How to Use My Guide: Sacrifices During Lent

Over the next few blog posts, I'll explain to you how I am using the pages in my Family Lenten Master Plan Guide, and include some ideas for you to use in your home during Lent.    You can find the entire guide to download here:

A Planning Guide For Lent

The first page is a list that you can write in what every family member is giving up/doing extra for Lent.  You can also write in a sacrifice for the whole family.  Some good sacrifices, to be chosen by one person or everyone in the household:  Give up candy, tv, FB, the computer, dessert, video games, a favorite food, (in our house it would be pizza!) or favorite drink (around here, that's hot chocolate!)  Extra things to do during Lent:  Pray more, learn new prayers or scripture, read the Bible or other faith-filled books, practice listening to your parents or children, talk more quietly, go to church more often, do something nice for someone every day, and practice being patient in the grocery store, in the car, etc.

The trick here is that it should really apply to your family.  Giving up candy if you rarely eat it isn't really a sacrifice.  It's also not a sacrifice if you're doing it to curtail the cavities or lose the extra 5 lbs.  It needs to be something that, every time you can't do it, it is a reminder that it's Lent.  It needs to be something that draws you closer to the cross and the sacrifice that Jesus made.  Many times, people will give up a favorite activity and replace it with prayer, extra time to spend strengthening the family's faith, or religious reading.  They are 'making room' in their schedules for more time with Jesus.  Some years we give things up and replaced them with other things, some years we try to do more, and this year my family has chosen individual sacrifices.

We have also sacrificed a different thing each day.  This works well if your children are young and sacrificing throughout all of Lent would be impossible.  One year, my children decided to give up tv, candy, and the computer, but each one was given up on 2 days each week.  For example, Monday and Thursday they chose to not watch tv, Tuesday and Friday no candy, and no computer on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  This way, they had a sacrifice every day, but it was more manageable for them because it wasn't the same thing for the entire season.

 I also liked that this helped them really focus on the reason behind giving these things up, which is that we try especially hard during Lent to become more like Jesus, and to appreciate all that He gave for us.  The variety helped them think about why some of their sacrifices were harder than others, and how with life's ups and downs, it is sometimes easier or harder to follow Christ!

One last thing about sacrifices and doing something extra.  I truly believe that these should be optional.  Keep in mind, there's no church law on having to give something up, so it's okay if you or your kids choose not to do this.  I think if you explain the reasoning behind these practices, your children will likely want to participate to one degree or another.  However they choose to observe Lent is up to them.  I try to give my kids a variety of opportunities, and each one usually chooses to do things slightly differently.  Observing Lent is not optional in our house, but how it is observed is up to each family member.

Have a Blessed Lent,
Carolyn

A Planning Guide for Lent!

It happens to me every Lent.  I find all these great ideas that I want to do with our family, and then I get so overwhelmed that I never get organized enough to do them!  This year, I decided to organize everything so that I can keep it all in one folder, and it will be ready to go when I need it.  I looked online and couldn't find anything, so I made my own, and now I'm sharing it with you!  This guide contains several different types of pages, so you can use all of them, or just pick the ones that will work for your family.  The guide is free for you to download here.  You have my permission to use it for non-profit church, homeschool, school, religious education or family use.  Please include the copyright info. when you print.  You may not post the guide anywhere on the internet.  Please instead link back to this post.

Have a Blessed Lent,
Carolyn

Blessing Your Home on Epiphany

We celebrate Epiphany, remembering the wise men visiting Jesus, this weekend.  A wonderful tradition to mark this day is to bless your home for the coming year.  I hand out a copy of the blessing and chalk at our Family Mass every year, and I've included it below for you!  You'll need a small piece of chalk.  We usually let each of our children mark the house, so we repeat the blessing three times at three different entrances to our home.

Marking the doorway.

PRAYER FOR A BLESSED HOME ON EPIPHANY

It is a tradition in Europe to bless the home on Epiphany.  You can use the prayer service below and a piece of chalk to ask God’s blessing on your home and family during the coming year.  The ‘C+M+B’ in the inscription stand for the names given to the Magi in Western tradition, and also for the Latin ‘Christus Mansionem Benedicat’ meaning ‘May Christ Bless this House.’  The ‘+’ are crosses.  The 20 and 15 represent the year.  You may make the inscription on the inside or outside of your home, above one or all doors leading into the home.  Traditionally, the Father makes the inscription and the Mother is the leader, but any family member could do it, or you could take turns. 

This is also a good chance to remind your children that although we talk of three wise men and give them names, we don’t actually know how many of them there were or their names.  We know they came from far off places to worship Jesus and that they gave him three gifts.  They remind us that Jesus came to be known by and save all of mankind, a wonderful fact we celebrate every Epiphany.  Have a blessed Epiphany and Merry Christmas!

Begin by the entryway to the house.  All make the sign of the cross.  The inscription should be made at the appropriate time (listed below) above the doorway in a horizontal line so that it looks like this:  20 C+M+B 15

Leader:  Peace be with this house and all who live here.

The three wise men,

Caspar,                                                    Write the ‘C’

Melchior, and                                           Write the ‘M’

Balthasar                                                  Write the ‘B’

Followed the star of God’s

 Son who became one like us

Two thousand                                         Write the ‘20’

And fifteen years ago.                             Write the ‘15’

May Christ bless our dwelling                 Write the first ‘+’

And remain with us throughout 

the New Year.                                       Write the second ‘+’

May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find Christ living among us; and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is your incarnate Word, now and forever. Amen.  All make the sign of the cross.

One of our inscriptions from last year.

Happy Epiphany!

Reflecting on Faith at the End of the Year

I've found many templates for kids to look back and reflect on this year, but none from a faith perspective.  I want to give my children a chance to look back on their relationships with God, so I've made my own template, and you are welcome to use it with your own family and parish!  I've explained what I had in mind next to each entry below (except for the first 4, they're pretty self-explanatory,) but feel free to use it in a way that works for you.  The square to the right, which is only on the linked page, is for a photo.  You can get to the link for the printable sheet here.

Growing in Faith- 2014  

Name:                                                             

Age:

Favorite Hymn:

Favorite Prayer:

Favorite Bible/Faith Story:  Any favorite story of faith throughout the year.  It could be a true story, something that happened in your family, or something you heard about.  It could also be a story from a book or the Bible.

Religious Milestones:  Any first sacraments received, either by you or another family member.  It could also include a realization about your faith or relationship with God.

Favorite Church Memory:  A memory of a fun time with your church/parish!

A Time When God was There:  A period or event during the year when God was helping you.  Keep in mind, the help might not have been in the way you thought it would come or necessarily wanted, but God was still working in your life nonetheless.

My Goal for Growing in Faith in 2015:  What are your goals for strengthening your faith and your relationship with God in 2015?  For some great ideas, check out this post by Lacy over at Catholic Icing!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Santa looks an awful lot like Saint Nicholas doesn't he?  Some people forget that 'Santa Claus' (Saint Nicholas) was first a bishop!

Today is the feast of St. Nicholas!  Nicholas was a wealthy young man who became the bishop of Myra, in modern day Turkey.  He gave what he had to the poor, and had a special care for the welfare of children. He is the patron saint of children and a model and reminder for us to be generous and giving, just as God is generous in giving us His only Son.

How can you be generous and giving this season?

Slow and Steady!

How did the tortoise not get frustrated in his race with the hare?  He had PATIENCE!  He joyfully kept moving forward, even though it was slow and steady, and he reached his goal.  That is how it is with Advent. We keep joyfully moving forward, patiently, calmly waiting for and working towards Jesus!  How are you patiently waiting for Jesus, and working to welcome him into your heart?

A Second for the Spirit: Advent

St. Lucy's name means 'light.'

My 'A Second for the Spirit' flyers give you ideas to nourish the faith of your family in just seconds, because they fit one of two criteria:  1. They really take very little time to accomplish, or 2. They are probably things that you were already doing anyway.  Click here for the Advent edition. It is packed full of ideas on celebrating saint days during Advent.  The flyer includes information on St. Andrew, and you can find a copy of his Christmas novena here, at EWTN (Eternal Word Television.)

Have a wonderful, saint-filled Advent!