Preparing for Lent in the Catholic Home
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It is that time of year, where we prepare for the very holy season of Lent in our Catholic home. We had a great discussion over on Instagram regarding preparations.
And I’m sharing some of the ideas others have shared. As well as what we do in our little domestic church.
Related: Bible Reading Journal
Preparing for Lent
Before we get into the details of getting prepared for the Lenten season, let’s go over a brief explanation of what Lent is and why it is important for a Catholic.
Lent (the word “Lent” comes from the Old English “lencten,” meaning “springtime) lasts from Ash Wednesday to the Vespers of Holy Saturday — forty days, never minding the six Sundays which don’t count as “Lent” liturgically.
The Latin name for Lent, Quadragesima, means forty and refers to the forty days Christ spent in the desert which is the origin of the Season. The last two weeks of Lent are known as “Passiontide,” made up of Passion Week and Holy Week.
The last three days of Holy Week — Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday — are known as the “Sacred Triduum.”
The focus of this Season is the Cross and penance, penance, penance as we imitate Christ’s forty days of fasting, like Moses and Elias before Him, and await the triumph of Easter.
We fast, abstain, mortify the flesh, give alms, and think more of charitable works. Awakening each morning with the thought, “How might I make amends for my sins?
How can I serve God in a reparative way? How can I serve others today?” is the attitude to have.
This text is taken from Fisheaters.
Preparation for the Lenten Season
I would definitely advise that you check in with your spiritual director for advice prior to Lent. These are good conversation starters to gain his input.
But ultimately, the plan you follow should be determined between you and the guidance of a someone who understands what is best for your soul.
Three things to consider when preparing for Lent. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
And also things we can do to be more intentional and focused on improving our spiritual life.
Real fasting is not merely an abstinence from meats, but from sins too.
St John Chrysostom
What are some things we can do to truly follow our vocation in life? What small sacrifices can help us to follow God’s Will and bring us closer to Him?
Related: A Mother’s Rule of Life
Here are a few ideas on things to give up for lent:
- Social media
- TV
- Radio
- Checking phone often
- Texting
- Any other distractions
- Chocolate
- Sweets
- Coffee
- Fast Food / going out to eat
- Bread / pasta / bad carbs
- Meat
Here are a few ideas of habits to conquer:
- Any bad habits
- Shopping for things that aren’t a need
- Bad speech
- Clutter
- Don’t hit snooze on alarm
- Stop complaining
And a few ideas for practices to take up:
- Pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday
- Daily meditation 10-15 minutes
- Spiritual reading – daily
- Pray the Mother of Sorrows devotions on Saturdays
- Wake up early and spend quiet time in prayer & reflection
- Volunteer
- Donations within your means – clothing, money, food, etc
- Write notes of gratitude each day for others
What are some ways that you work on preparing for Lent in your Domestic Church?
More Lent Posts:
Preparing for Lent
Here are a few highly recommended books to consider for the Lenten season.
The Seven Last Words
2016 Reprint of 1952 Edition. Our Lord spoke seven times from the Cross; these are called "His Seven Last Words." In His goodness, Our Blessed Lord left His thoughts on dying. In the work Bishop Sheen expounds upon the Seven Last Words of Christ, elaborating on their meaning for Christians since the time of Christ to the present day.
The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ: From the Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich
The book that inspired the blockbuster film, The Passion of the Christ. Faithful to the Biblical account of the Passion, it fills in many hitherto unknown details. Edifying, inspiring, surprising, and heart-rending, Emmerich's descriptions of our Lord's Passion will melt a heart of stone.
Meditation on the Passion
From the Introduction ... "Among the many subjects proposed by the Church to us for mental prayer, there is none more profitable than the sublime mystery of Calvary. For even where everything is supremely holy-namely, in the actions of Him Who is the way, and the truth, and the life-the Passion is the culmination of sanctity, the highest exercise of virtue, the greatest cause of merit. Hence devout meditation on it produces most abundant fruit in souls. And for this reason, Saints and Doctors of the Church-those who are specially enlightened, those who spoke from experience, those who are our best guides in the spiritual life-with one accord praise and glorify it.
A Doctor at Calvary: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ As Described by a Surgeon
What the Gospels don't reveal about Christ's sufferings, science does. While the Gospels relate only the barest essentials concerning the physical suffering of Jesus, Dr. Pierre Barbet addresses these gaps with scientific inquiry. A Doctor at Calvary provides a forensic pathologist's analysis of the Holy Shroud of Turin, which reveals the graphic account of Jesus's suffering at the hands of the Romans. Through a modern medical lens, Dr. Barbet examines the methods of infliction and physiological effects of each wound. He also delves into the historic practice and mechanics of crucifixion.
