Lent is a time of repentance and preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus, our Savior.  Just like we prepared our hearts and minds for His birth during Advent, we are now preparing them for His Resurrection, the ultimate reason Jesus was made human.  Read this document to give you a background on Lent, the history and what it means to properly prepare yourself for Lent.  Lent:  The Journey Begins:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-HYr4J44oz24ljz7WMLG5zNiCKxrHeZg/view?usp=sharing

If chocolate is something that is coming between you and God and you can your family, then by all means, give up chocolate.  But if you are doing it to lose weight or because it is easy, think a little harder about something that you can do or not do to bring you closer to God and your family this Lenten season.

Using the Lenten Newsletter, determine what type of prayer will work for each member of the family and try to add in at least one family prayer session per week.  For the older teens and adults, there are many different Lenten reflections you can choose from and for the kids, you can work with them to set up a simple prayer routine for morning or bedtime.  This doesn't need to be difficult and it doesn't need to be rote prayer.  Just set aside 5 minutes at the end of the day for your kids to have a conversation with God.

Try to work in some family prayer into your journey.  This could be a weekly rosary, Stations of the Cross, adoration, or vespers.  

Fasting doesn't always mean not eating.  There are many ways we can fast.  Here is an article that explains fasting in a different light.  Fasting in a Fast-Paced World:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WPuZyO0FRZBI03wV3iGd1Rgmsv-gJXoH/view?usp=sharing.  For your children, Fasting for Lent:  11 Ideas of What Kids and Teens Can Give Up is a great read:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E9mJ-a3vQ4-J0maoY7rqRmnyC8-ItJUh/view?usp=sharing

Come up with ways that you can individually fast and fast as a family for this Lent.  There are a few examples in the Lenten Newsletter and there are some additional documents that will help you determine what is right for you this Lent.  Be creative and make sure that what you decide to fast from brings you closer as a family and closer to God.

What do we mean by Almsgiving?  This is giving of ourselves to help others in need.  There are three ways we can do this:  through donating our time, our talents and our treasure.  Come up with different ways to use your individual time, talent and treasure and then come up with ways you can use your collective resources as a family.  Again, there are examples in the Lenten Newsletter, but be creative.  

Do you have an elderly neighbor that needs help shoveling and maybe getting a hot meal?  That is a great family way to give of your time, talent and treasure all at once!  Maybe one of your children is really strong in a school subject and they can help tutor a friend that is struggling.  That is an excellent use of their talent.  Again, be creative and make sure some of the activities bring the whole family together.

Use the Our Lenten Journey diagram (https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Fj7z54pV7O_Cm8d2_2Mu5NoDduKExvq/view?usp=sharing) to write down all of the things you and your family are going to do for the different categories of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving for Lent.  If one item fits in multiple categories, make sure to write it down in the overlapping sections of those circles.  Keep this in a place that is visible to remind yourselves what you are committing to on your Lenten journey.

After Easter, sit down as a family and answer the questions below.  Be honest, there is no judgement here!  I just want to know if you were able to get more out of this Lent than you have in the past.