Kids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children

Catholic Educator's Resource Center/CERC ^ | 2001 | Cyndi Montanaro

[Salvation]

For your information................and pass the message on to your children!!!!!

[Salvation]

Lenten Family Ping!

Please notify me via Freepmail if you would like to be added to or removed from the Lenten Family Ping list.

[Salvation]

I have a hard copy of children's activities and will type in for each day.

Day 1 (March 5) -- I will try to be cheerful in school today.

[Gerish]

Great read with some very good ideas. At this time I am teaching my children the mysteries of the Rosary which gives new meaning to the word PATIENCE!

[Salvation]

**new meaning to the word PATIENCE!**

Being a parent has its blessings, doesn't it? LOL!

[nickcarraway]

BUMP

[SunnyUsa]

thanks so much for your post...and I'll look forward to your daily thoughts for lent to pass on to my CCD kids.

I did a presentation to my class early this week, and I have to say the kids seem to have a better appreciation of the meaning and tradition of Lent.

[Salvation]

Could you repost the article about pretzels over here?

[nickcarraway]

Lenten Pretzels

Fr. William Saunders

The pretzel has its origins as an official food of Lent. However, much of the information available is based on tradition that has been handed down through the ages. Nevertheless, the Vatican library actually has a manuscript illustrating one of the earliest pictures and descriptions of the pretzel (Manuscript Code no. 3867).

In the early Church, the Lenten abstinence and fasting laws were more strict than what the faithful practice today. Many areas of the Church abstained from all forms of meat and animal products, while others made exceptions for food like fish. For example, Pope St. Gregory (d. 604), writing to St. Augustine of Canterbury, issued the following rule: "We abstain from flesh, meat, and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese and eggs." Second, the general rule was for a person to have one meal a day, in the evening or at three o’clock in the afternoon, and smaller snacks to maintain strength. So a need arose for a very simple food which would fulfill the abstinence and fasting laws.

According to pretzel maker Snyder’s of Hanover, a young monk in the early 600s in Italy was preparing a special Lenten bread of water, flour and salt. To remind his brother monks that Lent was a time of prayer, he rolled the bread dough in strips and then shaped each strip in the form of crossed arms, mimicking the then popular prayer position of folding one’s arms over each other on the chest. The bread was then baked as a soft bread, just like the big soft pretzels one can find today. (To be fair, some traditions date the story to even the 300s.)

Because these breads were shaped into the form of crossed arms, they were called bracellae, the Latin word for "little arms." From this word, the Germans derived the word bretzel which has since mutated to the familiar word pretzel.

Another possibility for the origins of the word pretzel is that the young monk gave these breads to children as a reward when they could recite their prayers. The Latin word pretiola means "little reward," from which pretzel could also be reasonably derived.

Apparently, this simple Lenten food became very popular. Pretzels were enjoyed by all people. They became a symbol of good luck, long life and prosperity. Interestingly, they were also a common food given to the poor and hungry. Not only were pretzels easy to give to someone in need, but also they were both a substantial food to satisfy the hunger and a spiritual reminder of God knowing a person’s needs and answering our prayers.

Another interesting story involving pretzels arises in the late 1500s, when the Ottoman Moslem Turks were besieging the city of Vienna, Austria. The Turks could not break the city’s defenses, so they began to tunnel below ground. The monks in the basement of the monastery were baking pretzels and heard the sound of digging. They alerted the guard and saved the city.

The soft pretzels eventually evolved into hard baked pretzels. Another story is that a young apprentice baker dozed off while tending to the oven where the pretzels were baking. The oven fire began to die out, he awoke, and then stoked up the oven. In the end, he over-baked the pretzels. At first the master baker was upset, but soon discovered that the hard pretzels were also delicious. These hard pretzels were less perishable than the soft, and thereby easy to have available to give to the poor and hungry.

Here we find another "fun" tradition of our faith, just like Easter eggs or hot cross buns. Actually, a good Lenten family activity would be to make pretzels, explaining to the children their significance. The real challenge for this author is to find some justification for adding beer to the Lenten pretzel tradition.

Lenten Pretzels

[SuziQ]

The prayers themselves may have been simple ones such as our "Angel of God" prayer, or the "Hail Mary."

We began saying a different one with our kids several years ago. Sir SuziQ got it from the Liturgy of the Hours. It is beautiful:

"Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake, and watch over us as we sleep. That awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in His Peace."

Our kids get an allowance, and in return are expected to do different chores around the house. We are having them tithe from that money.

[Dajjal]

Great story! Bumpus ad summum!

[SuziQ]

The real challenge for this author is to find some justification for adding beer to the Lenten pretzel tradition.

Well, monks along the route to the Holy Land sold beer to the Pilgrims when they stopped for food. There's your connection!

[SuziQ]

At this time I am teaching my children the mysteries of the Rosary which gives new meaning to the word PATIENCE!

We're doing one decade every night with our prayers. We're going to add the Luminous Mysteries this year.

[Salvation]

Thanks, Nick.

[Salvation]

**Our kids get an allowance, and in return are expected to do different chores around the house. We are having them tithe from that money.**

This is the way to teach Catholics tithing! If only all families would do it and follow through!

Unfortunately, it is an area in which I failed miserably as a parent.

[Salvation]

**Day 1 (March 5) -- I will try to be cheerful in school today.**

Day 2 (March 6) -- I will pray for someone in class whom I find hard to like.

[Salvation]

**Day 1 (March 5) -- I will try to be cheerful in school today.**

Day 2 (March 6) -- I will pray for someone in class whom I find hard to like.**

Day 3 (March 7) -- I will set the table (or help with dinner) tonight.

[Salvation]

**Day 1 (March 5) -- I will try to be cheerful in school today.**

Day 2 (March 6) -- I will pray for someone in class whom I find hard to like.

Day 3 (March 7) -- I will set the table (or help with dinner) tonight.**

Day 4 (March 8) -- I will help clean up my room today.

Catholic Family Ping!

Please notify me via Freepmail if you would like to be added to or removed from the Catholic Family Ping list.

[Salvation]

**Day 1 (March 5) -- I will try to be cheerful in school today.**

Day 2 (March 6) -- I will pray for someone in class whom I find hard to like.

Day 3 (March 7) -- I will set the table (or help with dinner) tonight.

Day 4 (March 8) -- I will help clean up my room today.**

First Sundayof Lent (March 9) -- Encourage each member of your family to bring a can of food for _____name of church_____ food pantry when you come to Mass today.

Catholic Family Ping!

Please notify me via Freepmail if you would like to be added to or removed from the Catholic Family Ping list.

[SunnyUsa]

Thanks so much for the ping (just got to reading all my posts)

I am going to use this with my CCD class - we had made a class chart, but I'm going to make them a weekly calendar to keep during Lent.