Not the old life
When Jesus rose from the dead, he didn't just resume his old life;
he was given a new and glorious life. That is what awaits all those who
follow him.
Ashes to ashes ...
To ancient jews, wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes showed repentance
and humility and acted as a penance. Today wearing the ashes of Ash Wednesday
is meant to show our repentance but also acts as a witness of our faith.
Take the opportunity to explain the practice when others ask why you wear
the ashes.
A prayer for Lent
I"God of all mercy and steadfast love, we do not always live the way
you want us to. Forgive us. Help us during the season of Lent to examine
how we can be more faithful followers of Jesus Christ, your son. Guide
us in our pilgrimage of discipleship. May our words and actions truly reflect
your will for us. Amen."
The Essential Catholic
Prayer Book, Liguori
Publications.
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Make the journey back to God during Lent
Why do we begin the holy season of Lent with ashes on our foreheads
- a sign of repentance? Throughout the year we may have turned from God
in many small ways and perhaps significant ones too. While God respects
the freedom he has given us as his children, he urges us to come back to
him to reconcile. Our wise Father knows that it's the only way we can be
truly happy.
The Church has identified three tools we can use to make our Lenten journey
back to God more effective: prayer, fasting and almgiving. These tools
will help us to clear the static in our connection to God and help us to
take our places as his true children.
Prayer
"... When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and
pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will
repay you" (Matthew 6: 5-6)
Shine the light. When you string lights or light Advent candles,
let them be a reminder to you throughout the Advent and Christmas season
to share the light of your faith with others through you words and action.
Conversational prayer.
All relationships need nurturing - even our relationship with God. It is
in prayer that we can confide our deepest desires, hurts, needs. It is
in prayer that we discern God's voice. Especially during Lent, make time
every day to talk to God and grow in love with him. Remember, he finds
everything about you interesting.
Community prayer.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). Praying in a group not
only brings God into your circle, it also makes members aware of the needs
and concerns of others who may be outside the circle.
The Rosary prayer.
The Rosary is a time-honored way to pray to Jesus and his mother. This
year why not make the Rosary your Lenten prayer? If time is limited, do
a decade at a time and watch them add up by the end of the day. Consider
offering a special Rosary in honor of the Year for Priests. Go to the U.S.
Conference of Catholics Bishops website for more details: http://www.usccb.org/yearforpriests/prayers.shtml.
The Stations of the Cross prayers.
Walking the Stations of the Cross is a powerful way to pray during Lent.
If your parish doesn't offer a Stations of the Cross prayer service as
a community, take a few moments each week to stop and meditate at each
of the Stations displayed in your church. Reflect on Jesus' journey from
judgement to burial.
Private Eucharistic prayer
Praying before the Eucharistic is one of the most sacred places to
pray. Consider arriving for Mass early to spend extra time in prayer before
the tabernacle.
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