As a mom, I try hard to make spiritual experiences as tangible as possible for my children. I do not want them to think of God as a far-away being but rather as Someone who is near, next to, within and all around. I know that it is not necessary to feel close to God in order to be close to God, but having some tangible experiences can help our overall relationship with the Lord. I think that’s one reason God gave us our five senses. To truly be able to experience Him and the gifts He gives us.
With Lent less than a week away, I started wondering how I could make it more hands-on for my children. What books will we read? What sacrifices will we make? How can we measure our Lenten goals? How can we make sure our Lent begins with love?
My thoughts turned to those five senses, and I began brainstorming ways my family could truly experience Lent through sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. My hope is that Lent will not be some dreadful season of not eating our favorite foods but rather a time that helps us think of Jesus, how much He loves us, and how we can be closer to Him.
Here are a some ideas for experiencing Lent through our five senses. Please note that I do not plan on doing all of these, nor should you feel pressure to do them all either. Pick one or two, or focus on one sense per week. Hopefully, this list will spark your own ideas, which I’d love to hear in the comments!
Sight
Create a focal point. Over the years, I have found it helpful to create a prayerful corner in our home that changes with the liturgical seasons. For Lent, the space can be simple: a purple cloth, crucifix or other artwork, and candle.
Post a calendar. Create or print out a calendar for children to mark the days of Lent. Or make a Lenten paper chain, similar to the ones used during Advent. Something that keeps track of the days of Lent can help the season not feel so endless for children (and adults alike).
Light a candle. During family prayer time, a candle’s flame draws children into the special quiet time with Jesus. When praying the stations of the cross, light 14 votive candles, and blow one out after each station. During the stations, it will get darker and darker. At the end, talk about what the darkness represents in relationship to Jesus’ death.
Sound
Turn it off. In this day and age, we are bombarded with noise wherever we go. The ping of a text message, the buzz on the radio, the TV in the background. Making a conscience effort to practice silence helps us hear the sound of God’s voice. Perhaps this means turning off the radio in the car or limiting media in some way. Do not be afraid of the silence; God often speaks to us with a whisper!
Tune in. Listening to sacred music, like Gregorian chant or Latin hymns, can be a peaceful part of Lent. Play a beautiful CD such as Lent at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles during breakfast or homework time. It can also be a great way to unwind at the end of the day, especially if you are sacrificing TV this Lent.
Listen up. Speaking of sacrificing TV, if that is your family’s plan for Lent, perhaps it makes sense to invest in some faith-based audio CDs for the gang to listen to. These CDs provide hours of entertainment to children and teaches them valuable insights into the Catholic faith, too. Some of my family’s favorites include Cat Chat and Glory Stories.
Taste
Go meatless. As you know, on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, the Church asks us to abstain from meat. It can be challenging to know what to cook for a family when you are used to eating meat as the main portion of your meal. Now is the perfect time to try out some new meatless recipes. CatholicMom.com has a Meatless Fridays feature with numerous recipes. Pick out a handful to try during Lent!
Sacrifice a favorite food. This is a common Lenten practice, but it can be very challenging, because we are creatures of habit. I have found that when we decide to sacrifice a favorite food as a family, it is especially meaningful. In addition, making a sacrifice together allows the family to encourage one another when challenges and temptations arise. Lastly, it can help to designate a specific intention for our sacrifice. Or if you have more than one person or purpose to pray for, consider having a different intention for each day of the week and add them to your Lenten calendar (above).
Smell
Use incense. Every Sunday night, my husband lights a charcoal and selects some incense to use during our family rosary. We have a simple incense burner that is easy to use at home. The incense marks the prayer time as special and set apart from everything else we do throughout the week. I love the aroma that permeates the entire house, and I get wrapped up in meditating on the rising smoke symbolizing our prayers rising up to the Lord (Psalm 141:2).
Clean the house. Lent is a wonderful time to do some heavy-duty spring cleaning. It is an outward sign of the interior cleansing the Lord is doing in our hearts during this penitential season, and it also is a great way to incorporate almsgiving by making donations of our gently-used belongings to local charities. Plus, a clean house smells so good! It will definitely give us a sense of hopeful anticipation for Easter!
Touch
Read a book. I usually select a spiritual book to read during Lent. I find it so helpful in my prayer and my focus during this special time of the year. I like reading a “real” book with a cover and paper pages that I can feel in my hands and highlight when needed. My pick for this Lent is Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, and I also hope to read The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis.
Put books in a basket. Books are wonderful tools for our children to learn about our Catholic faith. With the different liturgical seasons and feasts, often I rotate our books to highlight certain themes and saints. Here is a list of some of our favorite Lenten books. In addition, Welcome Risen Jesus by Sarah Reinhard is a great daily devotional for families, and Amon’s Adventure by Arnold Tyeeide makes a wonderful family read aloud.
Cling to beads. A beautiful practice to adopt during Lent is praying the Rosary and/or the Chaplet of Diving Mercy on a more regular basis. Begin with a decade a day to pray one Rosary per week. Or if you already pray the Rosary as a family, why not add a day during Lent? Or add the Chaplet in the afternoons? Also, Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary (chaplet) is a perfect devotion for Lent, because it focuses on the sorrows that Our Blessed Mother endured. Praying with our Rosary beads allows us to tangibly keep track of our prayers. I have heard that when we are holding our Rosary beads it is like holding Our Blessed Mother’s hand while we pray! What a beautiful idea to contemplate and share with our children!
Copyright 2016, Sarah Damm
Sarah Damm
Sarah Damm is a Catholic wife and mother of six children, living in Minnesota. She spends her days running errands, cooking meals and helping with homework. She and her husband Greg strive to weave the Catholic faith into their daily lives as well as into their family celebrations. Sarah serves as a WINE specialist with WINE: Women in the New Evangelization. She blogs at sarahdamm.com and is also a contributor for CatholicMom.com.
3 responses to “Lent: Experiencing the Season Through Our Five Senses”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] Lent: Experiencing the Season Through Our Five Senses […]
For a while some people have referred to our Church as the Church of “smells and bells”. This is a confirmation and validation of our “incarnateness”. Jesus became body not just spirit or prophecy or vision. Our body and all that it is capable of experiencing is Holy. Thanks for reminding us of this fact of our faith.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Kathryn. I hope your Lent is off to a blessed and fruitful start. God bless!