Video: 40 Days

Check out this video of Matt Maher's Lenten song "40 Days" set to drawn images of Jesus in the desert.

Forty days to wander

Forty days to die to self

Forty days to grow stronger

Where do you need strength this Lent?  What do you seek as we wander together these forty days?

Lent: Time for a Road Trip

This article appeared in the March, 2011 edition of the Maneline, St. Mark's monthly newsletter.  The dates are off, but the heart of the text remains true.

The view was something like this

Road Trippin'

Last Christmas I returned to my hometown, Austin, Texas. Instead of flying, my wife and I road tripped with my best friend from high school (a youth minister in Harrisonburg) and his wife. Six months into our marriages and new ministry positions, there was much to discuss: the transition to life in Virginia; our different but beautiful communities; and life with a spouse. Beyond the conversations, we shared many “meals” that usually consisted of food purchased at a small-town edition of a fast-food restaurant. But we both brought food along for the journey to share with each other. I had Star Wars gingerbread cookies and he had the most delicious homemade peanut brittle. With friendships refreshed, the end of our trip found us physically tired and hungry for substantial food, which Mom happily provided with homemade lasagna and fresh bread.

During Lent, we all will take a different sort of road trip. Though our life situations are vastly different, the destination is the same: Easter. All the extra “stuff” we do during Lent (both communally and individually) is meant to prepare us for that glorious moment when the bells are rung, the Gloria is sung, and we celebrate the Resurrection!

But what about that road trip? How will we spend our time in the car? Thankfully, the Church has been on quite a few of these road trips and has some suggestions to help change us into people ready to celebrate the Resurrection. She recommends three practices during Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Prayer
In prayer, our search for God finds a tongue and ears. On my Texas road trip, prayer took the form of conversation – listening and speaking. We talked about everything under the sun, asked each other for gum, and probably said a few “I’m sorrys” for wrong turns and incorrect fast food orders. Our Lenten prayer takes a similar shape: speaking to God about anything and everything, listening to God in silence and with Scripture, asking God for guidance and help, and saying sorry. When we relate to God in this way, our friendship is refreshed and we (s l o w l y) become better guests for the Easter party that God is throwing.

Saying goodbye to fast food can be hard

Fasting
Fasting forces us out of our M.O., our normal way of doing things. During the day long drive, we fasted from comforts normally sought when sleeping, namely a stable, horizontal bed with a variety of coverings and a familiar pillow. The words “I’m going to sleep well tonight!” came out of our mouths the second the motor stopped humming. When we deny ourselves cheeseburgers, Netflix, and judging, we become more aware of the physicality of our body, the depth of our mind, and our quick emotional reactions. By denying ourselves the comforts and normalcy of life, we relearn to enjoy them all the more and our “thanks be to God” becomes more sincere. Fasting during Lent is as much about giving up good things as it is about conversion from bad habits. When we fast from judging AND from listening to music in the car, we enter into better relationship with other Easter party guests and will enjoy the music so much more.

Almsgiving

A statue of a beggar receiving alms

Sharing is difficult, but so much more so when you only have a finite amount of resources. And homemade peanut brittle proved to be very finite on the long trip. Yet, my friends kept giving, not from their excess but from their very limited supply. Lenten almsgiving should affect those closest to us in addition to those most in need. Giving tangible gifts to the poor is a great way to give alms, but what if instead of giving our ugliest, never-worn sweater we gave our favorite jacket? Or if we sat down as a family and decided not to eat out after mass on Sundays and instead give that exact amount to the poor each week? These gifts affect us more because there is an actual cost involved. Giving to the poor then becomes giving ourselves—our time, our post-mass meal, our favorite shirt, our skills—and the gift, in a certain way, becomes more genuine. When we give these gifts of self to the poor and to God, we prepare ourselves to receive the ultimate authentic gift of self at the Easter banquet, the Eucharist.

Lent gives us the wonderful opportunity to reorient ourselves to God by committing to practices meant to make us more fully alive, giving new life to parts of life in need of a change. Our three disciplines are not ends in themselves, but a means to participate in the workings of the Spirit and in the Body of Christ as a whole during this season. We do not do them to win the favor of God, but to become more aware of the love that God has for us by preparing the way.

May our road trip together be fruitful. Happy traveling!

Image Credits: Christian Cable, Thiophene Guy, on flickr

7 Steps for a Good Lent (For You & Your Family)

After the Fat Tuesday party dies down today, be prepared to answer the ubiquitous Lenten question: "What are you giving up for Lent."  Using the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, there's more to Lent than not eating chocolate.  But even if you repeat your Lenten practices from last year, it's still a good idea to think about what it is you're doing and so make your Lent an intentional pilgrimage with the Lord.

Enter: the 7 Steps for a Good Lent, as conceived by Coming Home Catholic (CHC), a group focused on renewing religious education in the family.  Their guide is focused on your family and how your family will keep the Lenten practices.  Below are their Seven Steps with additional suggestions.

Before Your Start Your Lenten Practices

Decide as a family what to do for Lent.

Step 1: Take the Family Inventory
CHC put together a good inventory/assessment tool (PDF) your family can use to think through major areas of family life.  With your entire family, answer the questions and highlight a few areas your family needs to improve on.

Step 2: Think About Lenten Resolutions
Pick at least one area your family can focus on from your inventory results.  Consider how your family can pray, fast, and give alms to make a difference in that area.  CHC recommends resolutions that are easy enough to do for 6 weeks but still challenging.

Step 3: Celebrate Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday
Many, many years ago, Lenten dietary restrictions included restrictions on dairy products.  Shrove Tuesday was the day when all those products were used up.  What do eggs, milk, and butter play a prominent role in?  Pancakes!

The key is not to go overboard and eat everything in sight.  Instead, taste whatever it is you're eating and celebrate life.

Lent: Prepares You For Easter
Step 4: Learn About Lenten Practices
To prepare us to celebrate Easter, the Church recommends three practices.  Learn a little about each of them below.

Truth.

• Prayer is our conversation with God, both individually and communally.  Here are some ideas on how your family can pray.  And other ideas too.
• Fasting increases our awareness of our bodies and our minds, sharpening ourselves that we may better be attuned to God.  This practice has overshadowed the other two, and is where we get the "giving something up" part of Lent.  Here are some ideas on how your family can fast.
• Almsgiving is a practice that invites us to care for the poor and oppressed within our community and our family.  Usually we think of giving money (CRS' Rice Bowl is a yearly tradition), but here are other ways to give alms this Lent.

Step 5: Follow Through
Write down your resolutions on the refrigerator, the door, all your mirrors, your alarm clock, your arm, even your face -- anywhere that will help you remember your family's resolutions.  Keep your family in your prayers!

Holy Week

Soon, but not yet.

Step 6: Prepare Your Home For Easter
Once Holy Week rolls around, start scrounging around for Easter decorations.  Holy Saturday is a great time to put up the decorations.  You've just spent 40 days fasting -- it's time to celebrate with all we have, including our house!

Step 7: Participate in Triduum
Come to Mass on Holy Thursday, participate in a Good Friday service, and attend the Vigil.  These are the three holiest days of the year -- make the most of it!  (More on this in April.)

What will your family do for Lent?  Where do you want new life in your family?


Image Credit: Nick Booth, LivingOS, Mikey G Ottawa, and Marek52 on flickr, 

Ash Wednesday in Two Minutes

Continuing our preparation for Lent, below is an excellent video that reviews Ash Wednesday in two minutes.  As a reminder, if you're clink the link to see when St. Mark in Vienna, VA has Mass on Ash Wednesday 2012.



Video courtesy of Busted Halo.

Reminder: No RE President's Day Weekend

Lincoln's Birthday is Feb 12

We will not have Religious Education classes at St. Mark on February 19, 20, or 21.  Classes will resume February 26, 27, and 28.

Enjoy your three-day weekend!

Image Credit: USDAgov on flickr

10 Common Lenten Questions

Why is Lent 40 days?  Why do we give up things during Lent?  What's the deal with the ashes?

Below is a great short video that will answer these questions and more as we prepare for the beginning of Lent.


Prefer to read?  Check out the transcription to the video.

Do you have any questions about Lent?  Leave a comment and I'll respond with the answer.

Fall in Love

<3 God

Nothing is more practical than finding God, 

than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

-- Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ

Image Credit: mimitalks on flickr