Family Lent Tradition

For almost a decade now, here is a tradition our family has observed for Lent.

Along with the sacrifices we make for Lent, with what we "take away" from our life, we also decided that this liturgical time was asking us to ADD something to our life. We decided to pray, as a family, every night at dinner for people in our lives.

Here's how we do it.

We write out LOTS of names...family...friends...neighbors...teachers...co-workers....even the Pope!

We cut those names into slips, fold them up and put them in a basket.

At dinner a child or two (or more) depending on how many names you put in (and you'll need more than 50 names in that case) picks a slip and reads it aloud. The children have taken to holding the slips in the air as I have used the term, when praying, that we "lift" these souls to the Lord for their intentions and needs.

Then we mark their names on our kitchen calendar on the date we "picked" them and prayed for them. From the very beginning it was apparent that God "picked" the names. EVERY year someone tells us how meaningful prayers were for them on that exact date because we send them a religious card or email lettting them know we prayed for them and the date their name came out of the basket. It is a privilege to see the names, to pray, to see the children so adamant about who goes into the basket.

It continues to be a very tangible way that my family can see the hand of God at work! And God delights in answering the prayers of little children...

published April 2006