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Connecting the Dots: A series Starting Lent Late
A nice lady wrote me saying: “We are both Protestants but are searching out Catholicism, just to give you a quick background. There is not much out there for us on practical implications of these different church seasons. So my question is this: How do we bring Lent to life for our kids?”
BY Mark Shea March 18-24, 2007 Issue |
Posted 3/13/07 at 7:00 AM
A nice lady wrote me saying: “We are both
Protestants but are searching out Catholicism, just to give you a quick
background. There is not much out there for us on practical implications of
these different church seasons. So my question is this: How do we bring Lent to
life for our kids?”
I
can empathize. Christmas is easy to celebrate in ways that are fun, spiritually
nourishing and downright tasty for kids. It’s a holiday chockablock with song,
sugar and games. But it’s tough to say, “Gather ’round, everybody! It’s time to
fast and contemplate our mortality!” Still, there’s lots of stuff out there on
ways to observe the different sorts of sacred time, including Lent.
During
the Lenten season, the best guide is probably to focus on the normal activities
at a healthy Catholic parish.
Just
as Christmas recalls the birth of Christ, so Lent recalls his time in the
desert, fasting and preparing for his mission of death and resurrection. In the
same way, we are to enter into a time of preparation for the Easter mysteries
through the three great means of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The idea is
greater detachment from the world, the flesh and the devil, and greater attachment
to God by the power of the Holy Spirit. God, being generous, is pleased by the
smallest movements of the will in his direction and will honor whatever you do
toward that.
For
the newbie, there are a number of traditional things that can be done with the
family.
For
instance, in the prayer department, many parishes do a simple communal meal on
Fridays and listen to a Lenten reading or meditation.
If
you are exploring the Rosary, Lent is a good time to give that a shot.
There
is, of course, the National Catholic Register’s Guide to the Rosary (NCRegister.com).
Or try Amy Welborn’s book Praying the Rosary (OSV) or The New Rosary in Scripture: Biblical Insights for Praying the 20
Mysteries (Charis) by Edward P.
Sri.
In
addition, you can explore things like the Stations of the Cross (see the
Culture of Life section of this issue — and don’t forget the new 15th Station:
the Resurrection!) or, if you like, something more creative. One man I know set
up an anonymous blog devoted entirely to praying for political candidates to
repent of their support of abortion.
Parents
might want to give a shot at, for instance, putting some roses in a vase and,
when somebody in the family prays, does a good work or repents a sin, removing
a thorn and throwing it away until the roses are all thornless.
To
get the hang of fasting, stick with the (very easy) guidelines of the American
bishops, which are as follows:
n Abstinence on all the Fridays of Lent, and on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday. No meat may be eaten on days of abstinence.
Catholics
14 years and older are bound to abstain from meat. Invalids, pregnant and
nursing mothers are exempt.
n Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Fasting
means having only one full meal to maintain your strength. Two smaller,
meatless and penitential meals are permitted according to one’s needs, but they
should not together equal the one full meal. Eating solid foods between meals
is not permitted.
Catholics
from 18 through 59 are bound to fast. Again, invalids, pregnant and nursing
mothers are exempt.
The
idea behind fasting is not punishment but sacrifice (as in “Offer
your body a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your
spiritual worship”).
This,
along with virtually the whole Lenten program, is laid out in the opening
verses of Romans 12: an offering of body, mind and spirit. If you want to offer
spiritual worship, says Paul, offer your body and be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. When we offer our bodies (and what is more bodily than
our appetite?) we are offering ourselves, including our spirits, to God.
That
is probably enough to get your toes wet. Lent is a spare time, but not a barren
one. It is tonic, not sad. Indeed, right in the middle of Lent, on
Laetare Sunday, the priest is bidden to wear rose vestments to remind us that
Lent is a joyful time, because the whole point is Easter.
Mark Shea is senior content editor for
CatholicExchange.com.
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