The Season of Lent A Forty Day Community Retreat Into the Desert of our Lives

The Season of Lent

A Forty Day Community Retreat

Into the Desert of our Lives

What’s it all About?

 FASTING

PRAYER

ALMS-GIVING

• Penance, Discipline• Quiet, Solitude• Subtracting

Something• Adding Something• Sacrifice• Scrutiny• Changing Old Habits• Reconciling• Growing in

Relationship

The Desert Place

Intentionally going to a simple, stark, dry place inside of ourselves to be honestly

with God

The Water Place: Baptism

A time of dying and rising with Christ

Renewal of Baptismal Promises

• Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking? 

• Do you reject sin as to live in the freedom of God’s children?

 • Do you reject the glamour of evil and

refuse to be mastered by sin? 

• Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?

 • Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth?

 • Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated

at the right hand of the Father? 

• Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of

sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?  

• THIS IS OUR FAITH, THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH, WE ARE PROUD TO PROFESS IT IN THE NAME OF

CHRIST, JESUS, OUR LORD.

• Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was

crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the

Father? 

• Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the

forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

 • THIS IS OUR FAITH, THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH, WE ARE PROUD TO PROFESS IT IN

THE NAME OF CHRIST, JESUS, OUR LORD.

A Changing the Pattern Place

“Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different

results.” (from 12 Steps)

Jesus calls us to: METANOIA A RADICAL CHANGE OF MIND AND

HEART

So what needs changing?

• How we PRAY• How and What we CONSUME• How we GIVE AND SERVE

40 days of discipline enables us to

CREATE A NEW PATTERN FOR OUR LIVES

Changing Patterns of. . .

• Praying – Increased communication with God

• Consuming - Detachment from food, drink, anything we are addicted to

• Giving – Money, time, listening, presence, etc., with an enlargement of the heart

New Prayer Patterns Verbal Forms

-Daily Mass-Six Minutes a Day Books-On-line Retreat & Spiritual Snacks mobile.stedward.com

(parish app)-Stations of the Cross

– on Fridays with community after Mass

– any time--outside the Church at the entrance of the Meditation Garden

– “Living Stations”

Non-verbal Forms

-Contemplative Prayer: Listening to God-Meditation Garden Labyrinth (Walking Prayer) -Soul Walk on the Beach-Lectio Divina (Scripture as Prayer-

New Consuming Patterns

FASTING TEACHES DETACHMENT:

New Patterns of Giving: Other-Directed

• Money – how you spend it and to whom you give it

• Time – carving out Sabbath time for family, friends, the marginalized

• Talents – a generosity of personal gifts• Presence – mindfulness; attentiveness;

putting away the electronic devices• Personal Items – streamline the closets,

give to the poor• Sharing – not just your possessions but

your thoughts and prayers with others

It Comes Down to Penance

Sacrifices, Discipline, Self-denial

Reparation for the negativity we have

contributed to the world (not a popular stance in our culture)

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday- February 18, 2015

Even now, says the LORD,return to me with your whole heart,

with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;Rend your hearts, not your garments,

and return to the LORD, your God. Joel 2:12

Ashes remind us of our human condition and our baptismal promises:

“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel.”

Themes – Sundays of Lent• First Sunday: Temptation in the

Desert

Second Sunday of Lent

• The Transfiguration

Third Sunday of Lent

• The Woman at the Well (First Scrutiny)

Fourth Sunday of Lent

• Man Born Blind (Second Scrutiny)

Fifth Sunday of Lent

• The Raising of Lazarus (Third Scrutiny)

Sixth Sunday of Lent

• Passion or Palm Sunday

Holy Week and the Triduum

• Holy Thursday• Good Friday• Holy Saturday (Great Easter Vigil)• EASTER SUNDAY: CELEBRATION

OF THE LORD’S RESURRECTION

What is Your Plan for Lent?

Divine Election

• Old Testament Concept: The Chosen People• New Testament Concept: A New Covenant• “You did not choose me but I chose you..”• We are forever caught up in GOD who is

LOVE• Participation in that Love affirms who we

really are• God’s election sends us forth into the world,

as Christ was sent, to be a living sign of hope and love.

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Joel

Even now, says the LORD,return to me with your whole heart,

with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;Rend your hearts, not your garments,

and return to the LORD, your God.For gracious and merciful is he,slow to anger, rich in kindness,and relenting in punishment.Perhaps he will again relent

and leave behind him a blessing,Offerings and libations

for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!proclaim a fast,

call an assembly;Gather the people,

notify the congregation;Assemble the elders,gather the children

and the infants at the breast;Let the bridegroom quit his room

and the bride her chamber.Between the porch and the altar

let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,

And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,and make not your heritage a

reproach,with the nations ruling over them!

Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’ Then the LORD was stirred to concern

for his landand took pity on his people.

The Word of the Lord. . .Thanks be to God

Psalm 51

Create in me a clean heart O God

A pure heart create for me GodSteady my weary spirit

Do not cast me away from your presenceNor take your spirit from

Create in me a clean heart O God

A Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:We are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.For our sake he made him to be sin

who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness

of God in him.

Working together, then,we appeal to you not to receive

the grace of God in vain.For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you,and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;behold, now is the day of salvation.

The Word of the Lord. . .Thanks be to God

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Matthew

• Jesus said to his disciples:“Take care not to perform righteous deeds

in order that people may see them;otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly

Father.When you give alms,

do not blow a trumpet before you,as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets

to win the praise of others.Amen, I say to you,

they have received their reward.But when you give alms,

do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,so that your almsgiving may be secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

•“When you pray,do not be like the hypocrites,who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street cornersso that others may see them.Amen, I say to you,they have received their reward.But when you pray, go to your inner room,close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.

They neglect their appearance,so that they may appear to others to be fasting.

Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.But when you fast,

anoint your head and wash your face,so that you may not appear to be fasting,

except to your Father who is hidden.And your Father who sees

what is hidden will repay you.”

The Gospel of the Lord. . .Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ