THE FAMILY ZONE
Equipping the Domestic Church/ISSUE 134/3.17.24
Happy St. Patrick's Day! In this issue of The Family Zone, we take a look at our last Lenten pillar: Prayer
How can you make prayer a larger part of your life all year long, when Lent is over?
In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, here is a short podcast about a prayer attributed to St. Patrick: The Lorica of St. Patrick.
MASS CLASS
Helping Your Child Learn What We Say at Mass
Even very young children can begin to follow along with what we do and say at Mass. It is helpful to get your child an age-appropriate Mass booklet that shows what is happening with simple explanations. Reinforce with your kids that Mass is a time to be reverent and prayerful, and model those attitudes for your child. Even though you are modeling reverence and listening, it is ok to give them simple explanations such as "now we are listening to the Bible" or "this is the most important and special part of the Mass when the bread and wine turn into the body and blood of Christ," to help engage their attention in what is happening. On your way home from Mass, ask your child if there was anything that he or she did not understand. If you would like to brush up on the responses and prayers we say at Mass, in order to be a helpful resource to your child, download the PDF below!
SHARE YOUR FAITH
The Readings found each week at Mass, can be looked up at : https://bible.usccb.org/readings/calendar
What do you like best about Holy Week? There are many rituals that we don't normally see when we go to Mass on Sundays. Do you have a favorite Holy Week ritual? What types of emotions do you feel during Holy Week? How should our family pray together during Holy Week to make it feel like a special week in our regular lives?
CONNECT TO OUR CHURCH YEAR
Praying Through Holy Week
There are several liturgies that take place during Holy Week. Your local parish should have information online or in the bulletin about the Triduum liturgies. Below is an overview of some of the main things you will experience at each:
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday begins Holy week and commemorates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem where the crowd waved palm branches as he rode in humbly on a donkey instead of in a chariot of a king. At the Palm Sunday Mass there is a procession prior to Mass which begins in a separate gathering area that will be used for the blessing of the palms and a reading from the Gospels before the Church walks together waving palms. The liturgical color for Passion Sunday is red.
The Chrism Mass takes place in our diocese at Sacred Heart Cathedral, on Tuesday of Holy Week at 6:00 PM. All are welcome to attend. At the Chrism Mass, we witness the unity of the Bishop with his priests, and, both priests and deacons renew their vow of obedience to the bishop. The Holy Oils (Oil of the Sick, Oil of Catechumens, and the Sacred Chrism) are blessed for use in all of our parishes.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper is on Holy Thursday and typically includes a "washing of the feet." There is an altar of repose where the Blessed Sacrament is kept and the tabernacle is left empty. Holy Thursday Mass ends in silence with Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. We remember Holy Thursday as the day the Eucharist was instituted at Jesus' Passover supper with his disciples.
Good Friday Service: We do not celebrate a Mass on Good Friday. We experience the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross (which involves each participant coming forward to reverence the cross) and we receive communion without a Liturgy of the Eucharist. The altar, which was stripped bare after Holy Thursday Mass, remains bare.
The Easter Vigil: The Easter Vigil begins in darkness with candlelight shared from every participant lit by a fire outside. During this Mass, we hear the scriptures of Salvation History. A prayer is sung, called the Exsultet, or Easter Proclamation, as the brand new Easter Candle is placed in its stand. The lights are turned on with great fanfare at the singing of the Gloria! At the Easter Vigil, we welcome those who are entering the church as new Catholics and they receive their sacraments at this Mass. A special song known as the Litany of the Saints is also part of this liturgy!
PRAY
We encourage you to attend Stations of the Cross, at your parish this season, as it is a meaningful way to observe Lent. However, if it doesn't work with your family schedule, this devotion is still something that can be prayed on your own, even if you are at home. Make some time during Holy Week to pray this simple family version of the Stations of the Cross that connects each station to daily family struggles:
This is also an excellent walk through the Stations of the Cross for your own personal prayer time leading up to Easter:
SERVE OTHERS
Are you foot washers?
Holy Week gives us an opportunity to pause and consider why and how we serve others. Are we serving others to check off a community service requirement, get a break on taxes or declutter our homes, or are we serving others out of great love and humility? It can be a very humbling experience to live in solidarity with those we serve: to not only drop off food at a food cupboard but to eat with those you serve at a soup kitchen; not just to take a name on a giving tree, but to be invited into a family's home to deliver those gifts. How can you help your family to learn the virtue of humility, like Jesus taught with the washing of the feet, in their experience of serving others? That is the type of service that helps our heart and minds to truly grow! And remember, Jesus even washed the feet of those who would betray him, so spend some time this week humbly praying for those who are most challenging to your life, be it a family member, co-worker, or neighbor. "Wash their feet" by praying your intentions for them.
FAMILY MEAL
Make time during Holy Week for this symbolic Lenten meal which can help draw the family into the symbolism of the Holy Week scriptures and engage the kids in some family prayer and faith sharing!
BUILD TRADITIONS
Dyeing Easter Eggs on Holy Saturday
If your family is engaging in the full celebration of Holy Week from Palm Sunday through the Triduum, Holy Saturday is an ideal time to decorate Easter eggs as symbol of the Resurrection we are about to celebrate! Early Christians painted eggs to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, and Christians in Mesopotamia colored them red to mimic the blood shed by Christ in his crucifixion. Here are some great egg decorating ideas from catholicicing.com
End your egg decorating time together with this engaging and simple way to explain the Resurrection, while praying as a family!
Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
Editor: Leslie Barkin leslie.barkin@dor.org
Debtor in PossessionEmail: oec@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Location: Diocese of Rochester, Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3210