I Need More Meredith

Yesterday, I posted the winners of our "Come to the Table" Giveaway.

We were lucky enough to give away three copies of Come to the Table: A Catholic Passover Seder for Holy Week by Meredith Gould. This is really a special book, written from the perspective of an adult convert to Catholicism who was raised in a Jewish home. The book helps families or parishes plan and celebrate their own Catholic passover Seder. With Holy Week approaching at an ever quickening pace, now is the time to order Come to the Table: A Catholic Passover Seder for Holy Week if you weren't lucky enough to be one of our winners.

Meredith Gould is an amazing woman and truly one of my favorite authors. You may be familiar with her regular column in Faith and Family magazine. If you're anxious to read more of Meredith Gould's work, be sure to check out her blog More Meredith Gould. You'll love it!

New Issue of Canticle Magazine

I wanted to share with you that the latest issue of Canticle is now available.

If you are not already a subscriber to Canticle, please consider giving yourself or a friend the gift of a subscription. You can now request a free trial issue of Canticle by calling 800-558-5452. Thanks to Heidi Hess Saxton, our wonderful Adoption columnist, for the tremendous work she is doing with Canticle.

This Lenten issue also features a special Easter insert and contains articles by some of my favorite writers (and one by me too!) including:

• Denise Bossert: "Judith: An Image of Feminine Valor"
• Ronda Chervin: "The Stations of the Cross for Widows"
• Gretchen Garrity: "Giving Lent a Try"
• Laura Yeager: "Grace-Filled Speaking"
• Lisa Hendey: "Knit Together in Love"
• Deb Richards: "Hope in the Desert"
• Pat Gohn: "Longing to Have Them Home"
• Karen Edmisten: "Seconds and Sacrifice"
• Sarah Reinhard: "Smells Like Roses to Me!"
  Judy McCloskey: "Fear's Growth Potential"
  

Two Great Games for Holy Week

In anticipation of Holy Week, here are two additional games from Laura Grace for you to enjoy with your family or students. Click on the underlined titles to download the game files. For more of Laura's lesson plans and games, click here.

Holy Week File Folder Game:
Directions - Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder.
Game Board - Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last.
Holy Week Questions - Use these questions or make your own. Use only the questions that reflect your student’s abilities.
Spinner - Make spinner according to the directions. Keep inside file folder.

Holy Week Spin the Bottle Game:
Holy Week Spin the Bottle Game - directions
Holy Week Spin the Bottle Question Cards - Print Question Cards out on card stock. Cut out Question Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last.

On my devotional wish list

I would love to have this set of outdoor Stations of the Cross for my back yard some day:

A beautiful and rustic 14 piece set of the Stations of the Cross for outdoor or indoor use. These are made of solid cedar wood and finished with cedar or walnut exterior grade stain. Each image is individually printed on metal plates which are then permanently fastened to the Shrine. These make great pieces for gardens, prayer paths, Church yards, or home chapels!

Free Stations Booklet

The Catholic Information Service of the Knights of Columbus is offering a free "Way of the Cross" booklet featuring traditional and modern meditations of the Stations of the Cross.

Click here to order your booklet.

Great Resource for Lent from OSV

One of my favorite resources for Lent is Catholic Faith Facts Q&A for Lent And Easter (Catholic Faith Facts) by Theresa Driscoll and Kelly Renz. Here's some information on this fun little product, which is a great tool for kids of all ages:

Quiz yourself and others with fascinating Catholic Faith Facts! Students, catechumens, youth, and families ... Play your way to a fuller Lenten experience. Everyone will have fun celebrating and embracing their Catholic identity with Catholic Faith Facts: Q & A for Lent and Easter. Each card features three questions of varying degrees of difficulty about one aspect of Lent or Easter: perfect for the Church, the classroom, or the dinner table! Build confidence in your understanding of Catholic Tradition while developing a deeper appreciation for the richness of this glorious season.

Order Catholic Faith Facts Q&A for Lent And Easter (Catholic Faith Facts) and support CatholicMom.com.

What's in Your Kids' Lunchbox Today?

Thanks to our fabulous section of Meatless Recipes on CatholicMom.com, I have plenty of ideas for what to cook for dinner during Lent. But I'm stumped on lunchbox ideas...aside from peanut butter sandwiches, what do your kids enjoy taking to school for lunch on Lenten Fridays? I'd love to hear your ideas here in the comments, or email me at lisa@catholicmom.com. My kids thank you in advance for your suggestions!

Catholic Moments #35 - Lenten Kid Cast

In this podcast, we kick off Lent with an update on Lisa's family visitors, review a "kids" cartoon, share a Lent quiz and discuss Lenten devotions. To share your comments, email us at catholicmoments@mac.com or comment at www.catholicmoments.com or call our new telephone feedback line at (206)339-9272.

Links for this episode:
Take Out Magazine
CatholicMom.com Contests
Lisa's Facebook Profile
Catholic Mom Catholic Company Store
Subscribe to Catholic Moments at iTunes
Subscribe to Catholic Moments in a Reader

Click here to listen to Catholic Moments Podcast #35

Our Lenten Journey Begins

Blessings to all of you today on Ash Wednesday, as we begin our journey towards Easter.

As I spend this week hosting my mother, parenting my own teen age sons, and caring for my toddler nephews, I am reminded of both the fullness of this life and also of it's many demands on each of us. With days packed full of laundry, preparing meals, driving to activities and trying to have a listening heart, it can feel overwhelming to try to look at living life with more spiritual devotion.

Many of us would love do extra volunteer work outside the home as a form of almsgiving or spend long hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament in adoration, but this may not be the best choice for our families. We can offer our very best to Jesus in our own homes through our little acts of prayer, fasting and sharing with others. As I receive the ashes today and commence this Lenten journey towards the joy of Easter, I will keep each of you and your families in my prayers!

If you are still looking for Lenten resources, including tasty meatless meal recipes, be sure to visit our Lent page at CatholicMom.com.

Lenten Guess the Question

Reader Ruth is looking for the March 2006 issue of Catechist magazine, which contained the "Lenten Guess the Question" game. Do you have a copy? Does anyone know about this game? Can you help? If yes, comment here or email lisa@catholicmom.com.
Thanks!

Resources for Lent

I realize that we were just "doing Advent", but if you look at your calendar you will note that Lent is just around the corner, with Ash Wednesday beginning on February 6th. Our Catholic Company store has a tremendous selection of Lenten Resources. Click here to view books, multimedia resources, children's items and more. Remember that your purchases help to support CatholicMom.com. Thanks!

To Teach: The Long Days of Lent

This month's To Teach Magazine from the USCCB offers a great look at "The Long Days of Lent" - we may have started off sprinting in February, but by the middle of March, many of us are dragging along. To Teach offers great tips for families, teachers and principals. One of the Family tips reminds us to receive the Sacrament of Penance at least once as a family during the month of March. Have you checked your parish bulletin to find out if a special Reconciliation service is being held?

• To Teach March Edition
• Examination of Conscience for families
  

Lent - A Time for Feasting?

One of my favorite resources, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio of Crossroads Initiative, has a wonderful column this week on how this Sunday's gospels relates to the topic of fasting vs. feasting during Lent. Check it out!

Also on the topic, I always enjoy this fresh perspective on "feasting" during Lent:

Fast from judging others and Feast on Christ dwelling in them;
Fast from pessimism and Feast on optimism;
Fast from complaining and Feast on appreciation;
Fast from negatives and Feast on positives;
Fast from bitterness and Feast on forgiveness;
Fast from self-concern and Feast on compassion for others;
Fast from discouragement and Feast on hope and
Fast on thoughts that weaken and feast on promises that inspire.

Lenten Reflection

I enjoyed the following piece which was shared last Sunday in my parish bulletin. Unfortunately, I don't have the author's name, so I am unable to fully attribute the piece. If anyone knows who wrote this, please reply in the comments below. This little reflection mirrors my own feelings towards this wonderful Lenten season:

Lent - 40 Days

If we were knives, Lent would be a time to sharpen our cutting edges.

If we were cars, Lent would be time for an oil change and a tune up.

If we were swimming pools, Lent would be time to filter the dirt out of the water.

If we were gardens, Lent would be time to fertilize our soil and dig out our weeds.

If we were carpets, Lent would be a time to get power-cleaned.

If we were VCRs Lent would be time to clean our head and adjust our tracking.

If were were computers, Lent would be time to overhaul our disk drive.

If we were highways, Lent would be time to repair our cracks and fill our chuckholes.

If we were TV sets, Lent would be time to adjust our focus and fine-tuning.

If we were batteries, Lent would be a time to get recharged.

If we were seeds, Lent would be a time germinate and reach for the sun.

Lenten Resource: OSV

The great "OSV4me" web site from Our Sunday Visitor has some terrific Lenten Resources available in their newly designed format. I was particularly moved by the Stations of the Cross for the Elderly.

Visit OSV's Lent: The Road to Easter

Avoid the Temptation to "Overdo" Lent

Yesterday, Eric and I had a long conversation about his chosen Lenten devotions. He described to me what he was planning to sacrifice (actually two things) and asked me what I thought about the ideas. I actually advised him to scale back on one of them, to make it a bit "easier" for him - my thinking was that he would likely not be able to remain committed to that particular fast and that he might experience guilt or remorse if he gave up on it. I tried to explain to him that I didn't think his fast needed to be punitive, and that it needed to be kept in the perspective of how sacrificing that particular item would ultimately bring him closer to Jesus.

I wish I would have had a copy of the new article I just posted at CatholicMom.com by our resident Dad, James Hahn - it expresses the exact sentiments I would have liked to share with Eric. I'll be giving him a copy this evening and would love it if you would take time to read this column too.

Avoid the Temptation to "Overdo" Lent by James Hahn

Reader Request

I received the following email from Stephanie and am wondering if anyone here may be able to help with information about this particular craft/activity idea for Lent:

I'm looking for a printable activity that a friend sent me ages ago and I don't have on my computer any more. It's a sheet with a crown of thorns printed on it and (I BELIEVE THIS IS HOW IT GOES) another graphic that is roses. I think the way it is used is that each child gets a crown and a batch of roses and with each Lenten sacrifice gets to color and put a rose on the crown so that by Easter the crown is covered with roses -- does this sound at all familiar to you? Thanks for your time!

Getting Ready for Lent

As everyone knows, we begin Lent tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. I am hoping to find some quiet time today to truly meditate upon my Lenten journey and to think about my desired devotions, sacrifices and charitable giving opportunities.

If you are planning or contemplating your Lenten devotions, here are some resources that may be of help or inspiration to you:

• Lenten Resources at CatholicMom.com
• Lenten Resources from USCCB
• These Forty Days Lenten Journey Blog
  

Global Fast 2007

You may have already heard about this project, but I wanted to invite you to join me in fasting for this cause on Ash Wednesday, February 21. Click here for more information on Global Fast.

Global Fast 2007, with the motto of “One Day to Change the World,” will take place Feb. 21 of this year. The charity project was created as a way to feed the poor, fight injustice and foster peace throughout the world.

The event invites people to “share their food” with the hungry, and to set aside a day of prayer for the world. Believing that faith, hope and charity can truly change the world, Global Fast creator Rich Halvorson hopes to grow an annual event with people from around the globe joining in a day of fasting and prayer. The vision of Global Fast is to unite people from across the world on one day to fight hunger, poverty and injustice.

“I wanted to create a simple thing, something that everyone can do that would truly make a global impact,” Halvorson said. “If we all give up our food together for one day, how many lives can we impact permanently?

“Charity is only half of it – the real key is the spiritual power of millions of us praying together. When we get caught up in the daily hustle, it’s all too easy for our prayer and faith to take a back seat. This is one day for the soul to really take priority.”

The charity aspect of Global Fast seeks to give everyday individuals a way to have “real impact” on the disturbing prevalence of global poverty. Each day, 852 million people are hungry and more than 16,000 children die due to hunger-related issues. As our world is torn apart by injustice, corruption and sin, there is a real need for charity, hope and spiritual renewal. Together, change can be accomplished through fasting and prayer.

Fasters are asked to donate to charity what they would have spent on food on Feb. 21 – which marks the beginning of Lent, a traditional season of fasting for Christians.

Click here for more information on Global Fast.

Lent Resources

As I mentioned earlier today, Lent begins later this month with Ash Wednesday on February 21. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has many wonderful resources available for you, your family and your parish to make this the best Lent ever. I will be sharing many of these resources here and at CatholicMom.com, but if you would like to look now to begin to prepare for Lent, click here to view the 2007 USCCB Lent Resources.