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Today, more than ever before, children need comfort and security in their lives, nothing -- no thing -- is more important than to have our youngsters engage in prayer.
All children, even the youngest child, can learn God is always there for them–at any time–from the moment they wake up in the morning, throughout the day as they play, as they share meals, right up until they are tucked in bed to fall asleep at night.
Lent is a special time to offer praise and thanks. Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our patterns, and to pray more deeply.
Lent is also a good time to join with others in prayer. On Sunday, we come together in our parish. We praise and thank God together. We especially give thanks to Jesus.
Activities:
The pretzel has a deep spiritual meaning for Lent. In fact, it was the ancient Christian Lenten bread as far back as the fourth century. The faithful kept a very strict fast all through Lent: no milk, no butter, no cheese, no eggs, no cream and no meat. They made small breads of water, flour and salt, to remind themselves that Lent was a time of prayer. They shaped these breads in the form of crossed arms for in those days they crossed their arms over the breast while praying. Pretzel recipe from Catholic Icing.
Thus the pretzel is an appropriate food symbol in Lent. It still shows the form of arms crossed in prayer, reminding us that Lent is a time of prayer.
Pretzels originated when a monk was making unleavened bread for Lent. He twisted some of the dough into the shape of people praying with both arms folded across their chests. He decided it would be a perfect treat for children learning to say their prayers. He called the treats pretiola, the Latin word for "little reward."
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