Comments on: How can I better prepare for Lent?

By: danburke

danburke — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:59:00 +0000

Dear Friend – your answer will come on Monday!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:28:00 +0000

This year I’m going to daily Mass and will pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Getting up at 5 am in order to get to Mass and giving up time for these two things will be the sacrifice. I’ll also try to go to Adoration at least once a week. These aren’t just goals for Lent, I’ve fallen out of these ‘habits’ and need to get back to them.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:23:00 +0000

I like the idea of adding something positive too! …in addition to the fasting from something I like.

By: Mary@42

Mary@42 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:04:00 +0000

Rick, the Feast which Jesus Christ demanded be established in the Universal Church which corresponds – and restores the Jewish Day of Atonement in the Old Testament (Leviticus Chap.16) if the Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated on the First Sunday after Easter. Jesus requested this Feast to St. Faustina Kowalska in 1931. And He promised “A Spark from Poland” would fulfill His wish. Blessed Pope John Paul II did this on 30th April, 2000 when he canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska and solemnly promulgated the First Sunday after Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday. The Promises of the Blessings and Gifts He pours onto to those who observe this Feast as He dictated are as follows : “My daughter tell the whole world about My inconceivable Mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open…….The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment……The Feast of Divine Mercy emerged from My very tender mercy. It is my desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the First Sunday after Easter…..” ( Divine Mercy in My Soul Diary No.699). The Supra Indulgence Jesus bestows on souls who celebrate this Feast as He dictated, restores those souls to the condition they were on the day of Baptism!!!!!. Jesus also dictated a Novena in preparation of the celebration of this Feast which commences on Good Friday to be prayed together with the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. He also requested that the Image of Divine Mercy, which again He asked Saint Faustina to be painted, be solemnly blessed and venerated on this Feast of Mercy Sunday. With this renewed Devotion to the Divine Mercy, Jesus has restored the old Day of Atonement for the salvation of mankind in our time. He declared about this Feast : “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of my Mercy”

By: Bay City Rick

Bay City Rick — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:24:00 +0000

The Lenten observance has a lot in common with the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is a day of complete fast for Jews. Scripture says to afflict the body, hence the fast. It is a day on which, if you hadn’t repented of any sin in the previous year, your attention is seriously focused on performing this conversion of life, to rid yourself of such sin. Aside from the commands of God to repent (in the first place), it is obviously an additional sin to overlook this opportunity for repentence.

catholics are supposed to go to confession and communion during the Easter season, at least once a year. doesn’t that sound parallel to Yom Kippur in a way?

Jews number the commands in the Torah as 613, with 365 things to not do, and the rest are things to be done. don’t the “things to be done” sound like penance, in a way?

YK celebrates the mercy of God. The Jews reckon those 613 commandments as “blessings” in the idiomatic sense of commandment, because they consider themselves blessed in their observance.

we are certainly blessed by God in avoiding sin and in performing good works, as we Catholics are encouraged to do, like the Project Rice Bowl or other charity towards the missions.

By: Pat

Pat — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:06:00 +0000

Giving up was the way most of us were taught as children to observe the lenten season. As adults I think a better way is to do something positive. Although giving up would still be a good idea. For example, let’s say we give up two days of watching television. During the time that we would spend watching we could say our rosary, go to the church and say the stations of the cross, prepare a meal for a harried mother etc. I am past the age when I am required to fast but I still do. As a retired person, with fewer commitments than I used to have, Lent is a good time to concentrate on praying for the souls in purgatory, for world peace, our clergy and for the Pope’s intentions.
By all means fast and abstain from something that gives you pleasure but think of the positive things you can do for others.
God Bless You
Pat

By: MSolis

MSolis — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Very good advice! Thank you for sharing!

By: Mary@42

Mary@42 — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Thank you for this timely advice.

By: SUNDAY EDITION | ThePulp.it

SUNDAY EDITION | ThePulp.it — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:02:43 +0000

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