As Lent approaches, your family will receive an annual pastoral letter from Father George. This year it includes a plethora of Lenten basics and extra information to raise the bar for you and your family to try something new. Here I’ve provided a few extra options, more appropriate for children and youth.
Father George likes your questions and answers 2 more this week:
Q. Why does the priest kiss the altar at the beginning and end of Mass?
A. Kissing is the fondest expression of love. And since the altar is a symbol of Christ and the central point of Mass, the priest shows his love for Christ, the center of our worship. He is reverencing the altar in anticipation and remembrance of Christ's presence at Mass.
Q. What do the bells ringing 3 times at Mass represent? Who don't they ring weekdays?
A. The bells ring to reawaken our wandering minds and call attention to the most precious and holiest actions at the altar. The bells are rung just before consecration when the priest places his hands over the bread and wine praying for the Holy Spirit to descend on the gifts. They ring again when they are raised up by the priest, alerting us that a special change called transubstantiation has taken place. This is when the bread and wine become the Sacred Host and the Precious Blood of Jesus, without losing their appearance. This Eucharistic miracle or mystery is one of the most important beliefs of our faith, even though we can’t fully understand how it happens. The bells are rung by an altar server and, since there is usually no server during the week, the bells aren't rung on weekdays.
Lenten Activities – Scroll through the following to find activities appropriate for your children. Most of the age related ideas are from Loyola Press. (Please let me know if any of the links are not working right.)
Links of Love Remember last year when we made prayer chains at Family Faith Formation? We used them as a count down of the 40 days of lent before Easter by tearing off and reading the scripture or performing the act of kindness on the link. This idea involves building a chain: Help children brainstorm simple ways to make helpful and meaningful contributions to family, school, and parish life. Every time someone cheerfully serves or helps another, the child can make that act of love concrete by adding a link to a Love Chain. Have children decorate their links. Use the Love Chain to decorate the room for Easter.
Grades 3–4
Pray the rosary together.
Teach about and pray the Stations of the Cross. By the 15th century, churches in Europe were building “stations,” making it possible for Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to follow in Jesus’ footsteps in his last hours. Eventually the Church settled on the 14 stations we now have.
We will be posting a Youtube video of our parishes’ version of The Shadow Stations soon Alternatively, here is a link to a version for children from Loyola Press:
Ideas to Share: Ash Wednesday Explain that the ashes we receive on Ash Wednesday come from burning the palms we received on Palm Sunday of the previous year. This is why we are asked to bring our palms from the last year to church.
The Number 40 Say: Biblical authors used numbers to emphasize the symbolic significance of an event. For example, the number 40 is used to symbolize a period during which people were tested. Have children find examples of the number 40 in the Bible. Invite volunteers to write examples on the board. (Noah endured 40 days and 40 nights of rain; the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years; Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mountaintop before descending with the Ten Commandments; Jesus remained in the desert for 40 days without eating.)
Coaching Children to Pray Assure children that the Holy Spirit is always present with them in their Lenten prayers, fasting, and good works to strengthen their resolve and guide their decisions. They can call on the Holy Spirit for help and guidance anywhere, anytime.
Grades 7–8
Take 10 Minutes Have young people recall temptations that they have experienced. Say: Silently think about two or three temptations that tend to recur in your life. Ask young people to write a personal strategy they might use to help them avoid these temptations in the future. Encourage young people to begin each strategy with “First, take 10 minutes and talk to God. Then . . .” Encourage young people to use these strategies the next time they encounter the temptations they often face.
Family Effort Engage young people in a discussion about how they can support their family members’ Lenten commitments. Begin by providing a suggestion such as offering to cook a meat-free meal on one of the Fridays of Lent. Write on the board a list of young people’s suggestions. Encourage young people to select a few of the items they have listed and to include the actions as part of their own Lenten commitments.
Grades 9-10
Lent-stagram
If you have a Kindle e-book reader, you can find Lent-stagram on Amazon for $1.99. It is 53 pages. Here is the description: The 47 observational reflections in this booklet for teens take a tip from the popular photo-sharing app in guiding the way through the sights, sounds and sensations of the holy season. Each year, the Christian community shares Jesus’ Lenten experience. It’s time to share our Lenten experience with others. This book asks teens to imagine being eyewitnesses of the Passion story and to find new and creative ways to spread the good news of the resurrection through words, images and actions! Great for ages 13-22.
Printable Stations of the Cross for Families Booklet from Diocese of Buffalo. It seems for this link, copy and paste into your browser. It does not seem to be “ctrl click-able.”
Video Resources from last year’s Diocese of Buffalo Lenten resource guide:
Ascension Presents, The Meaning of Suffering – Fr. Mike Schmitz reflects on the meaning of suffering and some the saint’s experience of suffering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR25hk8NVio
Ascension Presents, What’s the Point of Fasting During Lent? – Fr. Mike Schmitz explains the practice of fasting and reminds us of the true purpose of these sacrifices https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruTZ7jhofRM
Catholic Central, Lent – an entertaining and informative explanation of the history, purpose, and spiritual disciplines of Lent
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