By Susan Ciancio
One of the most popular Lenten questions has to be What are you doing for Lent?
Has anyone asked you that yet this year? Maybe you haven’t thought about it yet, maybe you have given something up, or maybe you are still deciding.
While sacrifice is important and helps us become spiritually stronger, we must fortify that spiritual strength with action. That means we must do something to learn about our faith, spend time reflecting on the goodness of God, strengthen our prayer life, or do good works for others.
That’s where our three Lent reflection books come in. Each is filled with Church teaching, wisdom, saints to emulate, Bible stories, or ways to build a culture of life in your home and community. One is new this year, and the other two have been updated from previous years to now be evergreen—meaning you can use them this Lent and any Lent following.
We believe that it’s crucial for families to celebrate each day of Lent together and to talk about ways to build a culture of life. That’s why our books are perfect for people of all ages.
Each of our booklets offers something different and unique. Read our descriptions below and determine which is best for your family. Then download the PDF today, print it out, or email it to your Kindle or ereader, and begin great discussions every day this Lent.
1. Culture-of-Life Voices of the Bible: 40 Days of Stories and Reflections for the Entire Family
Throughout the 73 books of the Bible, we hear stories of faith, of love, of joy, and of courage. This Lenten booklet takes you on a spiritual journey through the Bible to introduce you to 40 characters who helped build a culture of life.
Each of the 40 days in this Lenten booklet tells the story of someone from the Bible who helped build a culture of life by caring for the people around them. We then offer a reflection, some questions to help you think deeper about the story and about your own actions, and a quote from the Book of Wisdom to fill you with inspiration.
2. A Lenten Journey with the Holy Spirit and the Saints
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit help us as we strive to be more like Christ and strengthen our relationship with Him. This updated Lenten reflection booklet focuses on these gifts of the Holy Spirit and on some saints whose lives illustrated these gifts. Each day’s entry includes a Bible verse, a reflection, and a short biography of a saint who lived the meaning of that gift. We follow that up with a prayer and a suggestion for how you can use the saint’s example to build a culture of life in your own home or community.
3. Build a Culture of Life This Lent
In this easy-to-read daily reflection booklet, we help you create a culture of life within your homes and communities by drawing on wisdom from poignant Bible verses, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and from the saints.
These brief reflections are perfect for those who prefer to focus more on actions than on spiritual readings, as at the end of each day’s reflection, we offer a concrete way for you and your family to live a culture of life by providing suggestions for both fun and educational opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people around you.
You can find these books and more at shop.all.org/collections/culture-of-life-studies-program?page=2.