The season of Lent is such a beautifully spiritual and meditative time. I LOVE that you are given opportunity after opportunity to grow in faith and practice sacrificing and giving to show your thanks, dependence, and devotion to Jesus. Lent is great because it is never too late to get started; you can always turn the switch to "on" in your spiritual life.
Holiday: Lent- the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter
Celebration: The 40 day period that represents the 40 days that Jesus was in the desert before he started his public ministry and also is symbolic of the 40 years the Israelites spent in exile after the exodus. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.
Celebration: The 40 day period that represents the 40 days that Jesus was in the desert before he started his public ministry and also is symbolic of the 40 years the Israelites spent in exile after the exodus. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.
This video does a great job of explaining the key points of the Lenton season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3L3c23MfC0&feature=youtu.be
Historical background:
Lent is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting, special prayer and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The name "Lent" is from the Middle English Lenten and Anglo-Saxon Lenten, meaning spring; its more primitive ecclesiastical name was the "forty days," tessaracoste in Greek. The number "forty" is first noted in the Canons of Nicaea (A.D. 325), likely in imitation of Jesus' fast in the desert before His public ministry (with Old Testament precedent in Moses and Elijah). By the fourth century, in most of the West, it referred to six days' fast per week of six weeks (Sundays were excluded); in the seventh century the days from Ash Wednesday through the First Sunday were added to make the number forty.
Biblical basis:
The concept comes from Holy Scripture, inspired by the acts of Jesus, Himself, and then His Apostles. The practice of fasting is very common theme in the New Testament. But the sacrifices of the 40 days of Lent are directly inspired by Christ's very own experience in the desert, where he did not eat or drink for 40 days and was tempted by the devil afterward.
If Christ, Himself, who is perfect and without any sin, was lead by the Holy Spirit to fast for 40 days and be tempted, then as sinners, it is definitely a wonderful opportunity to engage in those acts as well. He goes on to instruct how we are to fast, by appearing as if we are not fasting, so that only God knows what we are doing. We also see that whenever the Apostles needed wisdom, they fasted and prayed, first.
Both Christ and the Apostles engaged in this sacrifice as preparation for something bigger, and to strengthen themselves, spiritually, for their service to the Lord, much like what we are hoping to accomplish during this season of Lent.
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. 11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Luke 2:37
Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
Acts 13:3So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Create a prayer jar at home and each night at dinner have each family member say a special prayer for someone and put a bean or jewel in the jar for each intention
**Focus on a different saint each week and how that saint was an excellent example of praying, fasting, and giving- do a coloring sheet of this saint and hang it by the Lenten cross you made as a reminder of someone you can look to for an example of how to follow Jesus
-Fun family ideas:
**Attend a Knights of Columbus fish fry!
**Use the calendar here to remind you of ways you can pray, fast, and give on a daily basis- great way for the family to start the morning together. http://bustedhalo.com/features/fast-pray-give-2013
Historical background:
Lent is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting, special prayer and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The name "Lent" is from the Middle English Lenten and Anglo-Saxon Lenten, meaning spring; its more primitive ecclesiastical name was the "forty days," tessaracoste in Greek. The number "forty" is first noted in the Canons of Nicaea (A.D. 325), likely in imitation of Jesus' fast in the desert before His public ministry (with Old Testament precedent in Moses and Elijah). By the fourth century, in most of the West, it referred to six days' fast per week of six weeks (Sundays were excluded); in the seventh century the days from Ash Wednesday through the First Sunday were added to make the number forty.
Biblical basis:
The concept comes from Holy Scripture, inspired by the acts of Jesus, Himself, and then His Apostles. The practice of fasting is very common theme in the New Testament. But the sacrifices of the 40 days of Lent are directly inspired by Christ's very own experience in the desert, where he did not eat or drink for 40 days and was tempted by the devil afterward.
If Christ, Himself, who is perfect and without any sin, was lead by the Holy Spirit to fast for 40 days and be tempted, then as sinners, it is definitely a wonderful opportunity to engage in those acts as well. He goes on to instruct how we are to fast, by appearing as if we are not fasting, so that only God knows what we are doing. We also see that whenever the Apostles needed wisdom, they fasted and prayed, first.
Both Christ and the Apostles engaged in this sacrifice as preparation for something bigger, and to strengthen themselves, spiritually, for their service to the Lord, much like what we are hoping to accomplish during this season of Lent.
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. 11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Luke 2:37
Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
Acts 13:3So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Create a prayer jar at home and each night at dinner have each family member say a special prayer for someone and put a bean or jewel in the jar for each intention
**Focus on a different saint each week and how that saint was an excellent example of praying, fasting, and giving- do a coloring sheet of this saint and hang it by the Lenten cross you made as a reminder of someone you can look to for an example of how to follow Jesus
-Fun family ideas:
**Attend a Knights of Columbus fish fry!
**Use the calendar here to remind you of ways you can pray, fast, and give on a daily basis- great way for the family to start the morning together. http://bustedhalo.com/features/fast-pray-give-2013
**Make pretzels as a family while practicing your prayers! Pretzels originated in Europe during the Middle Ages. A monk was making unleavened bread for Lent with flour and water because eggs, milk and lard were not consumed as part of the Lenten fast. He twisted some of the dough into the shape of people praying with both arms folded across their chests. He decided it would be a perfect treat for children learning to say their prayers. He called the treats pretiola, the Latin word for "little reward."
**Volunteer together
**Use the little black book! They are wonderful. They have daily prayers, reflections, and devotions for the time of lent. (littlebooks.org)
-Religious traditions:
**Attend daily mass
**Visit a Stations of the Cross ceremony
**Spend quiet time in adoration
**Take part in the sacrament of confession
How we are celebrating:
When Aaron and I share meals together, we have been saying the family prayer for Lent that I posted in Ash Wednesday. We also light the three candles surrounding our matchstick cross to help us remember to focus on praying, fasting, and giving. I am spending each Wednesday in adoration saying the rosary and have been reading daily from the Busted Halo advent calendar and my Little Black Book for Lent. It has been a beautiful season thus far and I cannot wait to have a more routine way of incorporating these practices into our lives once Aaron and I share a home together. We did do a special night of making pretzels for dinner as we said our evening Lenten prayer and lit our candles!
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