Lent

Repost from 2010:

"And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" - Luke 9:23.

Prayers for Lent

* The seven penitential psalms are traditionally prayed during the days of Lent.  They are quite long, though, so can be split up, one a day for each day of the week, or all of them together prayed on Fridays in Lent.

The Prayer Before A Crucifix

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I fall upon my knees before Thee, and with most fervent desire of my soul, I beg and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart a lively sense of faith, hope and charity, true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. And with deep affection and grief of soul, I reflect upon Thy five most precious wounds, having before my eyes that which Thy prophet David spoke about Thee, o good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and feet, they have numbered all my bones." Amen.


In Latin:

En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu

En ego, O bone et dulcissime Iesu, ante conspectum tuum genibus me provolvo, ac maximo animi ardore te oro atque obtestor, ut meum in cor vividos fidei, spei et caritatis sensus, atque veram peccatorum meorum poenitentiam, eaque emendandi firmissimam voluntatem velis imprimere; dum magno animi affectu et dolore tua quinque vulnera mecum ipse considero ac mente contemplor, illud prae oculis habens, quod iam in ore ponebat tuo David propheta de te, o bone Iesu: Foderunt manus meas et pedes meos: dinumeraverunt omnia ossa mea. Amen.

* If you recite this prayer before crucifix, and under the usual conditions, on any of the Fridays in Lent (including Passiontide), you may receive a plenary indulgence.

Traditional Rules of Fast and Abstinence
 For Lent

(compliments of Fish Eaters)

 
Ash Wednesday snd all Fridays: fasting and total abstinence. This means 3 meatless meals -- with the two smaller meals not equalling in size the main meal of the day -- and no snacking.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays (except Ash Wednesday), and Thursdays: fasting and partial abstinence from meat. This means three meals -- with the two smaller meals not equalling in size the main meal of the day -- and no snacking, but meat can be eaten at the principle meal.

What To Eat

On those days of fasting and abstinence, meatless soup is traditional. Sundays, of course, are always free of fasting and abstinence; even in the heart of Lent, Sundays are about the glorious Resurrection. This pattern of fasting and abstinence ends after the Vigil Mass of Holy Saturday.

As to special Lenten foods, vegetables, seafoods, salads, pastas, and beans mark the Season, in addition to the meatless soups. The fasting of this time once even precluded the eating of eggs and fats, so the chewy pretzel became the bread and symbol of the times. They'd always been a Christian food, ever since Roman times, their very shape being the creation of monks. The three holes represent the Holy Trinity, and the twists of the dough represent the arms of someone praying. In fact, the word "pretzel" is a German word deriving ultimately from the Latin "bracellae," meaning "little arms" (the Vatican has the oldest known representation of a pretzel, found on a 5th c. manuscript). Below is a recipe for the large, soft, chewy pretzels that go so well with beer:

Soft Pretzels (makes 12)


1 (.25 ounces) package active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
1 Tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 6 qt. water in large pot
egg + water for eggwash
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons coarse pretzel salt or kosher salt


In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.


Meanwhile, place parchment on cookie sheets and oil paper.


After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 2 to 3 foot, finger-thick rope. With the rope, make a U, cross the ends, twist, and attach to the center of the bottom of the U. Place on the parchment-lined sheets and let rise, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes. While they are rising, bring the baking soda + water in the pot to a boil. When the pretzels are risen, boil the pretzels in the water for about 3 minutes, turning once, til puffed a bit. Place on sheets and brush with eggwash.


Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt (can use garlic salt or cinnamon sugar instead).

  Meatless Menus:

Cooking with Catholic Mom
Lenten Recipes at About Catholicism
Kelly the KitchenKop's Lenten Recipes (Check out all the good stuff at her Nourishing Traditions blog!)
The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies' 40 Meatless Meals
Catholic Cuisine's Meatless Meals Using Beans
Readers' Recipes for Lent at Faith and Family Live ('09)

Activities For Children

Lots of Lenten activities and ideas for children here.
I love Kimberlee's Lenten Cross idea
Catholic Mom has a Stations of the Cross coloring book
Here is a salt dough recipe for the crown of thorns bread activity for Lent
And more ideas at Catholic Culture

"Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God."

~Thomas a Kempis