Lenten Season: A Special Time for the Family

Goal

At the end of the household, MFC members should have spent quality time with their family through prayer and sharing towards having a deeper relationship that will lead them home with Christ. 

Gift

A gift is something unasked for, but freely given. Time is a gift. Let us offer this gift most especially to our own families by scheduling a short family household. You may do it during meal time or down time, after Mass, or whenever it is comfortable to gather the whole family.

Glory

(Lead your family into a short prayer) 

Lord, we come home to You and glorify You as the center of our family. As we are gathered at this moment, grant us the grace to have a simple sharing with one another. May the Holy Spirit inspire us and fill our family with Your Love. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. 

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us.

Grab

What is it that you really like or enjoy doing that is hard to give up? (Ex. desserts, sweets, long sleep, impulse purchases, unhealthy habit, fast food, soda, etc.)

Grace

Return to the Lord, your God. Joel 2:13

Lent begins each year on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter Sunday. This year, Lent begun on February 22nd, 2023, and will end on Holy Saturday, April 8th, 2023. Lent is the 40 days, not including Sundays, from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. Christians around the world consider Lent a time to reflect on what Jesus did for us.

Lent is a special time to get rid of sin, return home and fix our eyes on Jesus Christ. This season is a beautiful opportunity to reflect on the immeasurable love of Jesus Christ he has shown us when he died on the cross. Remembering His life, suffering, death and victorious resurrection enable us to find strength as we carry on and follow Him, even in the most challenging times. 

As what the late Pope Benedict XVI said, "Lent is like a long retreat during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual ‘combat’ which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God, and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our baptism.”

As children of God, we are not just spiritual beings, but physical entities as well. And the way to the soul is through the body. That’s why Lenten discipline has historically centered on its three pillars which are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Prayer during Lent is a way to stir up our love and devotion by having a deepening conversation with God. Remember that the light of God’s love shines more brightly in the darkness of the recognition of our own sinfulness.

Fasting means refraining from some kinds of food or drink. By denying our bodies, our physical hunger reminds us of the hunger of our souls for God, our longing for a deeper relationship with our Lord.

Almsgiving is the practice of giving goods, money, or food to people living in poverty. This teaches us to separate ourselves from material possessions. By freely giving of our money and possessions, we learn to trust the Lord more deeply for our own daily needs.

This season is an opportunity for your family to return home together in Christ. Lent is a prime time to introduce spiritual disciplines—prayer, fasting, remembering, simplicity – into your family’s lifestyle. As parents, you’re modeling and cheering on “laying aside every weight” in order to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Let’s make the most out of Lenten Season in our family.

Gather

Among the three pillars of Lent, what resounds you the most personally and why?

Go Forth

Lenten season is being united with Christ in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the three pillars of Lent. With that, do this as your family Lenten activity. 

Family almsgiving. Ask each family member to find three good-quality, useful items that would be appreciated by those who are less fortunate. Donate the items to a favorite charity.

After doing the activity, pray together for those who will receive them. Moving forward, commit to a time of prayer as family. Agree on a specific time when the members of the family will come together to pray and surrender everything to the Lord. Together, we can bring our requests, petitions and even our worries to the One who controls everything and knows what is best for us.

Group Family Photo

Have a family photo during your ‘family almsgiving’ or ‘family prayer time’ then post it on your social media account. Use the hashtags #MissionaryFamiliesofChrist #FamilyHousehold #LentenSeason