media is to help you simply create space for prayer, peace, love and most importantly, for God.

service

SIMPLE40 Challenge #4: 40+ Acts of service throughout Lent

Love of neighbor lived daily: feeding the hungry, smiling at the lonely, offering a phone call, giving time. Click here for 100 ideas in this area of service. Print it out and check them off as you go.

print this out

Click the link below to print out a copy (or several copies) of your personal SIMPLE40 template. Use this daily as a reminder to stay committed to your Lenten plan. Use it as a bookmark, put it on your bathroom mirror or on the fridge. Take a picture of it and use it as the background on your computer or phone.