Father Len Plazewski demonstrates the Lenten Wheel of Sacrifice and he actually makes it sound fun ?.

Having trouble figuring out what to give up for Lent? Well, that’s not a problem at Christ the King as every year for the past decade “The Lenten Wheel of Sacrifice” is placed in the church narthex for parishioners to spin. Lent is a season which is supposed to be characterized by prayer, sacrifice, and works of charity.

In the minds of many Catholics, Lent is most often associated with “giving something up.”

That is, of course, the sacrifice part.

The problem is that oftentimes people end up giving the same thing year after year and the impact of the sacrifice chosen diminishes one’s ability to grow through the Church’s Lenten disciplines. Sometimes one’s sacrifice is the same exact thing that one has been doing since childhood.

Back when Father Len Plazewski was Director of Vocations for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, one Lent he was visiting several students at the University of Central Florida who were exploring the possibility of priesthood. One of them (the future Father Victor Amorose) told him that he and his roommates had taken an old game board spinner and put penances on it and they would take turns spinning it every day.

“I remember saying, ‘Wow, what a great idea!’” Fast forward several years later and as Pastor of Christ the King, Father Len decided to offer the game board spinner idea to the parish community. He purchased a large prize wheel and set it up with various sacrifices.

On the Lenten Wheel of Sacrifice are things like “No Snacking,” “No Music,” “Drink Only Water,” and “No Meat.” Depending on your age, some sacrifices are easier than others.

Youth who spin the wheel dread getting “No TV or Video games,” or “No Social Media,” while parents fear getting “No Coffee or Caffeinated Drinks.”

“That is part of the genius of the wheel, you don’t get to decide your penance. You leave it up to divine providence,” says Katie Holland, Director of Pastoral Ministry and Outreach at Christ the King Parish.

There are two ways that one can spin the Lenten Wheel of Sacrifice. The first is to spin once for the entire Lenten season or to spin it week by week.

“Personally, I like to spin it week by week. It keeps Lent fresh,” said Kathleen Mault, Worship Coordinator at Christ the King.

“I’m not going to lie, some weeks are harder than others, such as when I get the dreaded ‘Sleep on the Floor,” or “No Hot Water.’” One thing you are not allowed to do is to “re-spin” if you don’t like your sacrifice as that would defeat the whole point.

One of the changes that Christ the King made to the wheel this year is that it only has sacrifices.

“We realized that some of the things that had been on the wheel in years past were really more in the prayer or works of charity category such as going to daily Mass,” said Father Len. “Daily mass shouldn’t be looked at as a penance unless, of course, you have a really bad homily!”

“In the end, I think the Lenten Wheel of Sacrifice helps to bring the Lenten sacrifices alive” says Holland. “My kids actually look forward to spinning the wheel each week to see what they get and then they also hold each other accountable. It is a really great way to both observe and celebrate Lent.”