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Sharing Lent with Children Helping our children grow in their Catholic faith. February 2018 St. Martin of Tours Parish and School Jason Fightmaster, Principal Laurie Huff, Director of Religious Education Sharing Lent with children Lent can be an opportunity to share Family Prayer. Paul remembered, the rich traditions of penance and piety “Lent usually came during basketball we learned as children with our own season so I would race home St. Scholastica families. For example: from practice to join my Meatless Fridays. St. Scholastica was family for prayer. We took “Fridays in Lent meant the sister of St. turns choosing how we dried-out sh sticks,” Benedict, the prayed that night – the said Lisa. “We all hated founder of the Rosary, Chaplet of them, which Mom said Benedictines. Divine Mercy, was the point. She said Born in Italy Novenas. to offer our suffering around 480, she Sometimes it was to Jesus. I serve founded an order the only time each spaghetti on Fridays of Benedictine day we gathered to my own family. It’s nuns. Once a year, as a family.” also a simple meal but she and her brother visited together. Favorite it’s not sh sticks.” One year, sensing death was near, Devotions. “My Fasting. “Rather than Scholastica begged her brother to favorite Lenten give up one thing for stay, but he refused. She prayed and a devotion is the Lent, we gave up terrible thunderstorm resulted, Stations of the something new each preventing Benedict from leaving. “I Cross,” said Jane. day,” Nora said. “At asked a favor of you and you “Our parish hosts a bedtime we would write refused,” she explained. “I asked it of meatless meal every on a sticky note what we gave God and he granted it.” Friday and we pray the up that day and tape it to the Stations of the Cross right afterwards. I Love of God and others refrigerator. It was great fun to try to cover love sharing my favorite devotion with the fridge with sticky notes by Easter.” my own family.” Christian parents, by example, can help their children live the greatest commandments – love of God and neighbor. By creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, and Why do Catholics make humility ourish, the family places the spiritual above the material sacrices during Lent? aspects of society. Children learn to love as God loves – freely, Catholics make sacrices that take our attention away from condently, and without limits. during Lent to imitate Jesus’ God. 40 days of fasting in the As we fast from favorite “Discipline your desert. This was his period foods, luxuries, or activities, the children, and they will of purication and simplicity left in their absence bring you comfort, and enlightenment before encourages us to focus on God give delight to your beginning his public more deeply and identify how we soul” (Proverbs 29:17). ministry. Our sacrices have strayed from the path that will help us to avoid distractions take us to him. © Copyright 2018 Success Publishing & Media, LLC February 2018 Page 2 Refresh kindness during Lent Our youngsters need us to help them become caring, Stay calm. The stress of daily life can try anyone’s temper respectful children of God. Lent is an appropriate time but experts agree that yelling regularly can create a to refresh our family commitment to kindness. harmful environment in a home. Instead, speak Emphasize manners. Common courtesy is a sign calmly, lovingly, and ask others to do the same. of kindness both at home and in public. During Model gentleness. Next time your child does Lent, look for opportunities to model and something wrong – breaks a rule, gets a bad encourage the liberal use of “please,” grade, ghts with a sibling – don’t respond “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” and with anger or sarcasm. React gently. Turn it into a “excuse me.” Open doors, pull out chairs, teaching opportunity, but do it with gentleness. Treat wish others a “nice day,” and be patient yourself gently, too. Bonus: If you have a pet, even under trying circumstances. encourage and model gentle and respectful care. Mark 9:2-10, The test of the Transformation When Jesus met with Elijah and who he is. If we believe Jesus is Moses on the mountaintop, God's Son then we will Two years ago, Tessa declined to they talked about the want to do what he make a specic Lenten sacrice. She journey Jesus was going says. So he let the didn’t have a good reason; she just to make to Jerusalem disciples witness the dug in her heels. I and the Cross. Perhaps amazing meeting on the was ummoxed the holy men were mountaintop, and he let so I asked my offering support and them hear the heavenly pastor what to comfort, and Jesus voice proclaim Jesus as do. probably felt strengthened God’s son and instruct us Fr. Krempa by the meeting. to "listen to him." said the more Certainly he was bolstered What can a parent do? I tried to force by hearing the voice from Society may try to tell us her, the more Heaven. Still, he had a difcult what is right, but Jesus’ words likely Tessa will develop negative road ahead and he realized that are our nal authority. Help feelings about religion later on. despite all of his efforts, some would youngsters test everything they Instead, he suggested I create an refuse to listen and would be lost. But hear against Jesus’ words in the environment of penance in the home God knew that the desire to follow Bible and they will not be led and let her express her faith in her Jesus comes from condence about astray. own way. That’s what we did. Meals were simple, and we avoided luxuries. We palms of the previous Passion served at the local soup kitchen and Sunday are blessed and placed on homeless shelter. Kenny and I put the foreheads as a sign of penance. extra change into the poor box and Feb. 22 – The Chair of St. Peter. the girls soon caught on. Feb. 1 – St. Brigid of Ireland Today, we celebrate St. Peter’s Tessa liked being able to choose (525). Born to an Irish chieftain and establishment of the Holy See and what she did, and was serious about an enslaved mother near Dundalk, pray for the preservation of God’s service and self-denial. She got more Ireland, St. Brigid is one of the patron Church. Jesus named St. Peter the out of Lent that year than if I had saints of Ireland, and is known as rst pope, saying, “I tell you, you are forced her to “give something up.” “the Mary of the Gaels.” St. Brigid Peter, and on this rock I resolved to enter the convent, despite will build my her father’s attempts to marry her off. church, and the In 470, St. Brigid founded a powers of death To help parents raise faithful Catholic children Success Publishing & Media, LLC double-monastery for monks and shall not Publishers of Growing in Faith™ and Partners in Faith™ nuns at Kildare and served as its prevail (540)662-7844 (540)662-7847 fax http://www.partnersinfaith.com abbess until her death. against it” (Unless noted Bible quotes and references are from Feb. 14 – Ash Wednesday. The rst (Matthew the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible.) day of Lent. Ashes from the burnt 16:18). © Copyright 2018 Success Publishing & Media, LLC St. Martin of Tours Parish and School Jason Fightmaster, Principal Laurie Huff, Director of Religious Education = a day of abstinence Family Lent Calendar 2018 from meat Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday February 14 Ash Wednesday 15 16 17 Hot Cross buns are a traditional Lenten treat. “Lent is the liturgical season of forty days which begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Decide on a family Lenten Take your family to an Ash offering. Examples include: Share a meatless meal and Defrost frozen bread dough the celebration of the Paschal Mystery (Easter Triduum). Lent is the primary penitential Wednesday liturgy and wear no desserts, attend daily review each child’s Lenten and shape into rolls. After season in the Church’s liturgical year, reflecting the forty days Jesus spent in the desert the cross of ashes all day. Mass, pray a family Rosary offering to be sure they are baking, put icing crosses on fasting and praying” (Catechism of the Catholic Church). each day, etc. reasonable and sacrificial. buns and enjoy! 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Pick a saint depicted Today, practice being Turn off the television, Contact Catholic Relief Give up procrastinating in one of the statues in your Place a crucifix or picture peacemakers. Instead of unplug the computers, and Services (877-HELP-CRS, today! Join together to do one Adopt a priest or member church and learn about him or of Jesus in a central place to bickering, choose not to be take the phone off the hook catholicrelief.org) to see how task you have been putting of a religious order in your her. Ask the saint to pray for keep the focus on him. offended and move on to for a half hour to pray a you can help any of their off. diocese and pray for them your family during Lent. ongoing projects. something else. every day of Lent. family Rosary Choose a someone Make up a box for a 25 After Mass today, 26 27 28 1 March 2 3 featured in the news today Participate in Operation needy family or homeless explain the Gospel and Forgive someone who hurt Put a jellybean in a jar every Serve pretzels as a reminder of and pray for him or her at Rice Bowl, or fill a jar with shelter.
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