Will you let me be your servant

Our little domestic church is experiencing Lent in a new way this year.  We generally use the Little Black Book devotions published by the Diocese of Saginaw.  These short reflections explore the Sunday Gospels for each Lent a few verses at a time.  The publisher describes this method of praying - using short verses with explanations and reflection points - as lectio divina [divine reading].  The method employs oral verse, meditation, prayer and contemplation as God speaks "live" through the sacred word.

This has been a wonderful experience for us, but is, admittedly, a bit heavy for our younger children.  Enter our new activity - specifically designed for their ages.  We've taken it a step further and made it an "all play". 

40 Deeds for 40 Days

by Judene Leon Coon (Catholic author)

Ms. Coon listed forty activities, including prayer and action items, for the days of Lent.  The directions she gives are to cut the items apart, drop them into a container, and choose one item to do each day of Lent.  Keeping up with five (Irish Jig's not participating) containers and multiple slips of paper would make my self-diagnosed OCD roar; therefore I made a simple chart with each family member's name and the numbers one through forty.  Each day, we randomly chose a number, I read the assigned activity and we are off to fulfill our missions to be self sacrificing.  Mr. Neoclassic and I are finding ways to integrate these younger-aimed activities into our day, which is fun and challenging.  For example, during a particularly difficult week at work, he was challenged to be kind to someone in your neighborhood (office) whom you don't especially like.  That takes work!  For me, trying to spend the whole day without complaining was hard.  I don't like to think I am negative, but, honestly, finding Irish Jig in the den with my favorite lipstick in hand and sitting on the new couch made me really bite my tongue.  I pretty much failed that day.  Good thing I can be New Every Day! 

Some of the included activities are:

• Try to spend your whole day without complaining - it's harder than it seems. (Trust me)
• Pay special attention to the Sunday Mass homily and lead the dinner conversation about it's message.
• Be more attentive in all your classes today.
• Pray for people who have no one to pray for them.
• Find information on a saint you've not already studied.  Ask him or her to help you love others.
• Make an effort to keep your room (or the communal bathroom) especially neat today.
• Write a letter to Jesus and thank him for his great love.  Promise to do something special to show your gratitude.

And the list goes on.  I would be happy to create a PDF list for anyone interested.  Just tell me in the comments and I will figure out how to do that.  Remember that I fall very low on the technology totem pole.

This is how Jazz entertained herself the Saturday she picked "limit your screen time to one hour."  That's hard around here since t.v. and computer games are only allowed on weekends.

Today's post title = The Servant Song by Richard Gillard.  One of my favorites and a great bedtime lullaby!