Walk Through Lent With Joy!
Those of you who are familiar with Lent and what it’s all about will understand why the title: Walk Through Lent with Joy, is surprising.
Lent is a time of penance and repentance, of fasting, of giving up joy … isn’t it?
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
—James 1:2-3
What Is Lent?
Lent consists of 40 days of fasting before Easter where Christians focus on their sins and Christ’s suffering for those sins.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the night before Easter). But if you look at a calendar and count the days, you’ll find 46 days, not 40.
Huh? Where’d we get those extra days?
Sundays are always days of celebration!
This was news to me. I wasn’t raised in a tradition that observed Lent, and as an adult, I never looked into it beyond the question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” When I began digging into what Lent actually means, I learned that Sundays aren’t included in the 40 days of fasting because every Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection, even during Lent.
This doesn’t mean that if I give up sweets for Lent, I should eat an entire chocolate cake every Sunday afternoon, but I also shouldn’t actively avoid or deny a celebratory bit of cake if offered.
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
—Mark 2:19
The kids used a cute “path” calendar last year to mark the days of Lent, but it was hard to find again (broken links), and it was geared very much toward kids. I wanted something I could use during Lent, as well as a calendar for the kids. So as an aid to my own observation and a help for the rest of the family, I created a printable calendar to track our way through Lent.
Printable Lent Calendar
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How to Use the Walk Together Through Lent Printable
First, decide which version to print. One is a simple path for marking off days, the other is a habit tracker for those who like daily reminders.
The small icons on the habit tracker can serve as reminders to:
Read Scripture with YouVersion or with a reading plan like what can be found in the lectionary, or pick a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and dive in!
Pray for the world and those closest to you using scripture, by starting a prayer journal, or creating a list of those to “mention” in your daily prayers. I plan to create a Lenten Prayer Cube, so check back soon!
Journal your reflections, prayers, or copy verses that speak to you.
Serve those in need. In Catholic tradition, people are encouraged to give alms (donations to the poor) during Lent. Consider how you can serve one another each day and let the service of your hands be your alms!
Eventually, we hope to have a full daily devotional to carry you (and ourselves) through Lent with deeper meaning, but that project is still in development. If you would like to know when our Lent family and individual resources will be available, be sure to subscribe. Not only will you be first to know, you will also receive our Advent readings beginning in late November!
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