We cannot be in church daily, but it is still possible for us to follow
the Church's progress in Lent by reading those lessons and books which
the Church reads in her worship. A chapter of the Book of Genesis, some
passages from Proverbs and Isaiah do not take much time, and yet they
help us in understanding the spirit of Lent and its various dimensions.
It is also good to read a few Psalms--in connection with prayer or
separately. Nowhere else can we find such concentration of true
repentance, of thirst for communion with God, of desire to permeate the
whole of life with religion. Finally, a religious book: Lives of the
Saints, History of the Church, Orthodox Spirituality, etc. is a "must"
while we are in Lent. It takes us from our daily life to a higher level
of interests, it feeds us with ideas and facts which are usually absent
from our "practical" and "efficient" world.