40 Days to a Spiritual Makeover: No Makeup Required! Get Ready for Lent!

Last minute additions to your Lenten arsenal!   We stumbled upon a few more excellent Lent resources for you - they are highlighted.

The Little Way of Lent - Meditations in the spirit of St. Therese of Lisieux by Father Gary Caster.   Father Gary was inspired by St. Therese's Little Way to create this unique approach to Lent.  The smallest acts of charity, such as holding a door open for someone, can be offered to Jesus as our alms.  This book encourages us to think outside the box - instead of the usual monetary donations for almsgiving, the focus is on giving of ourselves to others for love of Jesus.


Consoling the Heart of Jesus - A beautiful do-it-yourself retreat inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius - with a focus on Divine Mercy.   Fr. Michael Gaitley


The Busted Halo's Pray, Fast, Give - Click on the daily calendar for inspirations - quick, lively, fun, and something new every day!  Great resource if you haven't planned anything yet for Lent, or want to join in at any point along the way - it's never too late to jump on board!  


Lenten Grace:  Daily Gospel Reflections - by the Pauline Sisters

My Wounded Hands - A Way of the Cross. Beautiful meditations with reflections from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Therese of Lisieux, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Edith Stein, Pope Benedict XVI, Henri J. Nouwen, and others.

Minute Meditations For Lent - Beautiful, quick meditations in a pocket size booklet that you can take anywhere!  Perfect for anyone who feels overwhelmed by our fast paced world.  Plus, it's only $2.95 - get one to keep on your nightstand, and one to put in your purse or car so you can pick it up anytime you have a minute!

Spirituality You Can Live With:  Stronger Faith in 30 Days -  by Chris Padgett.  They raved about this on the Catholic Channel, proclaiming what a difference it has made in their lives.

USCCB:  The Lenten Season

What We Believe - Papal Encyclicals, Spiritual information on Mary and the Saints, and information for those who want to learn more about our faith.

What We celebrate - learn more about the Sacraments we celebrate, especially the Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation.  Contains wonderful examinations of conscience for children, single, married, priests and religious.  You're invited to come back to this beautiful Sacrament if you haven't been in a while - this alone would be a great Lenten commitment to prepare your heart for the joy of the Resurrection!  Also available on this page is information on Holy Week, and a beautiful video on the suffering of Christ presented through art.

How We Live - find out about two of pillars of Lent - Fasting and Acts of Charity (giving goods or monetary donations to those who need our help).  The Holy Father has called us to live in solidarity with the Poor - find out more about the value and meaning of fasting with the poor.

How We Pray - Prayer is one of the three pillars of Lent.  Here you'll find resources such as Daily Readings and reflections (in audio too), and  beautiful practices such as The Way of the Cross , and the Via Matris (meditations on the 7 particular sorrows Mary suffered during her life in relation to Christ's passion.).

Catholic Mom - Loads of links for all kinds of helpful resources during Lent -- don't miss your opportunity for "spiritual self-improvement".

A Minute In the Church - Gus Lloyd, host of Seize The Day on The Catholic Channel ( 6 - 10 a.m. weekdays on Sirius XM radio) has published a fantastic little booklet under the same title. All Catholics should have this great reference.  If you've ever been at a loss to explain or defend what the Church teaches and why, or just want to know more about our faith, this is for you!

Praying Lent - from Creighton University.  This site is jam packed with tips for preparing for Lent, praying Lent, suggested items to read, even recipes for Lent, and much, much more.

We'll be adding more resources as we hear about them, but this is a good start!

HELP A HUNGRY CHILD IN 5 MINUTES

What'cha Gonna Do With That 25 Cents?

This is pure genius!  Food For the Poor has teamed up with Swipegood, a service that allows you to automatically round up purchases on your debit or credit card to the nearest dollar, then donate the spare change to help the poorest of the poor.  Here are some facts:

• $18 a month, the average monthly donation of a Swipegood user, is enough to feed a hungry child for 6 months.  
• 96% of the donations go directly to programs (check charity navigator - not many charitable organizations can make this claim)
• Every time you swipe your card you help feed a hungry child!
• You can cap your monthly donations to control the amount you donate.

To Find out more, go to:  Food For the Poor Swipegood

More Ways to Help:  Did you know you can purchase chickens, a goat, pigs, a cow, or a share of a tilapia fish farm?  These items not only provide food, they are a source of sustainable income for families, helping them become independent and self-sufficient.  These make great gifts too!  While they may seem similar to what Heifer International offers (and they are a very good organization), 96% of donations given to Food For The Poor go directly to those who need it most - vs. Heifer International, where 82% of donations reach the poor.  Do the math -- approximately 14 cents more on the dollar adds up!  Go to:  Food For the Poor to find out about this and other ways you can help!

Confession: A Roman App.

Confession:  A Roman App.  The iPhone App for making confession easier.




It's all the buzz.  In case you haven't heard about this handy little app - it is the very first iPhone App to receive the Imprimatur.   It was developed by three men who are self-professed "Catholic Geeks", as an aid to Catholics who frequent the Sacrament of Confession, and for those who want to return to the Sacrament.  These men have come up with a way to connect with the youth, making the Church relevant and high tech, and they've taken the world by storm - even the secular world! 


The App is not a replacement for confession , but an aid to the examination of conscience in order to prepare for confession.  A valid confession can only be done one on one with a priest, who is acting in persona Christi, and has the authority to give us absolution for our sins. Learn more about this brilliant little gadget below.  I might just have to break down and get an iPhone!


http://www.littleiapps.com/


http://www.ncregister.com/blog/first-iphone-app-to-receive-an-imprimatur/