Lent, Love, Life

This year for Lent we have picked a theme of Respect Life. Each of us have spiritually adopted an unborn baby that we will pray for all of Lent and all the way until November 22. The idea behind this wonderful work of charity is to name your chosen baby, though God already knows who you are praying for. So here are our names:

Darren - a baby girl named Celestine Isabelle

Karen - a baby boy named Joachim Tarcisius

Blase - a baby boy named Thomas Lawrence

Stephen - a baby boy named Francis George

and a baby girl named Therese Rose (he has to say the prayer twice a day)

Cormac - a baby boy named Joseph Patrick

Rex - a baby girl named Mary Catherine

Brech - a baby girl named Anne Rita (he picked his names by pointing to saints he likes)

Gianna - a baby girl named Elizabeth Cecilia (both November saints)

We will pray the following prayer everyday:

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

I love you very much.

I beg you to spare the life

of the unborn child that I

have spiritually adopted who is

in danger of abortion.

(by Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

We are also going to offer prayers for a mother's home here in North Dakota and provide some financial support. That is what we are doing to respect the unborn.

We would also like to find an older person to visit who is either shut in or does not have much family. We have visited nursing homes in the past and found that quite rewarding. It has been awhile since we have done that as a family. I am hoping it works out.

We will be doing the usual giving up things and adding more prayers. The boys have given up cereal in a cup breakfasts (they enjoy that A LOT) and all movies that are not school or religious in nature. They are quite excited about this Lent. They have decided to say the Stations of the Cross on Wednesdays, hopefully before the Blessed Sacrament at our local church (I still have to look into that option). I am so proud of them to come up with those ideas. The kids and I are reading a little thought for every day of Lent in the mornings. That will hopefully be a source of inspiration for all of us. And thanks to an idea from a wonderful homeschooling mommy here in Fargo, we are participating in the Lenten Adventure from Holy Heroes. Our last idea is to attend Stations of the Cross at the Cathedral on Fridays. That will be a week to week - see if the whole family is up to it - go with the flow - what was I thinking - kinda of commitment. I am not sure how Gianna and Brech will handle that. Maybe their angels will encourage good behavior for an hour.

I feel very good about this Lent. While we have a lot going on as a family, both Darren and I have added our own commitments here and there. I think we will find ourselves happier and spiritually strengthened when Easter finally comes.

God bless you this Lent!