Activities

A season of reflection, repentance, and spiritual growth in the Christian tradition. It is a time to prepare for Easter by deepening one's relationship with God through prayer, fasting, and acts of service. 

Other then the diocese wide "bag of love" lent project and other supporting lenten projects promoted by Caritas SSVPs and Caritas POHDs, here are some suggested additional activities for individuals and groups that can help deepen the experience of Lent and reinforce its purpose and meaning:

Individual Activities

1. Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

   - Read a Lenten devotional or follow a Bible reading plan focused on themes like repentance, sacrifice, and renewal.  

   - Example: Reflect on the Psalms or the Gospels, particularly Jesus' journey to the cross.

2. Fasting and Abstinence 

   - Give up a specific food, habit, or luxury (e.g., sweets, social media, or TV) to focus on spiritual discipline.  

   - Example: Fast on Fridays or abstain from meat as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice.

3. Prayer and Journaling  

   - Spend time in prayer each day, focusing on gratitude, confession, and intercession.  

   - Keep a Lenten journal to document reflections, prayers, and spiritual insights.

4. Acts of Charity and Service - "Do unto others: volunteer and serve." 

   - Perform small acts of kindness or donate to a cause that aligns with Lenten values.  

   - Example: Volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to a food bank, or help a neighbor in need.

5. Stations of the Cross  

   - Meditate on the 14 Stations of the Cross, either at church or through a personal guide.  

   - Example: Use a booklet or online resource to reflect on each station.

6. Silence and Solitude  

   - Set aside time for silence to listen to God and reflect on your spiritual journey.  

   - Example: Spend 10-15 minutes in quiet prayer or meditation each day.

7. Examination of Conscience 

   - Reflect on areas of your life that need repentance and seek reconciliation.  

   - Example: Use an examination of conscience guide to identify sins and seek forgiveness.

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Group Activities

1. Lenten Study Groups

   - Join or form a small group to study Scripture, a Lenten book, or a devotional series.  

   - Example: Study books like *"The Cost of Discipleship"* by Dietrich Bonhoeffer or *"The Return of the Prodigal Son"* by Henri Nouwen.

2. Community Service Projects - "Share God's love through your service: volunteer." 

   - Organize group service activities to serve the community.  

   - Example: Host a food drive, clean up a local park, or visit a nursing home. Talk to you parish SSVP or POHD for ideas.

3. Prayer Circles or Vigils

   - Gather for communal prayer, focusing on Lenten themes like repentance and renewal.  

   - Example: Host a weekly prayer meeting or a 24-hour prayer vigil during Holy Week.

4. Stations of the Cross as a Group 

   - Walk through the Stations of the Cross together, either at church or in a community setting.  

   - Example: Create a visual or interactive Stations of the Cross experience for the group.

5. Lenten Retreats

   - Organize or attend a retreat focused on spiritual renewal and reflection.  

   - Example: A weekend retreat with sessions on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

6. Fasting Challenges

   - Encourage group members to fast together and share their experiences.  

   - Example: Fast from social media as a group and use the time for prayer or service.

7. Reconciliation Services

   - Participate in or organize a communal reconciliation service.  

   - Example: Invite a priest to lead a service with individual confessions and prayers of forgiveness.

8. Lenten Film or Book Discussions  

   - Watch or read spiritually enriching content and discuss its themes.  

   - Example: Watch films like *"The Passion of the Christ"* or read *"Mere Christianity"* by C.S. Lewis.

9. Almsgiving Initiatives - "Bear one another's burdens: give and volunteer." 

   - Collect personal donations or fundraise amongst friends for a charitable cause as a BEC group or parish ministry. 

   - Example: Sponsor a child in need or support a local shelter.

10. Holy Week Observances 

    - Participate in or organize special services for Holy Week, such as Maundy Thursday foot washing, Good Friday services, or Easter Vigil.  

    - Example: Host a Seder meal to reflect on the Passover and its connection to Christ's sacrifice.

Combining Individual and Group Activities

- Accountability Partners: Pair up with someone to share Lenten goals and encourage each other.  

- Lenten Calendars: Create a calendar with daily or weekly challenges for individuals and groups to complete together.  

- Prayer Chains: Organize a prayer chain where individuals sign up to pray for specific intentions throughout Lent.

Focus on Children

Focusing on the Three Pillars of Lent:

• Prayer:

  • Creating a Prayer Space: Designate a special area in the home with a small altar, candles, and a crucifix or image of Jesus. Encourage children to spend a few minutes there each day.

  • Family Prayer Time: Establish a regular time for family prayer, perhaps before meals or bedtime. Use simple prayers or children's prayer books.

  • Praying the Stations of the Cross (for older children): Use simplified versions or children's books to help them understand Jesus' journey.

• Fasting:

  • Simple Sacrifices: Instead of strict fasting, encourage children to give up something they enjoy, like a favorite snack or screen time, to create space for reflection.

  • Focus on actions: Help them to understand that fasting can also be about fasting from bad habits, such as complaining or arguing.

  • Understanding the reason: Explain that the little sacrifices help us to remember the big sacrifice Jesus made.

• Almsgiving:

  • Collecting Donations: Have children gather gently used toys or clothes to donate to a local charity.

  • Acts of Kindness: Encourage children to perform daily acts of kindness, such as helping with chores, writing thank-you notes, or offering to help a neighbor.

  • The Rice Bowl: Participate in programs like the CRS Rice Bowl, where children can collect spare change to help those in need.

Other Engaging Activities:

• Lenten Calendar:

  • Create a Lenten calendar with daily activities or reflections. This can include simple tasks like reading a Bible verse, performing an act of kindness, or saying a prayer.

• Crafts and Activities:

  • Crown of Thorns: Make a crown of thorns using pipe cleaners or other materials to help children visualize Jesus' suffering.

  • Lenten coloring pages: Coloring pages that depict scenes from the bible relating to the lenten season.

  • Creating a "Love Chain": Every time a child does a good deed, they add a link to a paper chain. This visually demonstrates their acts of love.

• Reading Bible Stories:

  • Read age-appropriate Bible stories about Jesus' life, especially those related to Lent and Easter.

  • Focus on the Gospel: During lent, focus on reading from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

• Meatless Fridays:

  • If your family observes meatless Fridays, involve children in preparing simple, meat-free meals.

Key Considerations:

• Keep it simple: Avoid overwhelming children with complex theological concepts. Focus on the core messages of love, sacrifice, and kindness.

• Make it interactive: Use crafts, games, and activities to engage children and make Lent a memorable experience.

• Explain the "why": Help children understand the purpose of Lent and how it connects to the Easter celebration.

• Lead by example: Children learn by observing, so participate in Lenten practices as a family

By engaging in these activities, individuals and groups can deepen your understanding of Lent, grow in faith, and prepare your hearts for the celebration of Easter.

Church’s social teaching / ethics is a good area to do reflect upon.

"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do." - Potter Stewart 

The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Its roots are in the Hebrew prophets who announced God’s special love for the poor and called God’s people to a covenant of love and justice. It is a teaching founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came “to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind”(Lk 4:18-19), and who identified himself with “the least of these,” the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45). 

The following principles offer a good basis for reflection and action. 

1. The Principle of Human Dignity.

"Every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, and therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human family"

This is the bedrock principle of Catholic social teaching. Every person--regardless of race, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, employment or economic status, health, intelligence, achievement or any other differentiating characteristic--is worthy of respect. It is not what you do or what you have that gives you a claim on respect; it is simply being human that establishes your dignity. Given that dignity, the human person is, in the Catholic view, never a means, always an end.

The body of Catholic social teaching opens with the human person, but it does not close there. Individuals have dignity; individualism has no place in Catholic social thought. The principle of human dignity gives the human person a claim on membership in a community, the human family.

2. The Principle of Respect for Human Life.

"Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and a right to life consistent with that dignity"

Human life at every stage of development and decline is precious and therefore worthy of protection and respect. It is always wrong directly to attack innocent human life. The Catholic tradition sees the sacredness of human life as part of any moral vision for a just and good society.

3. The Principle of Association.

"Our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society--in economics and politics, in law and policy--directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community"

The centerpiece of society is the family; family stability must always be protected and never undermined. By association with others--in families and in other social institutions that foster growth, protect dignity and promote the common good--human persons achieve their fulfillment.

4. The Principle of Participation.

"We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable"

Without participation, the benefits available to an individual through any social institution cannot be realized. The human person has a right not to be shut out from participating in those institutions that are necessary for human fulfillment.

This principle applies in a special way to conditions associated with work. "Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join unions, to private property, and to economic initiative"

5. The Principle of Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable.

"In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the last judgment (Mt. 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first"

Why is this so? Because the common good--the good of society as a whole--requires it. The opposite of rich and powerful is poor and powerless. If the good of all, the common good, is to prevail, preferential protection must move toward those affected adversely by the absence of power and the presence of privation. Otherwise the balance needed to keep society in one piece will be broken to the detriment of the whole.

6. The Principle of Solidarity.

"Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family.... Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that ’loving our neighbor’ has global dimensions in an interdependent world"

The principle of solidarity functions as a moral category that leads to choices that will promote and protect the common good.

7. The Principle of Stewardship.

"The Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation"

The steward is a manager, not an owner. In an era of rising consciousness about our physical environment, our tradition is calling us to a sense of moral responsibility for the protection of the environment--croplands, grasslands, woodlands, air, water, minerals and other natural deposits. Stewardship responsibilities also look toward our use of our personal talents, our attention to personal health and our use of personal property.

8. The Principle of Subsidiarity.

This principle deals chiefly with "the responsibilities and limits of government, and the essential roles of voluntary associations"

The principle of subsidiarity puts a proper limit on government by insisting that no higher level of organization should perform any function that can be handled efficiently and effectively at a lower level of organization by human persons who, individually or in groups, are closer to the problems and closer to the ground. Oppressive governments are always in violation of the principle of subsidiarity; overactive governments frequently violate this principle.

All eight of these principles were culled from the relatively brief "Reflections of the U.S. Catholic Bishops," as the second subtitle of Sharing Catholic Social Teaching describes this published product of the N.C.C.B. As I read on through the summary of the task force report, I found an articulation of two additional principles, which follow.

9. The Principle of Human Equality.

"Equality of all persons comes from their essential dignity.... While differences in talents are a part of God’s plan, social and cultural discrimination in fundamental rights... are not compatible with God’s design"

Treating equals equally is one way of defining justice, also understood classically as rendering to each person his or her due. Underlying the notion of equality is the simple principle of fairness; one of the earliest ethical stirrings felt in the developing human person is a sense of what is "fair" and what is not.

10. The Principle of the Common Good.

"The common good is understood as the social conditions that allow people to reach their full human potential and to realize their human dignity"

The social conditions the bishops have in mind presuppose "respect for the person," "the social well-being and development of the group" and the maintenance by public authority of "peace and security." Today, "in an age of global interdependence," the principle of the common good points to the "need for international structures that can promote the just development of the human family across regional and national lines."

What constitutes the common good is always going to be a matter for debate. The absence of any concern for or sensitivity to the common good is a sure sign of a society in need of help. As a sense of community is eroded, concern for the common good declines. 

To enhance the reflection process:

• Consider journaling your responses.

• Discuss these questions with family, friends, or a spiritual director.

• Look for opportunities to put your reflections into action.

Questions to Explore:

• What are some ways these principles affirm our work? 

• What are some ways these principles challenge our work? 

1. Dignity of the Human Person:

• "During this Lent, how have I actively recognized and upheld the inherent dignity of every person I encounter, especially those marginalized or overlooked?"

• "Where have I failed to see the face of Christ in others, and how can I work to change that perspective?"

• "How does my consumption and lifestyle either support or undermine the dignity of workers, particularly those in vulnerable situations?"

2. The Common Good:

• "In what ways have I prioritized my own needs over the needs of the community, and how can I reorient my focus toward the common good?"

• "How can I use my time, talents, and resources to contribute to a more just and equitable society?"

• "Am I actively working to bridge divides and foster unity within my community?"

3. Solidarity:

• "How have I shown solidarity with those who are suffering, both locally and globally?"

• "What steps can I take to better understand and address the root causes of poverty and injustice?"

• "How can I amplify the voices of the marginalized and advocate for their rights?"

4. Subsidiarity:

• "Do I empower those around me, or do I centralize power and decision-making?"

• "How can I support local initiatives and community-based solutions to social problems?"

• "Am I respecting the role of families and other intermediate groups in society?"

5. Care for God's Creation:

• "How am I fulfilling my responsibility to be a steward of God's creation?"

• "What changes can I make in my daily life to reduce my environmental impact?"

• "How can I advocate for policies that protect the environment and promote sustainability?"

6. Rights and Responsibilities:

• "Am I attentive to the rights of those around me, or do I only focus on my own?"

• "How do I balance my individual rights with my responsibilities to the community?"

• "In what ways can I better promote and defend human rights?"