ASH WEDNESDAY – MERCREDI DES CENDRES

LENT 2015ICCG Europe / ICCS EuroMed Regions Gospel from Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 “Be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration. In truth I tell you, they had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.”   Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season.It is a season of penance, reflection and fasting which prepares us for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. Inspiration for our “food for the mind activities” will come, firstly, from Pope Francis’ Lenten Message for this year “Make your hearts firm” (Jc 5,8): http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/index.html We will also walk along this path together with two friends… of Jesus, and of us too!They are: Saint Peter and the Virgin Mary. They are two direct witnesses, who stood near Jesus during His life.They will accompany us during all of our Lenten journey. Each Sunday they will share with us their feelings and thoughts about the Sunday Gospel that the Church offers us.Each Sunday we will give them the floor, in order to be able to see things from their point of view: they were present and they can bear witness to the faith they saw growing in their souls.  FOOD FOR THE MINDAnd if Lent were a journey, an adventure?Before leaving for a journey, God invites us to reset the counter through reconciliation. He comes and meets us as we are, as little as our hearts allow Him, as little as we do not reject Him. Nothing about us, our difficulties, our weaknesses, wards Him off.Reconciled, we are ready for the great adventure of the Word, secretly and intimately, to hear what God wants to tell us. We are therefore ready to receive the invitation God is launching to each one of us, to join in the dance of the world. We are ready to go and meet others with the greatest respect for who they are. We are ready to contribute to a better world.Reading the Word is looking for God; it is establishing a dialogue, persistently to show Him our strong desire to meet Him in everything we live in: every moment, every encounter.Let us not stop looking for God, even if this requires time… Let us be patient, let us be persistent, let us not be hopeless.[M. Derain]  FOOD FOR HANDS – ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGESUpon arrival, each participant receives a scented booklet(an A4 sheet of paper folded in two, in order to obtain four pages, scented with some diluted and sprayed essential oil).- On the first page, his/her name is written down, accompanied by a nice image. – On the second page, the Gospel is reproduced.- On the third page : there is a question concerning the time of the day that each participant will choose for praying, as a time of privileged relationship with God.- On the fourth page : each participant will write a charitable/solidarity commitment to carry out during Lent (some examples might be listed, also depending of the age of participants). The group gathers while singing the first verses of the song There is a longing in our hearts for God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCUmhbMP_Kw The Gospel is read out loud. The leader invites participants to open the booklet and answer the questions, during five to ten minutes, with background music. Then the group continues to sing the song. Participants leave crossing themselves with some scented water, in order to breathe the joy of believing, of looking for God. The leader invites participants to re-read the booklet during Lent.   [Credits to : Cléophas – le missel des jeunes, 2014/2015 – SGdF]