Ash Wednesday

Today was the first day in our Lenten journey. We turned our family altar into a Lenten alter, with a purple base cloth, a bare wooden cross draped in purple, an unlit candle, a statue of Jesus DH's parents brought back from Israel, and a vase filled with bare branches. I want to also add a bowl-full of earth, but the yard is covered with sludgy snow and bare earth is a little hard to come by right now. We also made a paper chain with purple links for weekdays, golden links for Sundays, and a white link for Easter.

I was reading All Year Round by Ann Druitt, Christine Fynes-Clinton, and Marije Rowling and loved what it said about Ash Wednesday, Lent, and children:

Fasting and self-discipline have little relevance for young children, even though they attempt to "give up sweets for Lent." They will participate in such moral content more through the unobtrusive example of the parent or teacher, who leads them in this way through what is really an adult festival.

Easter is very much a morning festival--the women disciples came to the tomb "very early in the morning." To be properly awake to what the morning can bring, we need to have had a "good night." We need to have spent some time in our own quiet darkness away from outer stimulation, in that mysterious place which is yet familiar-- a space which is, above all, restorative.

This is what Lent could be for all of us, a time during which we gather the forces needed to meet the vital renewal of our daily lives. For young children, their pleasure in the fullness of Easter Day can only be greater if they have been prepared through the quiescent "night" mood of Lent. (pages 41-42)

The last bit reminded me of something Katie Grace said on Sunday when we talked about "putting away" Alleluia during Lent. She thought about it for a bit, and then said, "Oh, I know! Alleluia is a joyful word, and we save up all our joy during Lent for Easter morning!"

So, in our family, we celebrate Lent by...
...eating simple meals with no deserts (or fruit for the littles) except on Sundays and feast days
...the aforementioned paper chain
...reading a story from Bible Stories for the 40 Days each day
...paying special attention to the dawning of the day (if we're awake!) and the coming of night