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Not long ago, a nice lady wrote me saying
We are both Protestants but are searching out Catholicism, just to give you a quick back ground. There is not much out there for us on practical implications of these different Church Seasons. So my question is this: how do we bring this time to life for our kids?
I can empathize. Christmas is easy to celebrate in ways that are fun, spiritually nourishing, and downright tasty for kids. It’s a holiday chockablock with song, sugar, and games. But it’s tough to say, “Gather round, everybody! It’s time to fast and contemplate our mortality!” Still, there’s lots of stuff out there on ways to observe the different sorts of sacred time, including Lent.
During the Lenten season, the best guide is probably to focus on the normal activities at a healthy Catholic parish. Just as Christmas recalls the birth of Christ, so Lent recalls His time in the desert, fasting and preparing for His mission of death and resurrection. In the same way, we are to enter into a time of preparation for the Easter mysteries through the three great means of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The idea is greater detachment from the world, the flesh, and the devil and greater attachment to God by the power of the Holy Spirit. God, being generous, is pleased by the smallest movements of the will in His direction and will honor whatever you do toward that. For the newbie, there are a number of traditional things that can be done with the family. Continue reading the article here….
