Here are some Lenten Disciplines that will build you up spiritually:
Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics fourteen (14) years of age and older on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.
Fasting is to be observed by all Catholics who are eighteen (18) years of age but not yet fifty-nine (59) years of age on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Those who are bound to fast may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to one's needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. Catholics should not lightly excuse themselves from these prescribed Lenten penitential practices.
Attend Daily Mass: to encourage more people to attend during Lent, there has been a change in the weekday Mass time. Mass times are at 7:30 am, changed from 9:00 am.
Sunday Eucharist
The day-to-day life of a parish varies greatly from one community to another, but the one thing that all Catholic parishes hold in common is the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday, the Lord's Day. This is the gathering point for all parishioners, the time when everyone comes together. The table of God's Word and the table of the Eucharist feed and nourish the community, refreshing the people and sending them on into yet another week of work and struggles, joys and successes, and many opportunities to spread the Kingdom of God. In speech and song, symbol and gesture, we unite our praise and thanksgiving to Christ's perfect self-offering on the cross.
The Revised General Instruction
In the weeks to come, we will have the opportunity to reflect again upon the meaning and the value of the liturgy in our Catholic Tradition. This catechesis is not based in a concern about law or rubrics, but about the quality and integrity of our prayer together, which must truly be the primary and indispensable source from which we draw the true Christian spirit.
One of the most notable changes, for all, concerns the way we receive Holy Communion in this country. The General Instruction calls for communicants to make a gesture of reverence before receiving the Eucharist, and the bishops of the United States have determined that gesture shall be a bow of the head to the Body and Blood of Christ in the minister's hand.
In the coming weeks,bulletin inserts will address these topics:Yours in Christ,
Fr. Shea