It has to be experienced to be fully believed, but there is a great blessing on such a Carnival time, shared in a family. To have spent a good Carnival will finally prove to the greater honor and glory of God, in enabling us to spend a good Lent!
My family is gearing up for the official start of Lent. We spent Monday (CLEAN MONDAY) doing our pre-Lenten cleaning. Shrove Tuesday will take us outside of the home for majority of the day. We will visit a nursing home to bring joy to the sick and elderly.
A dear friend helped us start this tradition. Several years ago, Tiffany coordinated a group of families to visit the elderly bearing Mardi Gras jewels and wearing silly hats, all to share our joy. We adopted the simple act of almsgiving and now make a regular visit to the elderly on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras. It is a lovely way to enter the Lenten season.
We’ll take the party pack to our parish. The kids have requested their traditional Shrove Tuesday lunch, pizza. Dad and I will accommodate for this one last hooray. We’ll take some time for recreation and then offer our services to the parish. Dad will complete his weekly yard work, I will help the littles clean the pews, and Rose is planning to check in with Father for her assignment. God willing, I will be able to sneak away for some much needed spiritual direction. We hope to wrap up our day out with a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There, we will bring our Lenten intentions and complete our first day of our Consecration renewal – AD JESUM PER MARIAM.
Many have been invited to join us but I’m not sure who will show. It really doesn’t matter, this tradition was made for us to bring JOY to others as a family. Bringing others along was the icing on the cake – so no icing this year but we still got a cake. AMEN!
We will return home for more festivities. We’ll recap on our Lenten program and say a family rosary. Next, we’ll watch a movie since Dad has declared it movie night. We’ll probably have pancakes for dinner. Then we will pack up the TV and DVD/VCR player to store in the garage. We will enjoy our last comforts before we begin our time in the desert, in darkness and silence — removed from the world (in the best way we can).
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Oh, Christian soul make your body a living and dying victim; mortify you passions, your senses, and your desires; mortify yourself at all times, and in all places; mortify yourself with zeal, mortify yourself with discretion. ~Considerations and devout meditations for every day during … Lent, by a member of the Society of Jesus
this is a beautiful holy tradition you’ve adopted for your family. It teaches great lessons to your children, all of what life is truly about … giving of ourselves to others. Blessed prayerful Lent, Lena.
Hi. It is nice to meet on the web a family who also attends the traditional Mass. I found your blog as I was was researching “Faith Hope and Charity”. I was looking for the image that represents the virtues and saw your drawing.
A blessed Lenten Season to you.
~Imelda @ Cum Auxilio Ab Alto / Potter’s Clay