Reflections for Lent (February, March and April, 2007)

EWTN ^ | Lent 2007 | EWTN staff/various

[Salvation]

 

Click here for the February reflections.

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Click here for the March reflections

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Click here for the April reflections

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[Salvation]

< href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1788297/posts">Reflections for Lent (February, March and April, 2007)

Pre-Lent through Easter Prayer and Reflections -- 2007

Stations of the Cross [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

For study and reflection during Lent - Mind, Heart, Soul [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Fast-Family observance Lenten season [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Pre-Lenten Days -- Family activities-Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras)[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent! [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Lenten Fasting or Feasting? [Catholic Caucus]

Pope's Message for Lent-2007

THE TRUE NATURE OF FASTING (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

The Three Practices of Lent: Praying, Fasting. Almsgiving

The History of Lent

The Holy Season of Lent -- Fast and Abstinence

The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross

Lent and Fasting

Mardi Gras' Catholic Roots [Shrove Tuesday]

Ash Wednesday

All About Lent

Kids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children

Why We Need Lent

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006

Lent a Time for Renewal, Says Benedict XVI

Why You Should Celebrate Lent

Getting the Most Out of Lent

Lent: A Time to Fast From Media and Criticism Says President of Pontifical Liturgical Institute

Give it up (making a Lenten sacrifice)

The Triduum and 40 Days

[Miss Marple]

Hi, Salvation! I am giving up alcolhol, and will be attempting to increase my prayer time each day. My husband and I will also be attending the Stations of the Cross each Friday and they scriptural study afterwards.

I hope to make this Lent more meaningful than last year's. I was getting ready to enter the Church, my mother was sick and then passed away, and all the while I had a very bad case of the flu. By the time I recovered, it was almost Easter. I feel like last year all I did was mark time during Lent, and I want to make it count for something this year.

[Miss Marple]

The other thing I will be striving to do during Lent is to USE SPELLCHECK! Sorry for the typos!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I have promised to fast at least twice a week for the clergy in this diocese and try to get me and hubby in the habit of doing morning and evening prayer. I went out and bought two copies of the Shorter Christian prayer so I can give it a try. My theme is disciplined following of Jesus this lent...I am not nearly as disciplined and efficient as I could be...That's a hard thing for me.

[Ciexyz]

Bump for Lent.

[Ciexyz]

May I add a note of levity here: I'm looking forward to the delicious fish fries at church. It's a great place to get healthy baked fish dinners. We should all eat more fish for good health.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I've stocked up some..but we eat a fair amount of fish anyway, and try hard to keep all Fridays meatless. Hubby I believe, could eat fish 4 days a week and chili on the other three....

[Ciexyz]

In reference to fish, I like to poach salmon or tilapia is a little water in a pan on the stove, then serve it with steamed veggies. The fish just flakes off the fork and is very tasty.

[Salvation]

Sound like you will have a wonderful Lent this year. Goodness, with everything that happened last year............what can I say?

Glad you're here!

Spellcheck -- me too. Did you see where I goofed on the one link above. Oh, well, I'll fix it.

God bless.

[Salvation]

**fast at least twice a week for the clergy in this diocese**

That is an outstanding prayer intention. Maybe the rest of us can join you in that! (Only praying for our diocese -- LOL!)

[Salvation]

Fish is one of my favorite proteins, so in no way is it a sacrifice to eat it. I try to give up another food in its stead. I love Mexican food -- so I think that's what I will give up this year.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Salmon is so good. I bake it, broil it, poach it...I think I like it broiled best.

There is a fish the local store is selling called Bassa that is really nice...firm and white-fleshed.

I've been coating it in Shake and Bake and baking it, and it's good. Want to try doing that with tilapia.

Maybe we should create a thread: Lenten recipes.

[Salvation]

ASH WEDNESDAY

" Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return."
                                                 Gn. 3:19

Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. (Joel 2:13)

Reflection.
The liturgical use of ashes originated in the Old Testament times. Ashes symbolized mourning, mortality and penance. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes when he heard of the decree of King Ahasuerus to kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire (Esther 4:1). Job repented in sackcloth and ashes (Job 42:6). Prophesying the Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem, Daniel wrote, "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).
Jesus  made reference to ashes, "If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have reformed in sackcloth and ashes long ago" (Matthew 11:21).
In the Middle Ages, the priest would bless the dying person with holy water, saying, "Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return."
The Church adapted the use of ashes to mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, when we remember our mortality and mourn for our sins. In our present liturgy for Ash Wednesday, we use ashes made from the burned palm branches distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, "Remember, man you are dust and to dust you shall return," or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." As we begin this holy season of Lent in preparation for Easter, we must remember the significance of the ashes we have received: We mourn and do penance for our sins. We again convert our hearts to the Lord, who suffered, died, and rose for our salvation. We renew the promises made at our baptism, when we died to an old life and rose to a new life with Christ. Finally, mindful that the kingdom of this world passes away, we strive to live the kingdom of God now and look forward to its fulfillment in heaven.

Lenten Question
Q: What is Lent?
A: Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). [This traditional ennumeration does not precisely coincide with the calendar according to the liturgical reform. In order to give special prominence to the Sacred Triduum (Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) the current calendar counts Lent as only from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, up to the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Even so, Lenten practices are properly maintained up to the Easter Vigil, excluding Sundays, as before.]

Lenten Action.
Invite a non-practicing friend to Mass with you.

Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you despise nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent.
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our brokenness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Ash Wednesday is a day of both fasting and abstinence.

[Tax-chick]

Maybe we should create a thread: Lenten recipes.

"The Bean Dish with the Noodles" and "The Noodle Dish with the Beans"! (Also, "That Lentil Stuff Again.")

I don't consider any of this penitential, actually ... the "suffering" part is listening to the rest of the family's complaints!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

LOL!

I was thinking of 20 ways to make boiled cabbage and potato soup, myself! LOL!

[Tax-chick]

That's not a favorite of mine. I think I have a cauliflower in the refrigerator, so I can make cauliflower curry.

[mockingbyrd]

While you're at it, any good non-fish, non-dairy recepies?

I can't do fish, hubby can't do milk...Fridays in lent are kind of hard, and he's not too impresses pb & j.