Catholic Boot Camp?

By Christine Capolino
March 1, 2010

“‘A lowly donkey was given to Jesus to ride into Jerusalem just before His death and resurrection…’”

So reads my oldest from the Gospel of St Matthew. (Chapter 21:1-9), after which my boys methodically peruse the items within our Resurrection Eggs. Miniature renditions of the silver coins, the Passover cup, the leather whip, the stone of the tomb, nails in the cross, and several more pieces of the story that illustrate our Savior’s passion, death and resurrection,   increase the wonder of  Lent for them. They are eager to embark on their day alongside the unfolding drama of our Lord’s divinity, hand in hand with the captivating history of our Faith’s beginnings.  (A lovely book of readings, as well as the Resurrection Eggs, is available at www.familylife.com.)

Does it seem in our current culture as if the days of Lent-gone-by were imposed with a more serious, almost solemn vibe? That the tenor of sacrifice, which illustrates our own fragility, as well as our reverence for the Passion of Christ, is not as apparent as once it was?   Used to be common, restaurants featuring a Lenten menu; never would a wedding or other festive celebration be held during Lent. Mardi gras dinners concluded consumption of sugar-y goodies, the last vestige of a celebratory feel, as we embarked on 40 days of barrenness. Ash Wednesday was met with a few personal intentions to be worked on for the Lenten season. We knew we would encounter the breath taking beauty of an Easter Sunday morning altar sprayed with a wealth of lilies; organ blasting; little girls in brand new bonnets, white Mary Janes and floral dresses; little boys in squeaky-new, black patent leather dress shoes and linen suits. The Easter Bunny’s arrival under dark of night, bringing chocolate for our well loved and sentimental Easter baskets and hiding the eggs dyed on Holy Saturday, helped us sweetly break our Lenten fast.   

Let’s reclaim the solemnity of the Lenten season, not only within our families and catechetical programs, but within our communities as well, by including our children’s friends, teammates and neighbors into some of our Lenten traditions.  Let’s bring back the rigor and solemnity of Lent, as we attempt to follow Jesus’s example of overcoming Satan’s temptations by attempting to overcome influences of evil that daily tempt us.

There are a myriad of paths parents and catechists can journey along with their children during this solemn season of Lent to prepare for the great feast of Easter. Websites and blogs authored by ambitious catechists abound on the internet. A Lenten Journey calendar, ideas for “Burying the Alleluia” and other goodies can be found highlighted at www.catholicicing.com and www.catholicmom.com.  

In our family’s homeschool, we have adapted some widely found activities as well as originating a few of our own Lenten treasures.  For the past few seasons of Lent, each of us has created Mosaic Crosses, cut from colorful foam and hung in a trafficked spot in our home. When a positive action or attribute by any family member is noticed, such as “helped without being asked,” “extra patience,” or “good listening today,” one of the boys grabs a foam heart sticker and a marker from a nearby basket, jots the good deed and places the heart on the cross.  By Easter Sunday, the effects of the multi colored hearts splattered on the four large crosses is the loveliest and one of the most meaningful Easter decoration in our home.

Just this Lenten season, we embarked on a new tradition, which we are calling our Lenten Scripture boxes. In these simple file card boxes that the boys have lovingly decorated with some personal drawings depicting Jesus’s passion, we note in the “Lenten Goals” section, personal flaws we strive to conquer over these 40 days.  In the “Daily Scripture Verse” section, each of the boys rereads and copies a Bible verse that strikes a chord and which they would like to remember.

Woven throughout our Lenten crafts and reflections are a few staples of our Religion curriculum. The Baltimore Catechism, book 1, lesson 14, “The Resurrection and Life Everlasting,” and Seton’s Our Catholic Legacy, chapter 8, “The Beginning of the Christian Era,” beautifully relate the theology of the First Easter for children. Both are available at www.setonbooks.com

Classic pieces of literature can be mainstays along our Lenten path as well. The Story of the Cross: The Stations of the Cross for Children by Joslin and Newey is a must have, for the retelling of the Easter story, as well as the inviting illustrations, will captivate children.   Silverstein’s   parable, The Giving Tree, illustrates many virtues including selflessness, generosity and compassion, as the tree, representing our Lord, is still happy even after the little boy has taken everything from him.  He now has nothing left to offer the boy except a “quiet place to rest.”  These gems are available at www.adoremusbooks.com.

Our children are building their faith as they spend time with crafts, literature and prayer on our journey through Lent toward the joy of Easter.   May we each rediscover the beauty in our relationships with one another on our journeys, as we reflect on this precious gift of renewal and rebirth.
 

My next column will appear in April 2010.

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