Helping our children grow in their faith. February 2015 St. Anne "Home of the Crusaders" Give up and take up for Lent Throughout the year, we can get game, or pastime is a start but caught up in behaviors that lead us replacing it with something sacrificial away from God. Lent is a gift from the – such as good deeds or extra chores – St. Church to help us find our way back. is even better. Like eating green Prayer. Children with Born in 1072, Peter vegetables, good good prayer habits was orphaned as a Lenten practices become adults who young child only to help children to pray. Refresh your be mistreated by grow up healthy, family prayer habits an older strong and headed and encourage charged with his for Heaven. Try children to start care. Another these ideas to help and end the day brother rescued children have a in prayer. him and took positive Lent Together pick a him away to school where he experience: morning and trained to become a professor. Penance. evening offering Dedicated to strict penance, Peter Even young and say it together soon left teaching to become a children during Lent. Benedictine. Made a cardinal by understand Acts of Stephen IX, Peter instituted that if we kindness. Our sins reforms and ended questionable make a mess, affect others, so offering practices in the Church. His we have to clean it up and try not to kindness is a good way to compensate. extensive writings earned him the do it again. That’s the basic idea Some solid Lenten acts for children title, . behind Lenten penance. When we include sweeping a neighbor’s walk, Penance vs. punishment disobey God, we need to apologize to doing an extra chore without being him, fix things if we can and try not to asked, or showing friendship to Penance isn’t punishment. Real do it again. Giving up a favorite toy, another child at school. penance helps us undergo a change of heart that helps us become better people who positively affect others. Our sin affects others, and our penance and reparation can, too. Why do we fast? As God loves “Charity, love, is sharing with the one we love in all things. Love Fasting is a traditional form of time in the desert before he began makes us similar, it penance to show sorrow for his public ministry. creates equality, our sins. By creating We also fast to it breaks down hunger and a desire for sympathize with those walls and that which is denied, we who are hungry or poor eliminates are reminded of the and don’t have the distances. God reason why we are blessings we enjoy. did this with us.” fasting. During Lent, we Fasting helps to be more loving fast because Jesus fasted during his and compassionate.

© Copyright 2015 Success Publishing & Media, LLC February 2015 Page 2 The baptized are never alone

At Easter we renew our baptismal promises to All we have to do is asked. renounce Satan and sin, but we are also reminded The Baptized can accomplish anything. Alone, of promises God made to us when he chose us as we are weak. With God’s help, all things are his own. possible. God can work wonders with ordinary The Baptized are never alone. Remind people if we open our hearts to him. children that even when we aren’t with them, The Baptized are destined for Heaven. It is the God is. means they were chosen by desire of God’s heart to gather all the Baptized to God and set apart for him. They become part him. That is possible when we renounce Satan, of his family and he never forgets his own. his empty promises, and sin. If we open our The Baptized are never without help. When hearts to God, we are never alone and never life doesn’t go our way, God is ready to help. without hope.

Mark 1:12-15, Triumph in the desert Before beginning his public ministry, referred to Scripture – God’s word – Jesus spent 40 days in the desert for his instructions and acted upon I have always thought of the Rosary as fasting and praying. This was them. When Satan quoted Psalm a private prayer. I guess I thought the to strengthen him for the 91 for his own evil purpose, kids would think it too tedious to pray important work ahead. Jesus knew, understood, and it together. I had no idea that my Knowing that Jesus acted on God’s real message. children felt deprived without a family intended to loosen his evil Staying in prayerful contact Rosary. grip on the world, Satan with God, acting on his Last year on Ash visited him when he knew instructions in Scripture, and Wednesday, we were Jesus would be weakest. seeking his grace will help us trying to decide Satan tried to turn Jesus away resist evil, too. what family prayers from God, but spending time What can a parent do? Help with which we with God strengthened Jesus’ your child to identify a couple of wanted to open and connection to God. temptations that continuously turn close our days. We The combination of prayer, Scripture, her away from God. Brainstorm ways decided on the and grace helped Jesus resist evil and she can resist them. Arming ourselves Morning Offering temptation. For example, in response ahead of time makes us stronger in at breakfast. It’s to each of Satan’s temptations, Jesus the face of temptation. perfect because it offers all our efforts of the day to God. For the a sign of penance. Lent is our evening, I suggested the Guardian chance to amend our ways and Angel prayer but that idea was greeted become a “new creation” at Easter. with silence. February 23 – St. (156). “The Rochas say the Rosary at night February 8 – St. Emiliani of Smyrna, Asia-Minor, St. together,” said Kara. “How come we (1537). While serving as a militia Polycarp was a of the apostle never say the Rosary together?” said officer for Venice, St. Jerome Emiliani St. John and a friend of St. Ignatius Tessa. “You only ever say it by was imprisoned by the enemy. In of Antioch. He faithfully cared for yourself.” They looked at me like I was prison he taught himself how to pray his flock despite being surrounded keeping a great treasure to myself. and was inspired to escape safely. In by pagans and a Who knew? Now we pray the Rosary response, he became a priest and with government together every night. his own resources opened opposed to his orphanages, a homeless shelter, and a religion. Before hospital. he was To help parents raise faithful Catholic children Success Publishing & Media, LLC February 18 – Ash Wednesday. The martyred, he Publishers of Growing in Faith™ and Partners in Faith™ first day of the six-week season of thanked God (540)662-7844 (540)662-7847 fax Lent. Ashes from the burnt palms of for making him http://www.partnersinfaith.com (Unless noted Bible quotes and references are from the previous Passion Sunday are worthy of a the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible.) blessed and placed on the forehead as martyr’s death. © Copyright 2015 Success Publishing & Media, LLC