Preparing for Lent 2012

I taught my second and final art class for the home school co-op and, after a short discourse on Lent which I hope was aimed appropriately at my young audience, we made Lenten Books, an idea I got from Catholic Icing, from whence so many great ideas come. The Stations of the Cross stickers are from Autom, which sells many exquisite (not goofy) Catholic stickers.

For the inside pages, I chose this Stations of the Cross for kids, whose prayers are particularly suited for the preschool age. (Example: "Dear Jesus, you were condemned to death due to false witness. Help us to be always truthful and never lie.") I greatly appreciated this Stations of the Cross too, though it is suited to kids ever so slightly older.

On the back page, this printable Lenten calendar for kids, one square to be colored in each day.

These three short books will take a parent of young children far during Lent.

So, mamas and daddies, are you preparing for Lent? Are you planning out your Lent like a spiritual battle? Are you guiding your young children to have a fruitful lent? This period of about six weeks is full of deep meaning and is salutary for the soul if a person puts effort into using the time well.

During Lent, Catholics are to focus on three activities: prayer, fasting, and alms giving.

Prayer: Extras? Different ones? Prayers on behalf of others not praying for themselves? Have you examined your conscience to discern your predominant fault? Are you working on a particular virtue? Have you chosen some focused spiritual reading (perhaps a classic work) to do during Lent?

Fasting: Corporal (or external) fasting? Spiritual (or internal) fasting? To what purpose is your fast? To make reparation for your own or others' sins? To help bring about greater virtue in yourself? To strengthen your own will, since one cannot resist Big Temptations unless one can resist Little Temptations? (I ask myself: If I am so weak that I cannot resist the chocolate, then why do I kid myself that I'd be strong enough to resist apostasy?) If little children do not learn how to sacrifice and go without some things they truly enjoy (albeit small and age-appropriate), why do we think that when they are older, they will have strength to sit with the sense of deprivation and be okay with that feeling?

Alms Giving: Can you give extra, more than usual? Money? Time? Treasure? Make a meal for a tired mama? Visit an elderly person? Feed a homeless person? Do chores for a disabled person? Can you give secretly or anonymously?

For children, I highly recommend Glory Stories' Holy Heroes Advent Adventure which is free and comes ready-made for busy mothers, right to your email in box throughout Lent. Glory Stories also sells some products to use with the program, if one so desires.

I think doing some crafts with children throughout Lent helps teach the littlest ones about Lent in a way they can understand. I hope to be posting about the crafts we do. Again, see Catholic Icing for enough ideas to last a lifetime.

For the parents guiding the family, I'd like to highlight this beautiful Lenten Pocket Calendar by Mancipia Press (Saint Benedict Center). I believe that one still has time to sign up free to receive one by Ash Wednesday.

The inspiring text is not available to copy and paste from online, so, for those who aren't going to receive this calendar by mail in time for Lent, I type out the text here, in purple:

Your 2012 Lenten Calendar

This pocket-size Lenten Calendar is to help you make a profitable forty-day period of prayer, penance, and spiritual exercises in preparation for the proper celebration of Easter.

The Lenten discipline consists of three separate parts:

1. Corporal or External Fast, including abstinence from certain foods, drinks, and amusements, i.e., music, and parties during Lent. These points of fast should be stressed today especially with the mania of entertainment besetting our society.

2. Spiritual or Internal Fast which consists of abstinence from "all evil"--sin. Saint John Chrysostom taught that the "value of fasting consists not so much in abstinence from food but rather in withdrawal from sinful practices." Saint Basil the Great explains: "Turning away from all wickedness means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger, suppressing evil desires, and avoiding all gossip, lying, and swearing. To abstain from these things--herein lies the true value of fast!"

3. Spiritual Change achieved by the practice of virtues and good works must be the main objective of our fasting. The Fathers of the Church insisted that during Lent the faithful attend the Lenten church services and daily Mass.

In the course of the centuries, our fasting discipline has undergone numerous and radical changes. Today, unfortunately, the observance of Lent is but mere formalism, reduced to abstinence on certain days and without any stress on one's spiritual growth or amending of one's life style. [bolding mine]

It is urgent that we return to the pristine spirit of the Great Fast which is so badly needed in our materialistic world.

You may use this calendar to mark your progress in spiritual and corporal practices.

Listed below are suggested practices that may be used along with your usual Lenten family traditions of sacrifices and penances.

Corporal or External Practices
a. Take less of what you like and more of what you dislike at meals today.
b. Take nothing to drink between meals.
c. do not use seasoning on your food today.
d. Do not use any sweeteners with your food or drinks today.
e. Avoid listening to the radio at all today.
f. Take nothing to eat between meals today.
g. Avoid any T.V. or videos; instead read the Passion of Christ in your Bible or missal.
h. Take only one helping of each item at meals today.
i. Say an extra Rosary.

Spiritual or Internal Fast Practices
a. Don't do any unnecessary talking; instead, say little ejaculations throughout the day.
b. Exercise your patience today in all things.
c. Don't make any complaints today.
d. Restrain any anger, and go out of your way to be kind to the person who caused your anger.
e. Don't be distracted with someone else's business.
f. Avoid any gossip today; instead say an extra Rosary to overcome this great fault.
g. When asked to do something extra, do so with a joyful and pleasant attitude today.
h. Speak in a pleasant tone to everyone today.
i. Avoid using the phone today.
j. Tell the truth in all your dealings today.
k. Avoid any vanity or self-seeking today.

Spiritual Practices (virtues and good works)
a. Practice humility today in all your actions.
b. Be generous today; help someone in need.
c. Look for ways to be helpful throughout the day.
d. Do a job that needs to be done without being asked.
e. Be courageous; walk away from any impure situations today.
f. Don't be idle at all today. Always be doing something for others or for your spiritual growth.
g. Go out of your way today to help or talk to someone who is usually difficult.
h. Volunteer for an extra job today.
i. Say an extra Rosary today for the conversion of a sinner.
j. Visit someone who is sick or lonesome today. Offer to say the Rosary with them.


And in the spirit of Lent, I copy-and-paste the below meditation on sins of the tongue, not because I have these faults "licked," but because I need so much to overcome them myself. As Jesus said, "So I tell you this, that for every unfounded [or idle] word people utter they will answer on Judgement Day, since it is by your words you will be justified, and by your words condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)  We ladies like to talk, and I am no exception, so it sends a chill down my spine to think that I will answer for every idle word said!

Source: Six Practical Means to Overcome Sins and Faults of the Tongue

Sins and Faults of the Tongue: To Speak or not to Speak – That is the Question

Dear Sister,
There is a lot of noise around me – constantly. So much chatter. It seems to me that conversations in general are getting more superficial. I’m reminded of the title of one Shakespeare’s plays. It seems to fit what I am trying to say – Much Ado about Nothing. What are your thoughts?
Dear Friend,
Ah! Much Ado About Nothing. Well said!
I hear a longing in your question – a longing for something deeper, restorative and spiritual. To fulfill this longing, we must all try, even though it is not so easy in today’s culture, to re-discover the healing power of silence. As Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time a time to be silent, and a time to speak.”
Each one of my Carmelite Sisters, including myself, is required to make an eight-day silent retreat yearly. When we first entered Carmel, silence was difficult for us. It was new. Many of us spend our first eight-day retreat simply meditating with growing astonishment that anyone could even keep quiet for eight full days, and how were we ever going to get through it? Of course, throughout the years, we have all come to love it.
There are two kinds of silence – exterior and interior silence. Each complements the other. Each makes the other possible. Both bring you closer to God. We learn to keep still and quiet so that we may pray. It doesn’t take long to realize that the external silence, once achieved, reveals all those interior noises that converge within our minds. The Carmelite way is a way of profound prayer and we all find out soon enough that our interior thoughts can be very noisy. I’ve heard from people who had tried the hermit way of life, and left it because the silence uncovered so much of their interior noise. As they put it, it uncovered too much.
During one eight-day silent retreat, the retreat master, who happened to be Father Thomas Dubay, SM, spoke about the opposite of silence. He concentrated on speech, on WHAT we CHOOSE to say and WHEN we choose to say it.
I still have my notes from that memorable eight-day retreat. Each point was an eye-opener for me. You may find this helpful in your quest. So, here are my notes from conferences given by Father Dubay, who divided the topic into two sections:

1. Obvious Sins of the Tongue
2. Unrealized Faults of Speech

Obvious Sins of the Tongue – “In a multitude of words, sin is not lacking” (Proverbs 10:19).

• Detraction – speaking about another persons’ faults (faults that are true) without a good reason (Sirach 21).
• Calumny - which is speaking about a persons’ faults (faults that are not true).
• Bickering – speaking nasty or biting remarks
• Nagging – the constant complaining, scolding or urging about a fault even if it is true; to find fault constantly (Proverbs 21:9).
• Ego-centrism - constantly referring to what I did, what I said, etc. Constantly talking about ME
• Breaking confidences - for there are natural secrets that should not be spread; people have a right to their reputation (Proverbs 11:13)
• Dominating a conversation to prove a point – and most of the time we are unaware we are doing this.
• Salacious talks/jokes - which has to do with speaking impurely (Ephesians 5:3-4).

Unrealized Faults of Speech

• Talking can be a big waste of time – when the talking is empty and gossipy (Matt. 12:36)
• Neglecting the spiritual in our speaking with others - which is the main business of our lives (Ps. 25:15; Eph. 1: Col. 3:12; Eph. 5:18-20)
• Dissipation and draining of our psychic energies – leaving us fatigued, distracted, and unable to do our tasks at hand
• Bad example – to our family, friends, co-workers, but especially to our children
• Excessive comfort-seeking through words – which includes talking over and over again about one’s hurts
• Excusing ourselves – when we should not
• Vain discussions – when our time could be better spent (2 Tim. 2:16-17)
• Meddling in others’ affairs (2 Thess. 3:11-12)

How to Overcome Sins of the Tongue

1. Daily prayer.
2. Frequent Confession and Holy Communion.
3. Pray for the grace to recognize all of the sins of the tongue — some are obvious, some are subtle.
4. Pray for the grace to keep silent during discussion of a bad situation.
5. Pray for the grace to keep silent during discussion of another person.
6. Just keep silent.

RULE: NEVER pass on derogatory or uncomplimentary information about anyone, unless the Word of God has given you the specific authority and responsibility to do so, and the person you are informing likewise has responsibility in the situation and a need to know the information.
Of course, the reason we have times of silence is so that we may turn our conversation toward God. The silence we are speaking of is a prayerful, expectant waiting silence. Our world has too much noise in it today, and if we are really honest, each one of us could probably say that our hearts do also. When we do speak, let us be more attentive to what we say, why we are saying it, and how it affects others.
Thank you for your question and until next time,
Sister Laus Gloriae, O.C.D.