Pray, go to mass, confession, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as often as you can.
Try to set a daily goal to sacrifice in three areas:
Diet: sacrifice a treat or food/drink item
Physical: do something physically difficult every day of Lent (push-ups; daily walk; run a mile, etc)
Spiritual: commit to spend daily time with God in prayer and Scripture
Home décor: your home can reflect the penitential Lenten season (use burlap; cactus instead of flowers; simple candles and religious items on tables or mantles; etc). Incorporate the liturgical color of purple (perhaps with a purple cloth on the table or purple candles).
Movie sacrifice suggestion: instead of watching a favorite show, watch a Catholic saint story or other religious film (free with your parishioner FORMEDaccount). Or, use that time to read about the Catholic Faith or lives of the saints.
Save money to give to the poor: brainstorm ideas for how you can do this together as a family. Perhaps eat at home instead of going out for a meal and give the extra $$ to charity. Is there some other little luxury that can be sacrificed and the proceeds donated to charity?
Pray the “Stations of the Cross” on Fridays. If you can’t go to the one at church, it is simple to pray them at home. Click here to print out the prayers (and pictures that children can color).
Sign up for “Holy Heroes” free Lenten adventure online (kids ages 5-12): HolyHeroes.com
Make a salt dough “crown of thorns” to place on your table: link here. For each Lenten sacrifice made, pull a toothpick out of the crown. The goal is to remove all the “thorns” by Easter. (Additionally, you could paint it gold and decorate with colorful jewels or flowers where the “thorns” once were and use as an Easter centerpiece.)
Another idea is to make an edible “crown of thorns” for Ash Wednesday or Good Friday: simply braid bread dough into a crown and bake. Push pretzel sticks (as ‘thorns’) into the ‘crown’ as soon as it comes out of the oven. (See idea here at this link)
Similar to the crown of thorns activity, you could also do a “bean jar.” On the kitchen table is placed a bowl filled with dried beans and a jar. When a family member makes a sacrifice, they put a bean in the jar. Then, on Easter morning, children wake up to find that the beans that have accumulated in the jar during Lent have been changed into colorful and yummy jelly beans! Click here for more on this idea.
LENT: a time to grow closer to God. To take up new practices that lead us toward him and to leave behind practices that distract us from him.
8 February: Feast of Saint Bakhita. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in Sudan. She was one of the Daju people; her uncle was a tribal chief. At age 7 or 8, Josephine was kidnapped by Arab slave traders. She was forced to walk barefoot over 600 miles to a slave market. For the next 12 years she would be bought, sold and beaten. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her name. The slavers called her “Bakhita” which is Arabic for “fortunate”. Her first owner beat her so severely she was incapacitated for a month (because of accidentally breaking a vase). She was sold to a Turkish general whose wife and mother-in-law beat her daily. As soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another. The wife ordered her to be scarred. They drew patterns on Bakhita’s skin with flour, then cut into her flesh with a blade. Bakhita’s wounds were rubbed with salt to make the 114 scars permanent. In 1883, Bakhita was sold to the Italian Vice Consul; he was a kind master and took her to Italy. She was then given to another family as a nanny. When traveling, the family placed her in the custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. While Bakhita was with the sisters, she learned about God. She was deeply moved and discerned a call to follow Christ. When her mistress returned, Josephine refused to leave the Sisters. The Mother Superior went to Italian authorities on Josephine’s behalf. The case went to court, and the court found that slavery had been outlawed in Sudan before her birth, so she could not be lawfully made slave. Josephine was declared free and stayed with the Sisters. She received the sacraments of baptism, Holy Communion and confirmation in 1890. The Archbishop who administered the sacraments was Giusseppe Sarto, who later became Pope Pius X. Josephine took her final vows with the Canossian Order in 1896. She worked as cook and doorkeeper at the convent. She was known for her gentle voice, smile, and forgiveness. She said: “If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, or even those who tortured me, I would kneel down and kiss their hands. Because, if those things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian.” In her later years, Bakhita suffered illness and was forced to use a wheelchair. She always remained cheerful. If anyone asked how she was, she would reply, “As the master desires.” On February 8, 1947, Josephine spoke her last words, “Our Lady, Our Lady!” In 1978, Pope John Paul II declared her venerable; he beautified her in 1992; and canonized her in 2000. Saint Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of Sudan and of victims of slavery and human trafficking.
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace designated February 8 as an annual day of prayer against human trafficking. Pray for an end to this evil!
For dinner, make an African-inspired meal: African peanut chicken, roasted cinnamon squash, and Sudani rice. Click here for recipes. For dessert, baked flan is a tasty traditional treat. Try this recipe, or simply use a box mix. Enjoy a cup of cinnamon infused tea.
A traditional Sudanese meal would be eaten on pillows around a low table (like a coffee table!). The main course is usually eaten with flat bread. No utensils are offered as the entree should be sopped up with the bread.
An fun snack idea is orange slices for sun, moon-shaped apple slices, and star cheese cutouts in reference to this quote: “Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, the beauties of nature, I asked myself, ‘Who is the owner of all these beautiful things?’ and I felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage.” – St. Josephine Bakhita
Use your parishioner FORMED subscription to watch the movie “Bakhita: From Slave to Saint” Link here. (Note: caution when watching with children; it does show Bakhita’s abuse)
3 February: Feast of Saint Blaise. Saint Blaise was an early-fourth-century physician from Armenia. He was also the bishop of Sebastea. Most stories of his life were written 400 years after his martyrdom in the Acts of St. Blaise. Blaise was known to be a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. He fulfilled his duties from a humble hermitage in a cave. He was known for many miraculous cures. Stories say that Blaise even healed injured wild animals who would show up at his cave seeking help. In the year 316, the governor arrested Blaise for being a Christian. While being escorted to prison, a distraught woman ran up to Blaise. She was carrying her young son who was choking on a fishbone. She laid the boy at the bishop’s feet. The boy was immediately healed. Another tale tells of a woman whose pig had been carried off by a wolf. The woman begged Blaise to help her. He promised that her request would be granted. Shortly afterwards, the wolf appeared at the woman’s door depositing the uninjured pig at her feet. Despite the miracles, the governor insisted that Blaise renounce his faith and sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was put on a stone table used for combing out wool and his flesh was flayed with the prickly metal combs that are used to remove tiny stones from wool. Finally, Blaise was beheaded. Saint Blaise is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (popular saints of the Middle Ages). Saint Blaise’s intercession is now invoked against choking and other ailments of the throat. He is the patron saint of throat illnesses, animals, wool combers, and wool trading.
The traditional Catholic practice for this feast day is the blessing of throats. The priest uses two of the newly blessed candles from the Feast of Candlemas (Candlemas, which occurs 40 days after Christmas on February 2nd, celebrates the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. When holy Simeon saw the baby, he said: “For my eyes have seen your salvation which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a LIGHT for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” From these words comes the traditional Catholic practice of the blessing of candles.). The two candles are tied together in the middle to form a cross. The priest holds the candles over the throat of each person and prays the blessing: Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other illness: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you are not able to attend Mass and receive this blessing, it may be done at home by the head of the household.
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
According to a Milanese tradition, eating panettone first thing on February 3 will safeguard the throat against illness. Here is a recipe for Panettone French Toast.
Saint Blaise bread sticks: In Europe, there is a tradition of giving blessed bread to others on the feast of St. Blaise. Homemade or store-bough dough is shaped into breadsticks (that look like a bishop’s staff) called St. Blaise Sticks or Pan bendito. Serve these with your fish dinner. Idea here.
Make Saint Blaise cookies for dessert (this is a fun edible craft activity for kids!)
Be sure to light candles on your table today; preferably ones that were blessed on Candlemas!
Another way to remember Saint Blaise and his gift for healing: use this day to restock the medicine cabinet and pantry with health essentials/remedies like bone broth, elderberry syrup, Vitamin C, and homemade soup.
Have a bonfire tonight: in England, bonfires are lit as part of Blaise’s feast day celebration – probably inspired by the sound of the English word blaze.
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