Season of Lent

Our Lenten journey, as we approach the celebration of Easter Day, is a hugely important time for Catholics. A time for prayer, a time for reflection, a time for spiritual renewal.
This 8-part video series takes a closer look at a number of the key dates during Lent, as well as an exploration of the Stations of the Cross. With insights and contributions from Archbishop Bernard Longley and Monsignor Timothy Menezes.

Ep 1. Ash Wednesday – Our beginning point for Lent – and the start of 40 days of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Why do we receive ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday? And what should be our key intentions as we embark on our own journey over the coming 40 days?

Ep 2. 40 Days in the Wilderness. Jesus spent 40 prayerful days in the wilderness facing temptation from the devil. Lent acts an an invitation for us to enter into our own journey, making sacrifices of our own and repenting for our sins. We can draw inspiration from the actions of Jesus in the wilderness, and copy his methods for resisting temptation.

Ep 3. Stations of the Cross. This important Catholic devotion leads us through the 14 “Stations” on Jesus’ journey with the cross. Why is it so important for us to pay attention to the details of this journey? And what can they teach us about the way we should lives our lives today?

Ep 4. Palm Sunday. The beginning of Holy Week – the most important week of the year for all Catholics. We reflect on Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, explore the symbolism in His actions and look at the Gospel account of His Passion in greater detail.

Ep 5. Maundy Thursday. In the account of the Last Supper we hear how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples; a practice copied by priests and bishops across the world on Maundy Thursday. We look at the significance of these actions and discuss Jesus’ “New Commandment” to love one another.

Ep 6. Good Friday. The solemn occasion of Good Friday gives rise to discussions about living in a broken world – each one of us will face sadness and loss in our lives – and there will probably be times where we feel abandoned too – but we can learn so much from Jesus’ death on the cross; not least the knowledge that there is always hope – even in the darkest of times.

Ep 7. Holy Saturday. A quiet day in the life of the Church, Holy Saturday is an opportunity for us to wait prayerfully….not to rush through to Easter Day, but to consider Christ’s sacrifice and acknowledge the love He has shown for us by His actions. We also examine the gradual emergence of light overtaking the darkness as we witness the Easter Vigil – with candlelight spreading throughout our Church’s representing the realisation that the tomb is empty.

Ep 8. Easter Day. The most important day for all Christians – Jesus is risen from the dead, ALLELUIA! A discussion about the joy that comes on Easter morning, the fundamental belief of all Christians is born out on this day. Our 40 days of penance and sacrifice are replaced by 50 days of Eastertide.

As with our recent Season of Advent series, there will be additional content from CJM Music – with a short liturgy video and call to prayer from the ever-popular Jo Boyce to accompany each of the videos.

All content is suitable for Year 5 through to Year 9 – with the educational videos being around 7-8 minutes duration and the short reflections less than 5 minutes each.