“For you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Genesis, chapter 3:19

March 6th is Ash Wednesday.

“Lent March 6-April 21, 2019 Prayer Fasting Almsgiving”

“The 2019 Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6, for Latin-rite Catholics with Easter Sunday on April 21.”

“During Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms, and to sacrifice self-control through fasting. Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection. In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God’s gifts—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446).”

Lectio Divina from USCCB.Org

“We begin our prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of selfrestraint.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”
(Collect, Ash Wednesday)

Lent for Children

“Turn away from sin, be faithful to the Gospel”

Source: MagnifiKid! Vol. 16. Part 4. Section 3. Page 3 By Lisa Reno

“Today is a very special Wednesday. Throughout the whole world, the Church begins to prepare for the great feast of Easter. This time of penance is called Lent, and it lasts for forty days. The word “Lent” comes from a word meaning “to lengthen.” This season happens in the spring, as the days “lengthen” and the sun stays out longer and longer. This is very appropriate, because Christ’s Resurrection is celebrated right when the trees and flowers are springing back to new life. You are also invited to experience new life, and MagnifiKid! is going to help you. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us what we must do in order to prepare ourselves. He invites us to give alms, to pray, and to fast. More importantly, Jesus asks that we do these things with love, and not for some reward. Lent isn’t about show, it’s opening our hearts more fully to God’s grace.”

Lenten Poster for Young Children from Catholic Icing

“Lenten Planning Pack–A Lenten Calendar for Moms and More! {25 Pages!!}” From Catholic Icing

The big question for kids is, “What am I going to give up?” Will it be dessert, or chocolate, ice cream, or video games? I read a wonderful blog that suggested we add behaviors we need to change to the list. Perhaps we can talk to kids about being less irritable with our family members, or more helpful to Mom and Dad.

Here is a list that the children can add to and hang on their wall or refrigerator to ponder.

Lenten Activities

Our Art Project–When the World Turned Dark

“From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.”

Christ Dies Upon the Cross

Source: USCCB.Org Matthew, chapter 27:45

Lent is a season associated visually with darkness at the beginning, then brilliant light at the end with the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday. My husband took the photo of the landscape below at an orchid nursery. The netting was to protect the flowers inside the “greenhouse.” It has such a wonderful feeling of darkness over a lovely scene. I wanted to replicate it for a Lent painting. I used a scrap of screening material over a dry watercolor I had painted using liquid watercolors, which I love for their pure colors. The second step is to paint black tempera on top of the screen material over the watercolor. When I peeled it off, it looked terrible. It had big spots of black. After a while, I decided not to toss it, but to use it in a collage, cut up into pieces. I cut strips of the painting and glued them onto a piece of watercolor paper with space between each strip. This looked beautiful to me! Teach kids to not rush to crumble or throw away a painting they don’t like–reusing it in a different form can give the “ugly” artwork new life.

Methods and Materials

Suggested Homework Activities

Continue to Learn About Jesus Through the Mysteries of the Rosary

Please read the Bible passage for one of the Sorrowful Mysteries each Sunday for the next five weeks. Help your child name them.

The Sorrowful Mysteries (These are recited Tuesdays and Fridays)

Please read about the “Second Sorrowful Mystery” with your child, “The Scourging at the Pillar.” If you have a child under age eight, it might be helpful to edit it for his or her ability to process it. You might find a simplified version in a Catholic Child’s Bible, such as the Child’s Bible below:

Here is an excerpt for children from My First Communion Bible for “The Scourging At The Pillar” and “The Crowning of Thorns,” which is age-appropriate for young children:

“Pontius Pilate’s soldiers tied Jesus to a pillar and whipped him. Then they put a scarlet robe over his wounds and pressed a crown of thorns onto his head. ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ they mocked. Then they continued to beat him with reeds and sticks.” Page 52

“THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN (Luke 22:43)
THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR (John 19:1)
THE CROWNING WITH THORNS (Matthew 27:28-29)
THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS (Mark 15:22)
THE CRUCIFIXION” (John 19:25-27)

Jesus is taken before the High Priest where He is falsely accused, buffeted and insulted.
The Jewish leaders take Jesus before Pilate, for only he can impose the death penalty.
The robber, Barabbas, is preferred to Jesus.
Pilate can “find no cause in Him”, yet to appease the Jews, he orders Jesus to be scourged.
The scourge is made of leather thongs to which are attached small sharp bones.
Jesus is bound to a pillar and cruelly scourged until His whole body is covered with deep wounds.
The Lamb of God offers His suffering for the sins of mankind.
Jesus suffers so much in His sacred flesh to satisfy, especially, for sins of the flesh.
The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: “He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins.”
Father, by the merits of Jesus in this painful scourging, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Spiritual Fruit: Mortification of the senses

Source: The Sorrowful Mysteries from Rosary-Center.org

Educational Activities for Lent for Kids

For activities for children 7-10 this Lenten season, I recommend My Catholic Lent and Easter Activity Book Written and Illustrated by Jennifer Galvin, which has twenty-seven “Reproducible Sheets for Home and School.” It covers all the important events in Christ’s life and death as He journeys to Jerusalem for the last time, including: An Act of Contrition, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Stations of the Cross, through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is educational, helpful, fun and interesting. It costs $9.21 on Amazon Prime.

Information and Activities For Children 7-10

This week, please read from a Catholic Children’s Bible about the story of “Jesus and the Children” with your child: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark, chapter 10:14) from Jesus of Nazareth The Story of His Life Written for Children by Mother Loyola.