Discover how walking becomes a prayerful activity during CAFOD's Big Lent Walk
As we step into a new year, many of us will be asking ourselves the question: "What’s my New Year's resolution?"
A lot of the time, it’s about goals or pushing ourselves. But at CAFOD, we’re looking to continue to do what we did last year – keep hope alive.
Remaining connected with our faith can help us to stay hopeful and inspire us to continue helping our sisters and brothers all around the world.
Walking is one way to keep our hope alive. It's a chance to get some fresh air, raise some money and take a moment to reflect or pray to God.
How can I connect with my faith through walking?
Life can be really busy sometimes, and it can be hard to take a breath, slow down and reconnect with your faith.
Giving yourself time to go on a walk can be a peaceful way to take a moment to reflect. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or country, you can go for a stroll or hike either in a park or along the streets.
When walking, you can reflect on questions like "What is God asking of me at this moment?" or "What brings me hope?".
You can also take a moment to say a prayer. Find a quiet spot where you feel at peace, on a bench or in a park, or at home before or after your walk.
Why is it important to walk and connect with my faith?
Faith can mean something different for everyone. Whether you spend a lot of time in your parish or you pray alone, it’s still important to take those moments to connect with God and the world around us.
Our faith calls us to hope, be compassionate and take action. Taking time to connect with our faith can nourish our hope and inspire us to help our neighbours.
Moments like walking then can inspire us to feel hopeful for the rest of the week, and in turn share that hope with our neighbours all around the world.
We are guided by our faith to follow the right path, and the physical act of walking can inspire us to continue on this journey to a better world.
Walkers in Reading stopping for prayerful reflection during their Big Lent Walk
How can I start my year of walking in faith?
You can step into the year with hope by walking. Once a week, you can set an intention to listen to God and spend time reflecting alone. Or go outside with family or friends and pray together.
A great way to do this is by joining The Big Lent Walk. It’s a simple way to remind yourself to nip outside, connect with your faith, and raise vital funds for life-changing projects like helping families access safe drinking water.
You can walk anywhere and anytime you choose. It's not like your typical challenge because you can walk anywhere and at any time you choose! It's just a simple way to put your faith into action and love your neighbour. Because a better world needs all of us.
Join the Big Lent Walk
Sign up for CAFOD’s Big Lent Walk and challenge yourself to walk 200km in 40 days. You can sign up as an individual, parish or school!