Lent and Easter
EASTER
The Church Speaks:
“And indeed Christ, when he rose up from the earth, drew all to himself (cf. Jn 12:32), rising from the dead (cf. Rom 6:9). He instilled in the Apostles his animating Spirit, and through his Spirit built his Body which is the Church” (Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope [New York: Knopf, 1994],181).
Resurrection New Life
When we rejoice in Jesus’ Resurrection, we also celebrate Christ’s gift of himself, which transforms us and enables us to become a self-gift to others. When this happens, we are renewed by the blessings that Easter gives us. On this day, we rejoice in Jesus’ conquest of sin and death and anticipate the Holy Spirit’s coming on Pentecost.
Jesus continues with us through his Church, the ongoing gift of his divine presence. We rejoice that our hard times and pain, like his, will be overcome, and that we will be rewarded some day.
Each Easter, by the power of God’s grace, given through the Holy Spirit, we renew our desire to cultivate our gift of self. We commit ourselves anew to our Risen Lord in his joys and suffering, so that one day we will rise and live forever in his Kingdom, where no more pain or sadness exist, only God’s all-embracing love. Then will we see how firm faith, steadfast love, and enduring hope prepare us to celebrate eternal life forever.
Pause to reflect on Jesus’ Resurrection and the difference it makes in our lives.
Reflection Questions
In the spirit of the Resurrection, we ask the following questions:
Ø Why do we celebrate our transformation through Christ’s gift of himself on Easter, the feast of the Resurrection? What does this feast tell us about ourselves and the purpose of our lives?
Ø How does the gift of the Church help us to cultivate our gift of self, given to us at birth?
Let us pray to the risen Christ, thanking him for the gift of faith.
Five Reminders of Easter
1. Sunday Eucharist. Every Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection.
2. Morning Prayer. Every day is a new day: Our relationship with God is restored!
3. Greeting our family “Good morning!” Restoring our relationship with one another.
4. Setting aside one or two moments throughout the day for talking with God.
5. Reconciliation. A special way to restore our relationship with
LENT - PREPARING FOR HOLY WEEK
Wednesday of Holy Week
Betrayal
Gospel of Matthew
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord"
Gospel of Matthew
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Jesus, the Word of God, will set us Free
Gospel of John
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
Gospel of John
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Jesus represents God the Father
Gospel of John
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Jesus, the Savior, the Light of the World
Gospel of John
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Fulfilling the Law
Gospel of Matthew
Third Sunday of Lent
Living Water
Gospel of John
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Being a Disciple
Gospel of Matthew
Second Sunday of Lent
The Transfiguration of the Lord
Gospel of Matthew
Wednesday, First Week of Lent
"Someone greater than Jonah here."
Gospel of Luke
Lk 11:29-32First Sunday of Lent
Gospel of Matthew
Ash Wednesday
"Be reconciled with God"
Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians -
EASTER REFLECTION
– the Celebration Continues (4th Sunday)
Biblical or Ecclesial Reference:
“The Christian meaning of death
is revealed in the light of the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection
of Christ in whom resides our only hope” (CCC, no. 1681).
Topic: Enduring Hope
As Jesus traveled to Jerusalem
for the last time, his time to fulfill the Father’s plan for the salvation of
humankind was drawing near. Jesus’ actions in washing his disciples’ feet,
giving us his Body and Blood at the Last Supper, and accepting his agony and
subsequent death on the Cross give us hope in difficult times and model
faithful endurance when darkness envelops us.
In times of suffering, failure,
family breakups, loss of friends, or a loved one’s death, Jesus’ death gives us
hope for a new tomorrow. Uniting our suffering with his helps us see that to
know ourselves we must turn our lives over to the Father. With hope, we trust
that he will sustain us, thus preparing us for our eventual resurrection. Such
enduring hope is the bottom line, if we are to recognize our true identity.
Pause to reflect on Jesus’
Resurrection and the difference it makes in our lives.
Reflection Questions
Uniting our suffering with
Jesus’ suffering, we ask the following questions:
Ø Why must we turn ourselves
over to the Father, as Jesus did, to truly know ourselves?
Ø What do you think Pope
Benedict means when he makes the following statement: “The one who has hope
lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of new life”
(Pope Benedict XVI, On Christian Hope [Spe Salvi] [Washington, DC: USCCB,
2007], no. 2).
Ø How does uniting with Jesus’
suffering and death help us maintain enduring hope during trials and
tribulations?
Let us pray that the Holy
Spirit gives us the grace of enduring hope.
_______________________________________________________________________________
3rd Sunday
Let us put ourselves in God’ s
presence.
Biblical or Ecclesial
Reference:
“And indeed Christ, when he
rose up from the earth, drew all to himself (cf. Jn 12:32), rising from the
dead (cf. Rom 6:9). He instilled in the Apostles his animating Spirit, and
through his Spirit built his Body which is the Church” (Pope John Paul II, Crossing
the Threshold of Hope [New York: Knopf, 1994],181).
Topic: Resurrection New Life
When we rejoice in Jesus’
Resurrection, we also celebrate Christ’s gift of himself, which transforms us
and enables us to become a self-gift to others. When this happens, we are
renewed by the blessings that Easter gives us. On this day, we rejoice in
Jesus’ conquest of sin and death and anticipate the Holy Spirit’s coming on
Pentecost.
Jesus continues with us through
his Church, the ongoing gift of his divine presence. We rejoice that our hard
times and pain, like his, will be overcome, and that we will be rewarded some
day.
Each Easter, by the power of
God’s grace, given through the Holy Spirit, we renew our desire to cultivate
our gift of self. We commit ourselves anew to our Risen Lord in his joys and
suffering, so that one day we will rise and live forever in his Kingdom, where
no more pain or sadness exist, only God’s all-embracing love. Then will we see
how firm faith, steadfast love, and enduring hope prepare us to celebrate
eternal life forever.
Pause to reflect on Jesus’
Resurrection and the difference it makes in our lives.
Reflection Questions
In the spirit of the
Resurrection, we ask the following questions:
Ø Why do we celebrate our
transformation through Christ’s gift of himself on Easter, the feast of the
Resurrection? What does this feast tell us about ourselves and the purpose of
our lives?
Ø How does the gift of the
Church help us to cultivate our gift of self, given to us at birth?
Let us pray to the risen Christ, thanking him for the gift of faith.
________________________________________
God.
LENT
From the internet
(Google) Catholic Link Everything You Need for Lent
• Apps (free)
• https://catholic-link.org/the-kids-are-alright-could-there-really-be-a-catholic-show-on-network-tv/
(Google) Simply Catholic KISS
• Keep It Simple, Sinner --- 1-1-1
• One sin/fault – concentrate on one thing I do wrong
• See: https://www.simplycatholic.com/a-simple-plan-for-lent-kiss-and-the-1-1-1-plan/
(Google) Station of the Cross for Our Times
https://ossory.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Stations-of-the-Cross-for-Our-Time-PDF.pdf
From Gloria F. Zapiain, M.A.,
Director for Evangelization and Catechesis - Archdiocese of San Antonio
From the Diocese of Des Moines, here is a handy, creative, 4-page “How To” Guide that gives perspective and context to the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for individuals – and especially for families.
https://www.dmdiocese.org/filesimages/Catechetical%20Services/Lent%202022/Living%20Lent.pdf
In addition, here are some Lent Faith Conversations – one page for each week of Lent, with an adult reflection on the Sunday readings and questions to help spark family conversations of faith:
Here are 3 Printable Aids to help plan Lenten practices for the whole family: adults/teens, children (ages 7-12). Each provides a write-it-in-yourself plan along with a guide to help them through the process: https://www.dmdiocese.org/filesimages/Catechetical%20Services/Lent%202022/My%20Lenten%20Plan.pdf
Ideas on the “three pillars of Lent” – Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving to help this to be a blessed and fruitful Lent for the catechists, children and families.
Here is a 2-page article for parents of small children (ages 2-6) and two projects about sharing Lent in age-appropriate ways.
This page provides a visual guide for planning out every family’s efforts to share with those in need this Lent.
For this project you may wish to consider Catholic Relief Services serving Ukraine: https://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/where-we-work/ukraine
Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio: https://ccaosa.org/
The Ukrainian Community in San Antonio: https://www.ukrainiansanantonio.com/
To aid all our families in their abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, you could suggest these quick & easy Meatless Soups. If there’s no fish-fry at your parish, (or even if there is) you can organize your own soup supper with some good bread and lively faith conversation with your families about their Lenten projects!
There are a few special days in the Lenten calendar that merit true celebration: St. Patrick’s Day, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Some ideas to get you started:
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