Lenten practices Archives - Catechist's Journey

Guided Reflection on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

With Ash Wednesday quickly approaching, now’s the time to think about how you will introduce the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to your students. In addition to using the seasonal chapters in your textbook, take some time for reflection on these traditional practices. Download a Guided Reflection on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. This prayerful reflection introduces young people to the three Lenten disciplines and invites conversation with Jesus about how to make prayer, […]

Pop-Up Prayer: Guest Fr. Andy Alexander, SJ

Joe Paprocki

With the season of Lent upon us, the question looms: “Do we pray differently during Lent?” To answer that question, I turned to Fr. Andy Alexander, SJ, the Director of the Collaborative Ministries Office and Online Ministries at Creighton University and co-author (with Maureen McCann Waldron), of Praying Lent: Renewing Our Lives on the Lenten Journey. For more information about praying during the Lenten season, check out the following links: Praying Lent: Renewing Our Lives […]

family praying together - Living the Liturgical Seasons at Home - Lent

Practical Ways to Observe Lent at Home with Children

Julianne Stanz

As catechists and parents, we are keenly aware that there are a lot of ideas competing for our attention during Lent. When deciding on a focused Lenten practice, there are three questions to ask: Is this practice focused on God, others, or myself? Does this practice help me fast from something that I truly struggle with? Do I give, pray, and serve out of love or out of my own selfishness? After speaking with parents […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Lent and Following Our Inner Compass

Joe Paprocki

Just as the magnetized needle of a compass is naturally drawn to face north (the Earth’s magnetic pole), each of us is naturally drawn toward God. However, throughout the year, our attention is drawn by other things. Lent is a time for us to “turn around” and to once again allow ourselves to be drawn to God. Through praying, fasting, and giving alms, we focus our attention on God, to whom we are naturally drawn. […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: The Stations of the Cross

Joe Paprocki

One of the hallmarks of Catholic spirituality is the practice of going on a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey to a location of significance to our faith. In the centuries following Jesus’ Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, it was common practice for people to visit Jerusalem and retrace the steps of Jesus as he was led to his Crucifixion on Calvary. As time passed and Christianity spread, it became increasingly difficult for people to travel to the Holy Land for this pilgrimage. As […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: Practicing the Lenten Disciplines

Joe Paprocki

With Lent coming upon us very soon, it’s a good idea to begin thinking about how best to observe this wonderful season of renewal. Too often, it seems, we rack our brains trying to think of what to do during Lent when the formula is laid out for us: we are to pray, fast, and give alms. While that may sound like the “same old, same old,” it’s important to know that these three practices, […]

prayer for fasting - text on purple background

A Prayer for Fasting

Joe Paprocki

Loving Father, your Son, Jesus, was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. There, he learned to rely on you and not on bread alone. May the same Holy Spirit guide me as I enter into this experience of fasting. May this fast remind me of my complete dependence on you and your grace. May it unite me in solidarity with those who suffer from […]

Lent: Learning to Throw a Change-Up to Keep the Enemy Off-Balance

Joe Paprocki

The beginning of Lent often coincides with the beginning of spring training and the reporting of pitchers and catchers, so I can’t help but dip into my bag of sports metaphors to talk about Lent. Lent is an opportunity to step back from ordinary activities and to make some shifts in our approach to life in order to keep “the enemy” off-balance and to deepen our connection with God. It’s the spiritual equivalent of throwing […]

Celebrating Lent: A Season of Sobriety

Joe Paprocki

While Lent is a season of preparation for Easter, right now, for catechetical ministers, is a season of preparation for Lent. With Ash Wednesday looming right around the corner, this is the “acceptable time” for catechetical ministers to be solidifying plans for celebrating the season of Lent with those you teach. That’s right, I said “celebrating!” Lent is not a somber time but a sober time, and achieving sobriety is something to celebrate! We human […]

Stations of the Cross image by Steve Snodgrass under CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

How the Stations of the Cross Teach Us a “Way of Proceeding”

Joe Paprocki

In his book, Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey through the Stations of the Cross, author Gary Jansen tells the story of a noted psychologist who asked an audience, “If I squeeze an orange, what comes out?” After a hesitation, one person shouted out, “Orange juice!” The psychologist responded, “Orange juice. Yes. Why?” Again, after a hesitation, one person answered, “Because that’s what’s inside the orange.” The psychologist affirmed that and said, “We could say […]