Lenten Recollection

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days until Holy Thursday when the Easter Triduum begins. During Lent God calls us to look more intently at our lives, repent of our sins, and offer personal sacrifices of alms, prayer, and fasting as penance for our sins. These forty days are preparation for the new life of Easter.


"Facing Temptation" Prayer Celebration Notes

Focus		Facing temptation and overcoming it
Materials		Prayer table, Bible, candle, tray or large flat pan, small container of sand, music
Reading		Jeremiah 13:15-17; Luke 4:1-13
Music		"In Remembrance of You," "Come to the Table," "Hold Us in Your Mercy," "With Hope and Healing," [Meditation Track], Blest Are We CD 7 & 8; "Jesus, You Love Us," Christopher Walker, "Save Your People," Jim Farrell (OCP Publications)
Preparation		Assign a leader and readers for the celebration. Print out and make copies of "Facing Temptation" Liturgy for participants. Prepare a place where participants can privately write words in sand-filled flat pan or tray. During the liturgy, invite participants to take turns writing in the sand a word or two that represents the temptation they find the most difficult to overcome. The container should be set apart so others cannot see what is being written. Immediately after writing, the participant should smooth over the sand as a symbolic offering to God.
Adaptation		Instead of sand writing, provide time during the prayer celebration for participants to write brief letters to God, identifying the temptations they face. Throughout Lent, beginning with this celebration, emphasize a desert theme in your prayer space with a display of cactus in sand.
Additional Materials		For a full year of liturgies from which this one was adapted, see Prayer Celebrations, Middle School Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-383-30570-1 For resources related to Yom Kippur and Passover, see: Jesus Did Not Celebrate Christmas – A Guide for Christians to Jewish Holidays Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-9709574-0-8 Blest Are We CD, Level/Grade 7-8 Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36394-9 Blest Are We Song Book for Grades 1-8, School Edition Words and melody for students; contains music for grades 1-6 (school) and 7-8 (parish and school) Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36617-4 Blest Are We Accompaniment Book for Grades 1-8, School Edition Contains accompaniment music for grades 1-6 (school) and 7-8 (parish and school) Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36618-2