Celebrating Ash Wednesday

 

Here we are!  Lent is upon us and we now experience the 40 days (plus 6 Sundays), going through the suffering with God as we prepare for the death and resurrection of Christ.  The first thing that we did after we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a yummy pancake brunch and going to Ash Wednesday mass was Bury the Alleluia. 

 

We bury the Alleluia as a reminder that we do not use the word Alleluia throughout the days of Lent at home or at church.  We let the word "rest" during Lent so that when it reappears on Easter we hear it with new vibrancy and then can say it again and again! This year we got some fun wooden letters at Hobby Lobby that we decorated with gold glitter spray paint and decorated this simple wooden box that we will hold them in throughout Lent.  It is a great physical reminder to our family!

 

 

 

"Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19)

Our children enjoy going to mass on Ash Wednesday especially because they know that they can actively participate in mass by receiving the ashes!  Receiving ashes are not a sacrament but instead a "sacramental", meaning a "sign to help us prepare for the receiving of sacraments by giving us graces and blessings".  The ashes come from burning of the Palm Branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday mass, which were blessed by a priest before distribution.  We keep our palm branches as well to burn on Ash Wednesday as a fun little tradition.  In receiving the ashes we are embracing the suffering of the cross and the promise of Resurrection!

 

"Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" (Mark 1:15)

We have chosen what we are going to give up / take up this Lent and I think that it is going to allow for our family individually and together to draw closer to God. 

1.  Individually:  I am going to do the Whole 30 program (Or Whole40 for Lent!).  I have been wanting to do this for a while, especially after I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism this past fall.  I was going to start at the New Year, but after we experienced the miscarriage of our son Samuel the idea of starting something new with my diet faded quickly in the distance.  I know that God gave me this amazing vessel of a body and I want to use it to glorify God.  Out goes the things that I do not need for nourishment and in goes healthy whole foods.  I hope that at the end of this I am feeling healthy, more rejuvenated and have more energy to give to myself and my family.  Kelly over at This Ain't the Lyceum started a Lent Whole 30 group on Facebook for support!

I also am adding some great spiritual reading and journaling, and going to be more mindful of my time on social media.  I know that I receive a lot of graces and support from social media so I am not going to cut off completely but I will set a timer and be more mindful of what I am using it for (plus nothing at all on Fridays- see below).

2.  Couple:  My spouse and I love our time together in the evenings when he is not working, but too often than not we end up on the couch in front of the television simply due to exhaustion from our busy days.  We decided that we want to bring more fruitfulness to that time together and so during this Lent instead of watching our regular television shows and movies we purchased the Symbolon series and study guide that we will do together as a couple!  We are both really excited to learn more about the Church together!

3.  Family:  As a family the main thing that we are going to do is change the routine of our Fridays to take more notice of Christ's death on the cross.  As I previously mentioned we are going to not use any electronics (except for my husband when he needs to for work).  That means no e-mail, no television, no Ipads, no Facebook, no Neflix, nothing.  We got the Holy Heroes Stations of the Cross CD and Prayer booklet that we will use to pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday as a family.  We also got the Stations of the Cross images that we will display in our Little Oratory from Leaflet Missal, and made little flip books by laminating the images from Family in Feast and Furia for the kids.  The rest of the day we will just spend time together as a family reading, playing and having quality time.

 

I pray that as we travel through Lent that we are able to truly use this time to draw closer to God and each other.

Does your family have any traditions that you are adding to your Lenten season this year?  Do you need any special prayers during this season?  Please share!