I've been thinking about Lent for weeks now and saw this. Sometimes I just need things spelled out to remind me of what's what. Living Lent What does Lent mean today? How do we keep it? What can our family do? History: Lent has been part of the Church's life for at least the past 1700 years. It began as a period of special preparation for adults being baptized during the Easter vigil. Gradually it became a period of penance and conversion for public sinners and also for devout members of the community. Purpose of Lent today: Lent is a time of prayer and penance, when Christ wants to lead us back to our baptismal promises of dying to sin and of living for God. Dying to sin: During Lent, God's people seek to put sin out of their lives by uprooting habits and tendencies that are contrary to God's will. It is a time of conversion, of turning away from our sins and of turning back to God. Living for God: The Lord Jesus is calling us to be people of praise and prayer, and living signs of his love for all. During Lent, we open our hearts to our Father, so that we may live with Christ for God. Lenten works: What should we be doing for Lent? Today the Church is inviting us to prepare for Easter by doing individual penance and penance as a group; by reading God's word more carefully; by praying more ardently, including sincere prayer for sinners. Ten forms of penance: These are "the top ten" in the tradition of the Christian people. They are our daily responsibility as believers; in Lent, we concentrate on them a little more fully. Giving up sin: Jesus tells us that we show our love for him by keeping his commandments, especially by loving others as he has loved us. We are called to live blameless lives as God's holy people, the Church. Our God wants us to turn away from our sins, our failings, our laziness in prayer, our unwillingness to do better. Praying: Jesus and his apostles tell us to pray always, to be constant in prayer. Traditional times for Christians to pray are morning, evening, and mealtimes. Personal prayer is a necessary preparation for our sharing in the Church's public worship, the liturgy. In our love, we join Jesus and all God's people in praying for ourselves, for our family and friends, for our leaders, for those who suffer, and for the Church and the world. Fasting: Fasting means cutting down on the amount and richness of our food and drink. Done as a penance for sin, it helps us to pray better: an empty stomach can lead to fuller prayer. The money we save on food should be given to others in alms. The law of fasting obliges adults until they are 59 years old. Doing good works: Jesus went about doing good. The apostles continued to teach us to do good works, to help those in need, to give others the good example of our living, to pray for other people, and to be ready to serve them in their time of need. The list is endless, but can be summarized in a few words: we are to help Jesus and come to his aid by helping other people in a spirit of love. Giving alms: We give alms to help God's poor, and to support the good works of the Church and other positive agencies. Again our help is being given to Christ in his brothers and sisters. Many Churches encourage giving 10% -- the biblical tithe -- as the minimum gift to God and to God's works. We do not give in order to show off or keep up with others; instead we give cheerfully to God, who has given us everything we have. Abstinence: This form of penance needs to be seen as a near cousin of fasting. We may give up meat or other desirable foods on one or two days a week during Lent, especially on Friday, the day of Christ's saving death on the cross. Our abstinence is another way of sharing in Christ's work of saving the world. Throughout the year, every Friday is a day of abstinence from meat, obliging all Catholics who are 14 years or older. We may substitute special acts of charity (such as visiting the sick or aged, helping those in any need, or contributing time or money to a work of charity) or acts of piety (taking part in a service of worship with others, praying with our family, or spending some extra time in personal prayer, especially with God's holy word in the scriptures). Carrying out our duties of state: This is perhaps the hardest and most unrecognized form of penance. We serve God by living out our vocation in love each day. We do our best for God by being a good mother, father, teacher, worker, student, religious, minister, priest. God is calling each of us to be a living sacrifice, and to offer our daily life through Christ. Meditative reading: In an age of constant bombardment by noise and sights, Christians need time to read and reflect. Believers have to nourish their faith by reading. Prayerful reading of God's word each day opens our hearts to the Spirit, and lets God's thoughts and ways influence ours. Reading other Christian books and magazines will help us to be stronger in our faith and in our living. Controlling our desires for possessions: Jesus reminds us that our heart will be wherever our treasure is. He tells us to build up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. Today's consumer is constantly tempted to buy more and more things: everything has to be newer, bigger, better, and automatic. As Christians, we should be cutting down on our possessions, eliminating frills, giving our surplus to others, lessening our wants, and sharing ourselves, our time, our talents, and our possessions with others. Controlling our desire for entertainment: Too much entertainment -- by radio, TV, movies, spectator sports, light reading, distractions -- can dull our taste for the things of God, and lead us to have no time for the works of the Lord. Lent in Our Home Examine your conscience: At the beginning of Lent, discuss each of the ten penances with your family. How can you improve your present way of life? Your resolution: Make a serious resolution to do several actions of penance, both individually and as a family, each day during this Lent. Rewards of a good Lent: The Lord Jesus rewards those who are generous in his service. A good Lent is a sharing in his cross, and leads us to renew our baptismal promises at the Easter vigil. A Lenten prayer Father in heaven, help us to love you. Lord Jesus, teach us to carry our cross with you. Holy Spirit, pour your love into our hearts. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners.
A good reflection. Thank you. I must admit that I always look forward to Lent with a combination of excitement and dread. It is a wonderful part of our Church year and one that typically brings spiritual growth when approached in the proper manner. Yet, the 40 days of sacrifice is a bit daunting when looked at as a whole! Personally, I find that what works for me is to take Lent one day at a time and to renew my commitment to observing Lent faithfully each morning. Then, if I'm still not ready to go, I simply remind myself of Jesus' great sacrifice for me, which tends to put things in perspective pretty quickly! Anyway, thanks again for posting the reflection. Happy Lent to All!
Lee, Thank you. This is very helpful and I am printing it off so as I can see it regularly over lent. God bless mary
For Our Friends on the Emerald Isle Direction for Our Times is pleased to announce a series of events in May that will culminate in a Eucharistic Day of Renewal with Anne, a lay apostle. The below events are free of charge and all are welcome to attend. Thursday Evening Prayer Group with Anne, a lay apostle The Evening Prayer Group begins at 8:00 p.m. with a talk by Anne, followed by a Eucharistic Holy Hour of Adoration which includes the recitation of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, the reading of the monthly message, and a Eucharistic procession during which Anne prays for the intentions of all present. Afterwards, Anne prays individually with those desiring individual prayer. When: Thursday, May 7, 2009 Evening begins at 8:00 p.m. Where: St. Anne's Church Bailieborough County Cavan Ireland Click here for more information on this monthly prayer group: http://www.directionforourtimes.com/conferenceAnne.html A Day at the Abbey Spend a Spirit-filled day at Holy Trinity Abbey, exploring the beautiful property and spending time in prayerful reflection. The day includes Holy Mass, Adoration and a tour of the grounds. In addition, there will be a unique opportunity to witness a videotaping session which will be filmed in the Abbey chapel. This session, open to the public for the first time, will give you the experience of watching Anne and Dr. Mark Miravalle discuss the messages contained in Volume Six, Heaven Speaks to Families. When: Friday, May 8, 2009 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Where: Holy Trinity Abbey Kilnacrott Ballyjamesduff County Cavan Ireland Click here for more information on the Day at the Abbey: http://directionforourtimes.com/abbeyday.html Eucharistic Day of Renewal at Holy Trinity Abbey The Eucharistic Day of Renewal will include opportunities for pilgrims to participate in Mass, Rosary, Confession, and a Eucharistic Holy Hour, ending with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament. Scheduled speakers for this event include the following: -Anne, a lay apostle -Rev. Darragh Connolly, Direction for Our Times Chaplain -Dr. Mark Miravalle , Professor of Theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville -The young men and women discerning a vocation in this apostolate When: Saturday, May 9, 2009 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. Where: Holy Trinity Abbey Kilnacrott Ballyjamesduff County Cavan Ireland The Eucharistic Day of Renewal will be an outdoor event (weather permitting). There will be some chairs provided for those coming from abroad. Irish pilgrims, please bring a folding chair if possible. To help us prepare, we are requesting that those who are planning to attend the Eucharistic Day of Renewal complete a “let us know you are coming” form. The form is available at the following link: http://www.directionforourtimes.com/register3.html Additional details, including nearby hotel information and directions to the Holy Trinity Abbey, are available at the following page: http://www.directionforourtimes.com/event3.html Please continue to check our website for more information about these events. If you have any questions, please email us at: contactus@dfot.ie United States: Direction for Our Times 9000 W. 81st St. Justice, IL 60458 Europe: Direction for Our Times Drumacarrow Bailieborough Co. Cavan. Republic of Ireland Phone: 708-496-9300 Email U.S. Office: contactus@directionforourtimes.com Phone: 011-353-42-969-4947 Email Ireland Office: contactus@dfot.ie
