Catholic social tips
In our Catholic tradition, March is dedicated to St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. We are also called to reflect and pray as the Lenten season begins.
Each month, my Catholic Mothers planner shares a spiritual challenge. This month, the challenge to readers is to “meditate on how the members of the Trinity perfectly behold one another and ask God to help us be rid of attachments that prevent us from perfectly beholding our spouse, our children, our loved ones, and especially our triune God.”
During Lent, pray for your spouse:
Lord Jesus, I pray that my spouse and I may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each other’s strengths. Help us forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing one’s well-being ahead of ourselves. May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to you through our love for each other; let our love grow to perfection. Amen.
The 40 days of Lent are a perfect time to focus on our family. There is a St. Joseph novena to pray for husbands and fathers, as well as one drafted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for those seeking adoptions.
On the last Sunday of March, we celebrate Laetare Sunday, commonly known as “Mothering Sunday.” It was established in ancient civilizations to honor motherhood and fertility and is outlined in 2 Timothy 1:5 — “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am confident that it also lives in you.”
This scripture speaks to how our mothers and grandmothers embed faith into the children of each generation.
One of the ways in which we share our faith with children is to create traditions around our faith through parish and community experiences.
For example, every Friday of Lent, we are called to abstain from meat. Many of us have family dishes that are served during Lent, while others may attend Lenten dinners.
These experiences will help plant the seeds for future generations to grow faith-filled families.
As a child, my family participated in the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl campaign, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I was 10 years old and remember saving at least a quarter to place in the bowl on our dinner table every day of Lent.
This time-honored Catholic Lenten tradition is one of the many organizations affected by the loss of U.S. Agency for International Development funding, so your donations are in need more than ever.
Catholicmom.com has created a cool calendar tool to engage the entire family during Lent. To download the tool, click here or visit the Holy Cross Family Ministries family resource page at www.catholicmom.com/lent. The website also offers great meatless meal recipes and reflections.
Create a sacred space in your home to offer prayer intentions and post the family Lenten calendar, allowing kids to check off the prompts daily.
Have a blessed Lenten season!
Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic social media consultant based in Southern California.
