Ash Wednesday

Annie got her first Ash Wednesday Ashes today. : ) (Actually, Leia Rose got ashes as well, but she had already gone back to school when I took this picture.) Both girls were as good as gold at church today. And Leia Rose has been a real angel in regards to learning about Lent. We talked a lot yesterday about how "Lent is the season during which we prepare for Easter, just like Advent was the season during which we prepare for Christmas. Except that Lent is a bit of a sad time because we're supposed to ask for forgiveness for our sins, and share in Christ's carrying of the Cross in any way that we can. That's why we 'give something up' during Lent as a sacrifice for Jesus, and that's also why Fridays of Lent are days of 'Fast and Abstinence.' We fast during the day (only one full meal) and abtsain from eating meat." As for me, I decided to "do something extra" instead of "give something up" for Lent. I am going to 1. Do laundry every Wednesday and put it away on the same day (something I've never managed to do in my life). 2. Follow my actual cleaning schedule, so I do a little bit each day (and so the house is fully cleaned every week). and 3. Go to the Stations of the Cross every Friday evening that we are in town. Leia Rose thought long and hard about her Lenten sacrifice, and she decided to give up "snacks & toys at Mass" (in order to concentrate on the prayers, songs, and Sacraments). : )

Just as a little aside here, now after prayers at night I let Leia Rose choose one saint in the "Oma Saint Books" to read about or one of the pages in Great Grandma Betty's special Catholic books from her childhood. In this way, Leia Rose is really learning about Catholicism an extra lot! And today, when I was doing a bit more explaining about lenten ashes and how "they are a reminder both that we need forgiveness for our sins and that our bodies will die someday, but our souls will go to heaven," Leia Rose said, "And at the end of the world Saint Michael will kill all the bad angels!" : ) But then she said, "But I don't like these ashes at all! They're black, and I don't like the color black!" : ) I told her that, if the ashes were pink, for example, they wouldn't really remind us of our sinfulness, would they? : )