What is Lent
Lent
Lent is the 40 day period of time between Ash Wednesday and Eastern Sunday or Holy Thursday in the Catholic church. While the custom is celebrated differently by different churches or groups of people, it is generally a time of fasting (or giving something up) as a form of penance. Traditionally, christians would fast from rich foods - which is partly why a lot of people today give up chocolate. Today however, a strict fast in not always observed and most give up some form of luxury - be it ...

Lent: What It Means To Me
Can the season of Lent become a year-round lifestyle?
One of my favorite hymns was written by Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. in 1848. He was a member of a religious group known as the Shakers here in the USA. It is called Simple Gifts: 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be And when we find ourselves in the place just right, It will be in the valley of love and delight. Refrain: When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed. To turn, turn will be our delight,...

Lenten Sacrifice - Will yours be a vice or a virtue
What are you giving up for Lent this year?
Is your lenten sacrficie something to improve yourself or one of the favorite things in your life? Are you going to give up a vice like smoking or a virtue like chocolate for lent? I am a Catholic and I am raising my kids Catholic. I would not say I am religious, but as I get older I find myself listening more to the words and looking for the meanings during church services. I find the subject of religion extremely fascinating and don't judge one over the other, instead, I look for the commo...

Authentic Crown of Thorns for Adorning Your Worship Place for Lent
Add a real crown of thorns to your sanctuary
Lent is time of preparation for Easter, and many churches mark this journey with items symbolic to the season. An authentic crown of thorns can be a powerful worship aid. It is a very different thing to discuss the crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head, and to see up close what that crown would have looked like. Our imagination of the thorns we have felt - thorns of common bushes and roses, does not compare to the long thorns that grew where Jesus was killed.