Lent kinda snuck up on me this year - any suggestions for reading from y'all?

Well, you're set for Lent.

Let us know how you like the book. The prayer beads were a good purchase, too. I really like mine.

I know, right? All of a sudden last night I realized it's next week. (Since I sing in the choir and we practice things weeks if not months in advance, you'd think I'd know it was almost here. It can get a bit hazy when you start practicing Lenten music in early January.)

I need to figure out something to read as well.

Great Book
 

The Guide is the best book in Ignatian Spirituality I have read for quite some time. It is great. The first time I read it, it took me two days because I couldn't put it down. Then, I read it again for more useful meditation.

Great purchase, great book by a great author.

AMDG

One author I started to read recently that I love is Matthew Fox. He is know for what he calls Creation Spirituality, his most famous book being The Coming of the Cosmic Christ.

I hadn't heard of this book until I read this thread; and I am now looking over my parish's Lenten Spiritual Enrichment Guide, and this is the Spiritual Book Club book selection for lent.

I like St. Francis' take on it: "Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words."

In my experience, Christians ARE concerned about feeding the hungry, helping the homeless, etc. Largest private charitable orgs in the U.S.? The Salvation Army and Catholic Charities USA. On a smaller scale, I know here in Katy we have the Katy Christian Ministries, which many congregations support, not to mention all the individual initiatives of Christian and non-Christian religious bodies.

A fellow OLOW parishioner ( and mother of a former h.s. student - it's a small world) started this incredible org - http://www.centerforrenewal.org/Site/Welcome.html

I think that you are dead-on correct. Jesus tells us to feed the homeless, it is part of helping those less fortunate. Our church serves a meal after the service each Sunday. The church van goes to a shelter & picks up several people to take them to the church for service & the meal. We also have homeless from the YMCA show up often if not regularly. The pastor considers ministry to the homeless as a big part of the church. This includes social services like counseling, helping them do laundry, clothes distribution, etc. Taking care of the homeless is a social responsibility and also part of a Christian lifestyle.
I don't want to sound too preachy; sometimes I think that helping my husband get through seminary consumes my life lately. :)

This discussion reminds me of the song we sing at Mass, that is based on this:

Matthew 25: 35-40 "‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ "

Anglican/RC rosaries/prayer beads for Lent
 

I think it would be easy to adapt these instructions in order to make an Anglican prayer - beads? It doesn't have beads, so I guess it is now an Anglican rosary. I also think the idea of making your own R.C. rosary is pretty cool.

http://rosaryarmy.newevangelizers.com/make-them/

That's exactly what I was going to say; I love that quote. You beat me to it.

The other line it makes me think of is a line found at least in many Eucharistic prayers, and perhaps one of my favorite parts of the prayer (yeah, how liturgically-geeky is that?): "As this bread is Christ's Body for us, sound us out to be the body of Christ in the world."

And KSUViolet, I agree completely.

So it appears I will be standing on a street corner on Wednesday wearing a alb, chasing around people with a pot of ashes in my hands. Should be fun.

Wow. I have to go to church on Wednesday to get my ashes. :rolleyes: At least since I am no longer working at a Baptist school I will not have to continually tell people "No, I don't have dirt on my forehead!".

Will you be yelling "Repent!" "Repent!"

:D

My old priest in Ohio always hated the line at the end of mass that says "the mass has ended, go out and love and serve the world". He maintained that it should be "the mass never ends, it must be lived. Go out and love and serve the world". However the RC church isn't big on priests changing the words...