Posted on by Adrienne Meador

Prepping for Lent and Easter

Remember, O man, that dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.

As we enter our pre-Lenten season in the Western Rite, I’ve put together some of my favorite tips, materials, and go-tos for Lent. Like with everything on my blog, this is what one Western Rite Orthodox family does, but please, use whatever is most helpful for you and your family. In my next post I will cover my favorite Lenten books for kids and ideas for Easter baskets.

If you want a Lenten Calendar for kids, I can recommend this printable one from Catholic Icing (it’s not date specific). You can get it for free when you subscribe to the newsletter (or for $1, if you’d rather not give out your email address). If you can sew, this is a beautiful and more permanent wall calendar for Lent that is tailored to the Eastern Rite but could probably be modified without much trouble for us Westerners. I’m loving this guide to Lent that you can post in your house to follow along with the readings of the Lenten Season.

Decorating:

Our grapevine wreath table decoration for Lent a few years ago

Around our house, we stick with really simple decorations for the season of Lent. Save the eggs and the bunnies until Easter. This season is about scaling back. I encourage you to look for a grapevine wreath for your table. You can easily find them at a craft store, Target, or online. It resembles the crown of thorns and help us to draw our minds back to Christ’s sacrifice throughout the season. A single beeswax candle can be placed in the center of the wreath. Our family tradition is to light a candle during our evening Lenten devotions. You may be able to purchase a beeswax candle from your parish, or if not, here is a website to order one. Beeswax candles burn cleanly and are smokeless and dripless. You can also find a DIY Paschal Candle for the kids to make here. If real candles are too dangerous for your kids, I recommend these lovely electric candles.

Peek-a-boo with St. Ambrose on Easter morning!

The color of the liturgical season is purple, so if you have a table cloth, that would be the most appropriate choice. We keep a large purple cloth on hand to cover our icons from Passion Sunday until Easter. Don’t forget to have your family wear pink for Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent. This is the week known as the “pink week” by my kids. If the priest has them, he will wear rose-colored vestments on this day. It represents a slight relaxing of the fast and a refreshment before the final push to Pascha.

Awaiting the start of the Easter Vigil

Eating:

Remember that in the Western Rite, we abstain from meat and the “juice thereof” every day during Lent (except Sundays). We also fast until noon each day and only consume one meal and one “collation” (like a snack or a 1/4th of a meal) each day except Sunday*. Even though children are not required to fast, we like to find small ways to help initiate them into the habit of making sacrifices for Lent. One way to do this is to have them “give up” desserts or snacks except on Sundays. Another idea is to have children abstain from meat for one or two meals each day (such as only eating meat at dinner) or abstaining from meat for 2-3 days each week (such as MWF). While growing children will not be able to reduce their portions of food, they can eat more simply during Lent (such as refraining from sugary cereal, pancakes, waffles, etc.). If you need guidance on this, ask your priest for more specific help on how to introduce children to fasting.

Fr. Patrick Cardine has encouraged our parish to try to think less about food during Lent. Sometimes, for those of us who regularly eat meat, this can be difficult to achieve. We often find ourselves spending more time than usual coming up with recipes and preparing food. After eight years of being Orthodox, I have come up with a list of go-to meals that we always eat during Lent and Advent. Below are a few of our favorites. My hope is that by having some tried-and-true recipes on hand, you can spend more time in prayer, reading, and reflection during Lent and less time worrying about what you will eat for your one meal of the day.

  • Here are a few of our favorite recipes for Lent:
    • Rustic Cabbage Soup– This one is perfect for cooler nights. We made this recipe one night when Fr. Patrick was coming over for our House Blessing. It was an early Lent that year. I remember him eating the soup and saying it reminded him of old Russia LOL. I use veggie stock for this recipe, and whatever you do, don’t skip the Parmesan. Trust me, I know a cabbage soup doesn’t sound amazing, but it is the most belly-warming peasant food! Throw in some crusty bread, and you’re in business.
  • French Lentil Soup– This is my go-to recipe for bringing a meal to my vegetarian friends or for hosting guests during Lent. I know what you’re thinking. It’s lentil soup, Adrienne, what’s the big deal? Well, I’m going to tell you the secret: balsamic vinegar. That is what makes this recipe really special, so even though it says “optional,” it’s not. Add bread and you’ve got yourself one wholesome, hearty meal.
  • Lasagna Roll-Ups– These lasagna rolls are a little more work, I admit. But I really think they are worth it. In fact, this is the traditional Christmas Eve meal at our house. We leave off the prosciutto during Lent and Advent, obviously, but I’ve made the recipe as written at another time and can honestly say that I don’t miss the meat. The best part is that all my kids will eat this (even though it has “green stuff” in it).
  • Martha Stewart’s One-Pan Pasta– You will not believe how simple and delicious this meal is. It’s actually my meat-less Friday-night favorite year-round. How did I not know that you can use the pasta water to make the sauce? Mind blown. Word to the wise: In our house, this recipe only makes enough for 3 servings, so we usually just make it for the adults, and the kids get fish sticks (sorry kids).  

*Remember that if you need an exception to the traditional rules of the fast due to medical restrictions, being new to fasting, age, pregnancy, etc. just talk to your priest. Together you and your confessor can make adjustments that will accommodate your specific dietary needs and help you find a way to still participate in the fast.

Reading:

  • Bible reading– During Lent, our parish often participates in a challenge to read all 4 Gospels. I have not tired this in my particular phase of life with 5 young children, but I hope to do so in the future. However, I do like the read the Gospel of Luke during Advent (because it contains the birth story of Jesus and has 24 chapters, easily fitting into the month of December before Christmas). That leaves John, Matthew, or Mark for Lent. This year my goal is to read both John (21 chapters) and Mark (16) for a total of 37 chapters. At a rate of one chapter a day, which I think is reasonable for me to achieve, I should be able to finish within the 40 days of Lent, with a little wiggle room in case I miss a day here or there.  
  • Orthodox Books– Here is a short list of Orthodox books that I have greatly enjoyed reading and can recommend to you as potential Lenten reading material.
    • Tending the Garden of Our Hearts– This is a daily Lenten reader to be done as a family with children. Our family read this each night at dinner during Lent last year, and even though it was organized around the Eastern Rite calendar of Great Lent (so some of the holydays were different), we all still got so much out of it. I can say that I personally learned tons about several new-to-me Orthodox saints.  
  • Everyday Saints and Other Stories– This was one of the first books I read as an Orthodox convert, and it remains one of my very favorites. The book is a compilation of fascinating tales of unique and peculiar saints whom the author encountered in his travels. The stories were easy to read in spare moments I have in between taking care of my children. I can promise you that this one will have you laughing and leave you both awed and deeply moved.
  • Ordinary Wonders– If you’ve already read Everyday Saints and loved it, this is your next read. It’s formatted the same, as a series of short, nonfiction stories, that are easy to read in a sitting. And you don’t need a theology degree to understand them. Some of the stories are funny, while others are unbelievable accounts of miraculous events.   
  • Becoming a Healing Presence– Just finished this short but lovely book during the past Advent. It makes for great discussion with a friend or parish group. The chapters were brief enough for me to complete in the spurts of time I have for reading during the day. But the material was also dense enough to provide ample fodder for self-examination. The perfect exercise for a penitential season.
  • Apostle to the Plains– This was the ideal read for pandemic times. This amazing saint-to-be was a priest during the Spanish Flu, ministering to a diaspora of Orthodox believers across the American Plains. An utterly inspiring story!
  • Surprised by Christ– If you like spiritual memoirs, this is one is for you. It was written by a priest who converted from Judaism to Orthodoxy by way of the “Jesus Movement.” It was fascinating to walk with him through his conversion process and learn with him as he studied the doctrines of the Orthodox faith. Great read for any convert, especially former Protestants.
  • The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios- Do you like scary, suspenseful movies? This book could be for you. Trigger warning: contains demonic oppression. It was a page-turner, and I could not put it down until I finished it. Before reading this book, I did not know much about St. Paisios, but I have loved him ever since. If you’ve ever been interested in Hinduism, or if you are just ready for an adventure this Lent, read this book.

Praying:

Fr. Stephen Freeman says, “Pray. Fasting without praying is called ‘the Fast of Demons,’ because demons never eat, but they never pray. We fast as a means of drawing closer to God. Your fasting and your prayer should be balanced as much as possible.”

Lent is a great time to recommit to your Prayer Rule, especially if you have become lax in your daily prayers. Or, if you have been faithful in saying your daily office lately, Lent is the perfect time to add to your prayer diet. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Try saying Angelus every day at noon (set an alarm on your phone to remind you). The prayers are available in the St. Ambrose Prayerbook.
  • Sit in silent meditation with the Lord for 10 minutes each day.
  • Start a habit of a daily Rosary. You can do this alone or with your family. If you are on Instagram, you can follow the account @manyhailmarysatatime. They host a live Rosary every day. You can watch any time of day that is convenient for you. It only takes about 20 minutes. The Sorrowful Mysteries are traditional meditations to reflect upon during Lent. The St. Ambrose Prayerbook contains all the instructions you will need to learn the Rosary on your own. I like this kid-led version of the Sorrowful Mysteries to use with my children.
  • Keep a parish directory handy or a list of prayer needs for your friends and family and commit to praying through the names regularly during Lent. The Orthodox Mom offers a very helpful Prayer Companion, which I personally use. It provides an organized space to write down your favorite prayers and saint quotes, prayer needs, and gratitude lists.
  • As for our family prayers, during Lent this year our family will be using the Lenten Devotional created by St. Patrick’s Orthodox Church. It contains a reading for each day throughout the season, which is taken from the St. Andrew Daily Missal, and a simple liturgy of prayers. It’s brief enough that our children ages 4-9 are able to participate.
  • Consider taking up prayer journaling for Lent or writing out passages of scripture for memorization. If, rather, you are more artistically inclined, Ancient Faith makes several beautiful religious coloring books.
  • How about learning a new prayer this Lent? A few years ago my family and I added this prayer from St. Ephrem to our nightly devotions during Lent, and I have remembered and cherished it ever since:

“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.”

Giving:

Charitable giving is one of the key components of a fruitful Lent. Consider giving an offering to one of these worthy causes during this season, above and beyond your tithe:

  • A crisis pregnancy center- The local pregnancy resource center which our parish supports provides free services (such as ultrasounds, diapers, and baby supplies) and counseling to women in need due to an unexpected pregnancy.
  • IOCC– International Orthodox Christian Charities is an organization that we have been partnering with for years at our parish. IOCC strives to meet the basic needs (food, shelter, water, and medical care) of impoverished people and victims of natural disasters around the world and here in the U.S.
  • Orthodox Christian Mission Center– Our family supports a young, missionary family who visited our church years ago and are now serving as Orthodox missionaries in Guatemala. Look through the pictures and stories of the missionaries on the website and pick one to sponsor as a family or as a parish!
  • Local food bank- Collect food for your area food bank next time you do your grocery shopping. Call or check the website first to see what items are most in need. Usually, all food banks can use dry goods such as cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, rice, and pasta.

Watching:

If you, like us, try to take a break from secular entertainment during the penitential seasons, you might appreciate some of these films and documentaries which are Orthodox or otherwise Christian that we have enjoyed over the years. I do think children can make Lenten sacrifices in this area as well, but I will offer movie suggestions for children in another post. The films below are for adults or older teens.

  • Ostrov (The Island)– You can watch this classic streaming on Amazon Prime, if you have that, or simply order the DVD. It’s one you will come back to over and over, as we have done. It features the story of an eccentric monk, a “holy fool” who is able to perform miracles and exorcisms. 
  • The Gospel of John– This is actually the entire Gospel of John read aloud (under 3 hours) while actors portray the action on screen. It’s superbly done. All four Gospel movies are now available, but this one is my favorite. I like to watch this sometime during Holy Week.
  • Luca (Healing Fear)– This movie is about the extraordinary life of St. Luke the Surgeon of Crimea. It is available on YouTube, and it is subtitled. 
  • Mt. Athos on 60 Minutes– I watched this documentary several years ago and enjoyed the peek inside a very special and holy place. Mt. Athos is home to several prominent monasteries and many famous saints have lived there. As a woman, I will never be able to visit Mt. Athos, but it was interesting to learn about some of the monks who live there and their way of life.

Priest-San, Confession of a Samurai– If you love action movies and Orthodoxy, this movie is going to be your jam. You can find it on YouTube, and it is subtitled. The movie is about a Japanese Orthodox priest who commits a grave sin and is exiled to a remote Russian village. There he must minister to a community of very dysfunctional people and renovate a destroyed church.

Paul, Apostle of Christ– A recent film starring Jim Caviezel which focuses on the persecution of Roman Christians after the death of Jesus and features St. Luke’s visits to St. Paul in prison to record his testimony.

The Robe– A terrific movie from 1953 starring Richard Burton about the budding faith of a Roman soldier who was present at the crucifixion of Jesus. It also features the power of relics.

Into Great Silence– This is an unusual documentary of Carthusian monks who live in silence and seclusion in the French Alps. It is almost 3 hours long, and there is very little talking, but it is beautiful and contemplative. I don’t know if it is available to stream anywhere, but you can purchase a DVD on Amazon.

Listening: During Lent we like to avoid secular music, talk radio, and news. These Orthodox resources help direct our attention to things above during this holy season.

Attending:

  • Come to more weekday masses-There will be a lot more daily masses than usual during Lent, so you’ll have extra opportunities to stop in as often as you can. One thing my husband and I try to do at least once during Lent is to volunteer to watch the kids at home so that our spouse can attend a daily Mass by themselves. This means so much because it can be very difficult to concentrate at the Sunday Mass while wrangling 5 children in the pew!
  • Attend Vespers and Matins- We are expected to increase our spiritual disciplines during Lent. One way to do that is to give more of our time to God in preparation for the Sunday Mass. If you don’t usually attend Vespers and/or Matins, make a special effort to add those services to your schedule during this season. 
  • Stations of the Cross– Every Friday during Lent our parish hosts Stations. Ideally, you can attend every week, but if you cannot, be sure to go at least attend once during Lent. I recommend this coloring book to bring along for the little ones. When you can’t make it to church on Friday nights, you can hold your own family Stations of the Cross at home. We use this MP3 version when doing Stations at home.   
  • Visit Jesus at Benediction (Adoration)- Our parish regularly holds Benediction after Vespers on Saturday evenings, other Western Rite parishes may do this at other times, but it is a wonderful practice for your spiritual wellbeing to spend time in silence before the Holy Sacrament. It’s a perfect moment to bring before the Lord the names of people who have asked for your prayers.  
  • Get thee to Confession (before Holy Week)- To be an Orthodox Christian in good standing to receive communion at Easter, you need to make a full and honest confession sometime during Lent. Don’t wait until the last minute. Spend some time preparing for Confession by looking through the Examination of Conscience in the St. Ambrose Prayerbook and saying the Prayers for Contrition and Prayers before Confession listed there. 

Lenten and Holy Week Activities for Kids: These traditions are so important to the children. They look forward to them all year. Public service announcement: Egg hunts are for Easter day or Easter week (not before).

  • Crown of Thorns– Do you like doing crafts with your kids? I’m not a big “crafty mom,” but if this is your thing, I have an activity for you that can help motivate your kids to make sacrifices for Jesus throughout Lent. My kindergartener is doing this with his class at school.  Follow the link for more info.
  • Lenten Sacrifice Beans– As an alternative to the crown craft, sacrifice beans require less parental effort. Essentially, you place a box of dried beans out on a table, together with a jar. Explain to the children that whenever they patiently wait their turn, let others go first, complete chores without complaining, etc., they can put a bean in the jar, symbolizing their offering to Jesus. At Easter, all the accumulated beans turn into jelly beans.
  • Spy Wednesday Coin Hunt– For this activity, I hide 30 coins (representing the pieces of silver given to Judas to betray Jesus) and hide them around the room or rooms in our house. When all the coins have been found, they are donated to the Antiochian Archdiocese campaign Food for Hungry People.  
  • Maundy Thursday Foot Washing- We always go to Mass on this day and watch as our priest washes the feet of men representing the disciples. The kids wanted to participate too, so we have developed a tradition in our family over several years of washing each other’s feet on this day and reading John 13:1-17 together from the Bible.
  • Good Friday Empty Tomb Rolls– This recipe is a simple version of hot cross buns. It’s so easy to make that kids of all ages are able to help assemble the rolls.
  • Holy Saturday Egg Dying– I bet you’ve seen these kits at the grocery store for $1, but I tell you, this activity is such a huge hit every single year. They would never let me skip it. And thankfully, my kids will eat the hard boiled eggs.
  • Nature Tomb Box- This can honestly be done at any time during Lent, but we tried it for the first time last year during Holy Week, and my kiddos really enjoyed building it.

This year (2021) Orthodox Easter is a month after Protestant and Catholic Easter, so don’t forget to stock up early on the discounted Easter candy for your Easter baskets!

One final word of advice: Don’t feel overwhelmed by all the suggestions! Just start small and pick what you want to try with your family this season. It’s probably more beneficial to do a few things well than to attempt to do too many things and become overburdened with obligations. As Fr. Patrick is forever telling me, “Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good.” Let’s agree together to make a good faith effort this Lent to keep our fast, commit to our prayer rule, and follow through on our individual sacrifices and disciplines, whatever they may be. And let’s encourage one another to persevere through this season of penitence and to get right back up and try again if we fail. After all, at Easter our goal is not to be able to say that we followed the rules to the letter, without any mistakes, but rather that we have grown in our faith and closer to the heart of God.

Pray for me as I labor to clean the inside of my cup and not merely the outside (Matthew 23:25).

Wishing you and yours a blessed Lent and a happy Easter!