Throughout this school year, we will feature guest bloggers to share different perspectives on or experiences with boys education on our Head of School blog. Our next guest blogger is Rex Malixi, Director of Religion & Liturgy, who writes about the Liturgical season of Lent.

Every year, we actively participate and renew our Catholic faith through the Liturgical season of Lent. The US Catholic Conference of Bishops describes Lent as: 

. . . a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter.

Lent is an opportunity for us to re-focus and re-orient our lives towards Christ, and it serves as a reminder that as we are walking the path towards Christ, if we make a wrong turn or veer off the path, we have a chance to make a course correction and reflect on our faith-life in a thoughtful and deliberate way.  

As Lent begins, we can ask ourselves, “What am I not doing that I should start doing? What am I doing that I should stop doing? What am I doing that is good and I should be doing more of?” A Lenten promise might be a commitment to do less of something such as reducing daily screen time, but it also might be doing more of something like engaging in a daily act of kindness or adding purposeful time for prayer. Most importantly, we should make our Lenten promises achievable and check in with ourselves regularly on how we’re doing. If we are halfway through Lent and we discover that we have not stayed true to our Lenten promise, it is okay to admit that and restart. If, on the other hand, we discover that we have already reached our goals, we can take the opportunity to set new Lenten promises. Throughout this Lenten season, we should consider how our actions and thoughts are leading us to a closer relationship with Christ.

Lent can be hard—it is 40 days long (Sundays are not counted)! This season is a time for penance, reflection, and renewal. The focus of Lent can often be about sacrifices, with an emphasis on suffering too. What we must remember, however, is that suffering is part of the sacrifice. The rewards of sacrifice and suffering are truly filled with Light and can bring us closer to Christ. When we give something up or start doing something that is challenging for us, these actions can be difficult and may make us feel as though we are suffering. Sometimes, even when we are successful in our sacrifice (for me that might be going all 40 days without coffee or dessert!), we might think to ourselves, ‘Well, I succeeded and stayed true to my Lenten promise, but that was so hard that I am never doing that again!’ We might not realize that the fruits of our suffering actually bring us closer to Christ and help strengthen our faith foundation. It is important to remember the blessings and rewards that come from sacrifice and not only focus on the suffering we experience.

Lent is also an opportunity to form an even deeper connection to Goal I, inviting us to a personal and active faith in God. At Regis, we offer many opportunities for our boys to engage in Lenten practices within our Catholic tradition. These practices provide our students time for contemplation and the opportunity to deepen their interior lives, as well as to engage in discernment and reflection to inform their actions. Lent is a time of formation for the boys, and it helps them recognize what it feels like to do something for someone else and what it means to make a sacrifice. While these sacrifices may seem modest at first, they are good practice as the boys grow. They learn how to say ‘no’ to things now before the stakes are higher when they get older. Regis provides multiple formation experiences for our boys to engage in praying, fasting, and giving to others during Lent. Activities include:

•    Ash Wednesday Retreat and Pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham 
•    Ash Wednesday Rice Bowl Observance
•    Daily Espacio
•    Seminarian Speaker Series

During Holy Week there are additional formation experiences offered to students including:

•    Stations of the Cross led by the Eighth Grade students
•    Reconciliation 
•    Praying the Rosary

As a family, Lent is a great opportunity for additional reflection and conversation. Some families like to pick a scripture verse to reflect on and discuss throughout Lent. Sometimes having daily check-ins at dinner can be impactful, with conversation starters such as:

•    How can you do a little bit extra to help someone?  
•    What can you think of that you could do that would be kind for others?
•    Did you notice any God moments today in your life?
•    Were there any times that you did something for others today in the spirit of Christ?
•    How did you stretch your comfort zone and do something for someone you would not normally have done?
•    Who are people around you that you could focus on your relationship during Lent?

We each play a role in helping children move forward in their Lenten promise and feel supported throughout the 40 days.

Lent is an opportunity for each of us to pause, reflect, and identify the ways we can become closer to Christ through our prayers, actions, and words.  How will you make your 2023 Lenten season personal and reflective?

For additional Lenten resources, visit the USCCB Lenten resources page.
 

Rex serves as Director of Religion and Liturgy and also as Regis' kindergarten through fourth grade Religion teacher. Rex holds a B.S. in Sociology from Texas A&M University. He has worked in religious formation of youth since 2003 and has taught Reading, Math, Writing, Social Studies and Technology, in addition to Religion. Rex loves to help students strengthen their relationship with God and create a richer prayer life rooted in the traditions of the Sacred Heart. He is a native Houstonian.