R.E. 22nd February 2021.

Thinking of others During half term we celebrated (Pancake Day) and .

Today we will think about why we have a day dedicated to eating pancakes!

To understand why we have Pancake Day we need to understand that it is the day before the first day of . What can you remember about Lent?

When does Lent start?

What do we have to do during Lent?

What colour do we use during Lent and why? Lent is a journey to grow closer to God.

When does Lent start? Lent starts on Ash Wednesday.

What do we have to do during Lent? We have to do three things: Pray Fast (give up something) Give alms (help others)

What colour do we use during Lent and why? We use the colour purple because reminds us of ’s pain and suffering leading up to the crucifixion. In our last lesson we found out that Christians spend some time giving up something they enjoy during Lent. We do this for 40 days. (Lent lasts for 46 days but Sundays are not counted as this is the day we celebrate the resurrection.) Why 40 day? This is because Jesus spent 40 days praying and in the desert. It wasn’t easy and there were times he was tempted to give up. But he didn’t. When we give up something for Lent we remember this time in Jesus’ life.

But why do we make pancakes? The time just before Lent was called ‘Shrovetide’ The word ‘Shrive’ means ‘confess’ and people went to church in the days before Lent to say sorry to God. The days before Lent became known as ‘Shrovetide’.

Going back a long time ago, Christians would mark Lent by giving up lots of ‘rich’ food such as meat, eggs, fish, fats and milk. Before Lent could begin they had to remove all these foods from their homes. As they wouldn't last until Lent was over, they had to be eaten.

On Shrove Tuesday (the day before Lent begins) eggs, butter and milk would be used up. One of the easiest ways to do this was to turn them into pancakes. We still do this today – even though we don’t give up eating eggs, butter or milk in Lent

Another name for ‘Shrove Tuesday’ is “’ or Fat Tuesday. In some countries there are big parades and celebrations. When we give up something during Lent, it helps us to think more about what we really need, rather than what we want. We have discussed this in class. We may want a PS5 or the latest game but do we need them?

Can you explain the difference between a ‘want’ and a ‘need’? (It might help to think of synonyms for these to words.)

Make a list of your wants and needs. Talk to your grown up about your ideas. We know from watching the recent CAFOD assembly that not everyone in the world has all they need. Praying in Lent is one way that we can remember the needs of others. When we pray for someone we are not only asking for God’s help, we are remembering that God wants to help us to.

Your task is to write a prayer asking God to help those in need. There is a word bank on the next page to help you. Remember, a prayer starts “Dear God/ Dear Lord” and ends with “Amen”

Why not use your prayer to help you Pray in Colour through lent. You can use a calendar to help you (I’ve put a couple of templates on the next two pages). Each day, choose a word to think about or a person to pray for. Write the word or name in one of the spaces with a pen and draw or doodle around it. Add color with colored pencils or markers. Let the word or name speak to you. If words come to you as you draw, pray them. If not, just continue to draw, stay quiet, and let the word or name burrow into your mind and heart. Returning to the calendar each day establishes a special time to be present to God and to listen. Have a look at https://prayingincolor.com/tag/lent for more ideas. As an alternative, you could just colour in a section each time you say a prayer.