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WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 52791 [post_author] => 24 [post_date] => 2024-02-15 22:20:17 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-15 22:20:17 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>More than 1 million people joined Lent prayer challenge that began on Ash Wednesday</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>CHICAGO, Feb. 15, 2024 </strong><strong>–</strong><strong> </strong>Hallow, the #1 prayer app in the world, made history on Wednesday, becoming the first religious app to reach the #1 spot on Apple’s App Store.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow reached the top spot on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent and the beginning of its Lent Pray40 prayer challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">”We’re blown away. When we started Hallow, it would’ve been crazy for us to imagine a thousand people praying together on it, much less 1 million,” said Alex Jones, Hallow CEO and co-founder. “God is doing incredible things. All glory and credit and praise belongs to Him.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">More than 1 million people joined the 40-day prayer series that features Mark Wahlberg, Jonathan Roumie, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Sr. Miriam James and Sr. Mary Bernice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Roumie and Wahlberg starred in Hallow’s first Big Game commercial on Sunday, leading up to Hallow’s rise to the top of the App Store.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“I’m so proud of our team. They did such incredible work,” Jones said. “And our partners - especially Jonathan and Mark yesterday - were just phenomenal. It’s an honor and privilege to see them use their talents and their platform for the Lord.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow surpassed e-commerce app Temu, previously the #1 app, on Wednesday night and continued as the top overall app into Thursday morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>He Leadeth Me</em>, the spiritual classic that inspires this year’s Pray40 prayer challenge, rose to #2 overall in Amazon’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books/zgbs/books">list of Best Sellers</a> during the same time frame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">With roughly 85 employees, Hallow is a much smaller company than those building many of the other apps that rank highly in the App Store.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Never in a million years would I have imagined we’d be at the top of the App Store. The other folks in the top 100 apps are just such incredible and popular apps with tens of thousands of employees - Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Instagram,” said Jones. “What a crazy world.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Quotes from the Hallow Community</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“It was my first Ash Wednesday after about 20 years away. It was amazing to have Hallow be a part of it”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“@HallowApp @frmikeschmitz @markwahlberg First Ash Wednesday mass in maybe 12 years. Maybe even longer. Takes me awhile, but I eventually come”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“Day One of the Lent Pray40 Challenge is amazing... and there's 39 more to go? This is going to change my life and SO many others. Thank you!”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>More Quotes from Alex Jones</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“It can be easy in our world today to feel like we’re losing the fight, like evil and hate and division just always seems to dominate.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“But hopefully this can act as some little light for folks - something to reinspire our confidence in God.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“I’m so excited to get to pray with everyone this Lent. It is by far the most incredible challenge we’ve ever produced. I can’t wait till people pray with what’s in store. I was just listening to our Saturday sessions with Sr Bernice from Mother Teresa’s order and was left completely in tears. So excited for what Jesus will do in our hearts this Lent!”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>About Hallow</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow helps people deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided prayers, sleep meditations, Bible readings, meditations, and music. The app has more than 10,000 sessions including a Daily Rosary, Daily Gospel, Daily Saint, Novenas, Examens, Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year, The Chosen’s Jonathan Roumie’s audio Bible, Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons, peaceful Christian music, Gregorian chant, and so much more. Launched in December 2018, Hallow is now the #1 Catholic app in the world and has been downloaded 14 million times and used to pray over 400 million times across 150-plus countries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Contact</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Stephen Spiewak</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">stephen@hallow.app</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Hallow Makes History Taking #1 Spot in App Store [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => hallow-makes-history-taking-no-1-spot-in-app-store [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-02-16 17:43:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-02-16 17:43:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=52791 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 17160 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-02-11 03:32:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-11 03:32:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-table-of-contents-things-to-give-up-for-lent"><strong>Table of Contents</strong>: Things to Give Up for Lent</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#intro">Introduction</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayer-fasting-almsgiving">Lent's 3 Pillars: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#kids-fasting">Fasting Ideas for Kids/Teens</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#adult-fasting">Fasting Ideas for Adults</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#kids-prayers">Prayer Ideas for Kids/Teens</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#adult-prayers">Prayer Ideas for Adults</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#almsgiving-ideas">Almsgiving/Donation Ideas for Kids and Adults</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#catholic-charities">Catholic-Affiliated Charities</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="intro" class="">When <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday</a> draws near, Catholics and other Christians seem to fall into two distinct groups when it comes to what to give up for <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The first group takes it down to the wire: Tuesday night, continuing an internal dialogue trying to figure out what Lenten sacrifice to make. It’s a conversation they have every year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And it may includes lines you’ve said yourself in past years:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“I never know what to give up for Lent!”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The second group is dialed in on the start of Lent, ready to activate “Lent autopilot” and prepare to give up the same thing as last year. And two years ago. And <em>every</em> year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lent is more than just “giving something up” and <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">fasting</a> from meat on Fridays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">In fact, Pope Francis challenges us to think about fasting as something more powerful than we normally consider it, <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/02/26/190226d.html">describing it</a> as “learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to ‘devour’ everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">How often do we get caught up in our own wants and needs, lose sight of the heart of the matter, and fail to embrace the true meaning of our lives in this world! Lent is a time of truth, a time to drop the masks we put on each day to appear perfect in the eyes of the world.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023/documents/20230222-omelia-ceneri.html">Pope Francis - Ash Wednesday homily in 2023</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">However, Lent can be an unhealthy time for those who struggle with scrupulosity, or it can be overwhelming to people who are already in a time of suffering. For some, the best Lent might be to make sure they get at least 7 hours of sleep or making the commitment to attend therapy.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">At the start of Lent, we should ask ourselves - what pulls me away from loving God, loving others, and loving myself well? How can I incorporate acts of sacrifice, acts of giving, and acts of prayer that will help me love as God loves?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Giving thought to observing Lent is important. Whether you wait until the last minute to decide or you’ve known your Lenten sacrifice since <em>last</em> Lent, it’s worth spending time to thoughtfully consider how to make the most of your experience this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Because observing Lent is so much bigger than what you “give up.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/whattogiveupforlent">Commit to Prayer this Lent. Start Praying with Hallow.</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="prayer-fasting-almsgiving">Lent’s 3 Pillars: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we hunger–whether it be for food, technology, comfort–it can be a reminder that Jesus is the bread of life.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>John 6:35</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we sacrifice things that this world tells us we need, it can remind us that only God can truly satisfy our spiritual hunger.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lent’s three pillars are prayer, fasting and almsgiving–meaning that we’re called to do more than just abstain from a particular food or activity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It involves not only what we’re willing to give up, but what we’re willing to take on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we think about what to give up for Lent, we ought to also think about what sort of commitment to prayer and ability to be charitable that we can hold ourselves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow provides numerous options for stepping up prayer during Lent. In the app, Hallow offers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Daily Gospel reflections</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Daily Rosary prayers</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Daily Saint prayers</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-night-prayer/">Night Prayer</a> from Liturgy of the Hours</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">All of these options can help us commit to prayer during Lent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to fasting and prayer, almsgiving is equally important during Lent, helping us deepen our relationship with God while working to build God’s kingdom here on earth.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Francis sums up the powerful impact that almsgiving has:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"Charitable giving makes us more human, whereas hoarding risks making us less human, imprisoned by our own selfishness" </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20191007_messaggio-quaresima2020.html">Pope Francis, Lent Message 2020</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Anyone can practice almsgiving, which is not limited to simply donating money.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Rather, practicing almsgiving can also mean donating one’s time in service, perhaps volunteering or serving those in need. Jesus tells us clearly in Matthew 25:40 that in serving those in need, we are serving him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez recognizes, there are unique spiritual gifts to directly encountering Christ in those around us in need that we can’t experience by simply making a donation from afar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“So you say you love the poor? Name them.” - Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ideas for What to Give Up for Lent</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">With the three pillars of Lent in mind, Hallow has suggestions for meaningful ways to observe Lent in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lent Fasting Ideas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="kids-fasting" class=""><strong>Kids / Teen Fasting Ideas </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up a favorite toy or game&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Fast from social media for a day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up a favorite snack</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Drink only water at school&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up a favorite chair at home or seat at school</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go without headphones/air pods for a day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Play your favorite game, focusing on helping others instead of winning</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Allow others to pass in front of you in the lunch line&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="adult-fasting" class=""><strong>General Ideas for Lenten Sacrifices</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up coffee (or only brew it at home)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up alcohol</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up certain social media sites, or limited them to certain days/time of day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up electronics after a certain time in the day (i.e., no screens after 8 p.m.)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Sleep without a pillow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Wake up without hitting the snooze button</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Shower without hot (with only lukewarm) water</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Keep the thermostat several degrees cooler&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Park in the back of the parking lot and say a prayer as you walk to the grocery store</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Abstain from reading gossip/rumor sites&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lent Prayer Ideas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="kids-prayers" class=""><strong>Kids/Teen Prayer Ideas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray on the way to school</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Play Guess the Saint each day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pick a relative each day and pray for that person&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Call a grandparent after church and discuss the Gospel/homily</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go to bed five minutes early and spend extra time talking with God&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Research the name of your church and learn about its origins</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pay special attention to the intercessions at Mass and choose one to pray for during the week</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Explore <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-with-kids/">Hallow Kids</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go to confession</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Research organizations that support Catholic youth like <a href="https://lifeteen.com/">LifeTeen</a> and <a href="https://nfcym.org/">National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="adult-prayers" class=""><strong>Adult Prayer Ideas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Subscribe to a daily prayer newsletter (<a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?pgid=9441&amp;gid=609&amp;cid=21893">Notre Dame</a> and the <a href="https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/tNwi9GA">Jesuits</a> both offer good options)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Each morning, scroll through the contacts on your phone. Randomly stop and say a prayer for whichever person you land on</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Spend a few minutes with Scripture each day&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Start the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/bible-in-a-year-with-father-mike-schmitz/">Bible in Year podcast</a> with Fr. Mike Schmitz on Hallow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Attend daily Mass once a week</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Attend or pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross</a> every Friday&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Invite a friend to attend Mass with you&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Join the Bible study group at church</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Attend Adoration of the Eucharist</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go to confession</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">Rosary</a> once a day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-examen/">Daily Examen</a> on Hallow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Join Hallow’s <a href="https://hallow.com/pray40/">#Pray40 Lent Challenge</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="almsgiving-ideas">Lent Almsgiving/Charity/Donation Ideas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Kids/Teens/General Almsgiving Ideas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Spend time volunteering as a family</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Allow kids to be the one to place money in the basket during the offertory at Mass</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Introduce children to a charity and explain to them how and why to donate to it&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Have children identify a toy they are willing to donate to Goodwill</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Help children identify an article of clothing they can donate and explain that their donation can be a blessing to someone in need</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Create a jar to collect change to donate</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Donate food to a food bank</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Donate a service (free homework tutoring, free professional assistance, etc)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give a smile to someone you pass who may be living on the street (instead of ignoring them)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Follow new charities on social media and engage with their posts&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Support a business that advertises in your parish bulletin&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="catholic-charities">Catholic-Affiliated Charities to Consider Donating to</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://crosscatholic.org/">Cross Catholic</a></strong> - Supports clean water initiatives in some of Africa’s poorest communities.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.catholicextension.org/">Catholic Extension</a></strong> - Works in solidarity with people in America’s poorest regions to build up strong Catholic faith communities.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.crs.org/">Catholic Relief Services</a></strong> - Carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="http://www.gabrielproject.org/"><strong>Gabriel Project</strong> </a>- Offers hope and assistance to any woman experiencing a crisis pregnancy.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.ncea.org/">National Catholic Educational Association</a></strong> - Strengthens Catholic school leaders and educators to help support the future of Catholic education.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.marysmeals.org/">Mary’s Meals</a></strong> - Provides meals to children in poverty, in recognition of Mary raising Jesus in poverty.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.kofc.org/en//index.html">Knights of Columbus</a></strong> - Fraternal service order of Catholic men that has been active since 1882.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.youngcatholicprofessionals.org/cpages/home">Young Catholic Professionals</a></strong> - Inspires and empowers young professional Catholics to work in witness for Christ.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/whattogiveupforlent">Pray with Hallow on Lent</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>MORE:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers for 2025</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => What to Give Up For Lent in 2025: Practical Fasting Ideas for Lent [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => what-to-give-up-for-lent [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2022/02/06/ash-wednesday/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/17/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/ https://hallow.com/2020/05/20/how-to-pray-with-kids/ [post_modified] => 2024-09-17 21:18:20 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-09-17 21:18:20 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=17160 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 11136 [post_author] => 18 [post_date] => 2024-02-09 06:08:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-09 06:08:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ash-wednesday-2025-the-start-of-the-lenten-season">Ash Wednesday 2025: The start of the Lenten season</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><span style="font-size: revert; color: initial;">Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/lent-comes-to-reawaken-us-pope-francis/">Pope Francis</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Table of Contents</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#definition">What is Ash Wednesday? </a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Origin</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Is Ash Wednesday a Holy Day of Obligation? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Do I need to be Catholic to receive ashes?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#date">When is Ash Wednesday in 2025?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#importance">Why is Ash Wednesday important? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#receiving-ashes">Receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Where do the ashes come from? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Where do the ashes go? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>What do the ashes symbolize?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Where to get ashes near you</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#fasting-rules">Fasting on Ash Wednesday</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Why do Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Age requirement </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Meals</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayers">Ash Wednesday Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#observance">How else can I observe Ash Wednesday? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="definition">What is Ash Wednesday?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2025, like in every year, Ash Wednesday is the first day of the liturgical season of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>. It always falls six and half weeks before Easter, beginning the Lenten season of preparation for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Origin </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-02/ash-wednesday-commentary.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dates</a> back to the 11th century. Yet, the tradition of receiving ashes has even earlier roots — to the ancient Hebrew custom of clothing oneself in sackcloth and dusting oneself with ashes as a sign of penance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ashwednesdayblog">Begin Lent with Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible does not explicitly detail this first day of Lent, but there are many instances of this repentant act in the Old Testament, such as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+16%3A15&amp;version=NRSVCE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Job 16:15</a>, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and have laid my strength in the dust.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><p><em>Job 16:15</em></p></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">and the New Testament, such as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A13&amp;version=NRSVCE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke 10:13</a>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><meta charset="utf-8">Luke 10:13</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Across many religious traditions, ashes signify the mortality of our human bodies. Genesis 3:19 tells us, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:pullquote --> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>By the sweat of your face<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;you shall eat bread<br>until you return to the ground,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for out of it you were taken;<br>you are dust,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and to dust you shall return.</p><cite>Genesis 3:19</cite></blockquote></figure> <!-- /wp:pullquote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">In the early Christian Church, public <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-go-to-confession-the-sacrament-of-penance-reconciliation/">penance</a> for people who had sinned including wearing ashes and sackcloth. As the Church grew and evolved, this practice lessened. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This long tradition — of externally recognizing ourselves as sinners seeking <meta charset="utf-8"><a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&amp;gid=609&amp;calcid=53508&amp;calpgid=61&amp;pgid=13299&amp;crid=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">renewal</a> with God — ultimately transformed into what we now know as Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-ash-wednesday-a-catholic-holy-day-of-obligation-in-2025">Is Ash Wednesday a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation in 2025?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday is <em>not</em> a <a href="https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-1246" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Holy Day of Obligation</a> for Roman Catholics, yet receiving ashes is a universal practice among Christians to begin their Lenten journeys. Most Catholic parishes offer Ash Wednesday Mass, and in some places, it is possible to receive ashes without attending Mass. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Do I need to be Catholic to receive ashes?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="date" class="">You do not need to be Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Several other traditions within Christianity also share this act of repentance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>SEE MORE: </strong><a href="https://hallow.com/2021/02/15/ashtag2021/">Ashtags: Digital Ashes</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-is-ash-wednesday-in-2025">When is Ash Wednesday in 2025?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="importance" class="">This year, Ash Wednesday falls on March 5, 2025. <strong>SEE MORE:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/when-is-lent/">When is Lent in 2025?</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why is Ash Wednesday important? </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday awakens us to Jesus’ entry into the desert preceding his death. Before Easter, however, we must prepare our hearts for his Resurrection. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="receiving-ashes" class="">We begin our season of preparing our hearts for Easter by recognizing our brokenness and need for <a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&amp;gid=609&amp;calcid=53508&amp;calpgid=61&amp;pgid=13299&amp;crid=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conversion, </a>a turning of our hearts to God. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":11185,"width":"675px","height":"482px","sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none","align":"center","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/photo-1589395937646-cc70671eca60.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-11185" style="width:675px;height:482px"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where do the ashes come from?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/palm-sunday/">Palm Sunday</a> is the Sunday before Easter. It symbolizes Christ’s return to Jerusalem after spending 40 days in the desert. In the Catholic tradition, we receive palm leaves, which have been blessed, to hold onto during Mass and bring home. The leftover palms from Palm Sunday are then burned and saved for the next Lenten season. So, this year’s ashes are from the palms of Palm Sunday of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where do the ashes go?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It is typical to receive ashes on your forehead in the Sign of the Cross. Similar to taking communion at Mass, you usually process toward the altar to get ashes. The priest will make the Sign of the Cross and say one of two things:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"Repent, and believe in the Gospel."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What do the ashes symbolize?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The ashes symbolize our mortality. They are a physical reminder that our bodies will decay, but our souls will live on in eternal life. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fr. Antony Kadavil further <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-02/ash-wednesday-commentary.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reflects</a> on the symbol of the cross of ashes on our foreheads, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote" id="fasting-rules"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The cross of ashes means that we are making a commitment – that we are undertaking Lent as a season of prayer and penitence, of dying to ourselves. It also describes our human condition: it says that we are broken and need repair; that we are sinners and need redemption. Most importantly, it tells us that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to carry our crosses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><meta charset="utf-8">Fr. Antony Kadavil</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Where to get ashes nearby </strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Most Catholic churches will expand their liturgical schedule on Ash Wednesday. There are many options for finding ashes on Ash Wednesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow has a full breakdown for <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/where-to-get-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/">where to get ashes</a> for Ash Wednesday in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ashwednesdayblog">Pray more. Find peace. Get Hallow.</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fasting on Ash Wednesday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are only two obligatory days of fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Catholics are also instructed to abstain from meat on each Friday during Lent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">What to Give Up for Lent</a> | <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">Lent Fasting Rules</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Why do Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fasting is a sign of repentance and helps us embody our spiritual hunger for Christ, who himself fasted in the desert for forty days preceding his death and Resurrection. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Age requirement</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Catholic Church <a href="https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">requires</a> able members from age 18 to 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday. The obligation to abstain from meat applies to those 14 and older. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Meals </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="observance" class="">Fasting allows for one full meal and two smaller meals (that combined do not equal a full meal), with an expectation to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday. Exemptions are available for those with special physical needs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="prayers" class="">In certain situations, bishops can offer a formal dispensation, allowing Catholics to eat meat. This <a href="https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/03/catholics-can-eat-meat-during-lent-nj-bishop-says-were-sacrificing-enough-for-coronavirus.html">happened</a> in some dioceses during the initial outbreak of Covid-19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ash Wednesday Prayers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday, as the first day of Lent, is a great time to begin a renewed commitment to prayer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday prayers can include <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">saying the rosary</a>, the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/">Lectio Divina</a> or beginning with <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent prayers</a> for 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How else can I observe Ash Wednesday?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to fasting and attending Mass (or a service where ashes are distributed), you can recognize Ash Wednesday through prayer and almsgiving—the other two pillars of Lenten observance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In prayer, consider listening to the Daily Gospel or engaging in Spiritual Writing to discern what you’d like to focus on in your relationship with Christ this Lent. If you’re not sure where to start, we guide you through both of these prayer methods, in addition to many others, on Hallow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"opacity":"css"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> [post_title] => Ash Wednesday 2025 - The First Day of Lent [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => ash-wednesday [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2021/02/15/ashtag2021/ https://hallow.com/2019/09/23/how-to-pray-the-rosary/ https://hallow.com/2022/02/05/lent-prayers/ [post_modified] => 2024-09-17 21:16:57 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-09-17 21:16:57 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=11136 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 51925 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-02-05 22:38:07 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-05 22:38:07 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fat-tuesday-guide"><strong>Fat Tuesday Guide</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Introduction</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#history">Mardi Gras History</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#around-the-world">Fat Tuesday Around the World</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#how-to-celebrate">How to Celebrate Fat Tuesday</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#faqs">Fat Tuesday FAQs</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fat Tuesday is better known by its French translation, Mardi Gras. It takes place on the final day before <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday</a>, which marks the beginning of the liturgical season of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Also known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday has a rich history in both the U.S. and across the world and represents a day when Catholics and other Christians come together in celebration before the more subdued observance of Lent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="history">Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras History in New Orleans</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fat Tuesday in America predates the birth of the U.S. Some form of Fat Tuesday celebration has been taking place in New Orleans <a href="https://www.neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/mardi-gras/history-and-traditions/past-and-present/">since 1699</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Back then, the celebrations stretched from the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/feast-of-the-epiphany/">Epiphany (or 3 Kings Day)</a>, which is sometimes referred to as the 12th Night (a reference to the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/schedule-catholic-christmas-season-octave/">12 Days of Christmas</a>).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">According to Reid Mitchell, author of “All on a Mardi Gras Day,” festivals were common throughout the year in New Orleans, but those taking place during Mardi Gras separated themselves thanks to the more elaborate costumery.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“The end of Carnival and the arrival of Lent meant only the end of masked balls; public balls continued,” <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/All_on_a_Mardi_Gras_Day/dz1SUIbn3MAC?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;bsq=catholic">he wrote</a>. “What distinguished dances between Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday was that they were <em>bals masque</em>, or costume balls.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Notable Fat Tuesday celebrations throughout history include the festivities in 1804, the first with Louisiana as a part of America. The first modern Mardi Gras <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/us/nationalspecial/in-mardi-gras-a-city-learns-to-party-again.html">took place in 1857</a>. The 1946 celebration <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/mardi-gras-canceled-world-war-ii">marked the first Mardi Gras in four years</a> after being canceled in 1942 due to World War II.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Few people realize that the colors of beads tossed around at Mardi Gras have <a href="https://www.archindy.org/criterion/local/2021/02-12/reflection.html">religious significance</a>. The official colors are purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Shirley Henderson, former communications director for the Diocese of Biloxi (adjacent to New Orleans, <a href="https://www.usccb.org/catholic-giving/opportunities-for-giving/catholic-home-missions-appeal/upload/CHMA_Winter2012.pdf">said that</a>, despite seeming secular, Mardi Gras is actually “a kind of evangelizing.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">While Mardi Gras is now synonymous with New Orleans, the broader idea of Fat Tuesday is something observed in many places across the world.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="around-the-world">Fat Tuesday’s Catholic Roots Around the World</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Brazil has Carnival; Italy, Martedi Grasso. It’s also known as Pancake Day in some parts of the world.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fat Tuesday is also called Shrove Tuesday. According to the <a href="https://www.dolr.org/article/mardi-gras-began-preparation-lent-2022">Diocese of Little Rock</a>, Shrove Tuesday comes from the term “to shrive,” meaning “to confess,” or to hear confessions–a way to prepare our hearts for the beginning of Lent dating back to the Middle Ages.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The name Pancake Day <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/kids/articles/shrove-tuesday-a-day-of-forgiveness-and-pancakes">comes from</a> the tradition of people returning home after the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-go-to-confession-the-sacrament-of-penance-reconciliation/">sacrament of confession</a> and enjoying a big feast of pancakes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s not coincidental that the last day before Lent, a period marked by solemness and penitence, has been one that different countries have embraced as a day of merriment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“It was natural to develop a festival, a ‘last fling,’ before the prayerful fasting and abstinence of Lent,” <a href="https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/mardigras.html">according to</a> Creighton Online Ministries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There’s also an element of using up some of the tempting items of food and drink in the house before Lent begins–as well as using them before they might spoil over the 40 days of Lent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">While Fat Tuesday should not be a day of raucous, unbridled excess and pleasure, it’s a day that can be observed with plenty of traditional celebrations held dear by Catholics and other Christians for centuries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-celebrate">How to Celebrate Fat Tuesday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Since Fat Tuesday is the last day in ordinary time before the season shifts to Lent, the most important way to observe Fat Tuesday is by making sure you’re prepared for Lent. It’s a day when people often decide <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/what-to-give-up-for-lent/">what to give up for Lent</a> and brush up on <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">Lent fasting rules</a> or <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/where-to-get-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/">where to get ashes</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Celebrating the day itself can often be a communal experience.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Polish communities sometimes call Fat Tuesday Paczki Day, a reference to the cream or&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">jelly-filled doughnut traditionally eaten this day. Many churches will celebrate “Paczki Day” by sharing the pastries after Mass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In cities with large Polish populations, like Chicago, paczki <a href="https://religionnews.com/2020/02/25/packzi-day-brings-chicagoans-together-before-lent-begins/">can seemingly unite</a> an entire city on Fat Tuesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In Texas and parts of the South, king cake is a popular Fat Tuesday indulgence. With Mexican roots tying the cake to “rosca de reyes,” a cake traditionally served on 3 Kings Day, the king cake is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/dining/rosca-de-reyes-recipe.html">shaped like a ring</a> to represent God’s infinite love and contains a plastic figurine of Jesus.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Whoever gets the piece with the figure of Jesus receives good luck and must host the next gathering with friends and family.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Pancake Supper” is another popular tradition that some Catholic parishes (as well as Episcopal churches) will observe on Shrove Tuesday.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="faqs">Frequently Asked Questions about Fat Tuesday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:yoast/faq-block {"questions":[{"id":"faq-question-1707172401226","question":["When is Fat Tuesday in 2025?"],"answer":["In 2025, Fat Tuesday takes place on March 4. It always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday."],"jsonQuestion":"When is Fat Tuesday in 2025?","jsonAnswer":"In 2025, Fat Tuesday takes place on March 4. It always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday."},{"id":"faq-question-1707172409270","question":["What can you not eat on Fat Tuesday?"],"answer":["There are fasting guidelines on Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, but Fat Tuesday generally does not have restrictions on what to eat."],"jsonQuestion":"What can you not eat on Fat Tuesday?","jsonAnswer":"There are fasting guidelines on Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, but Fat Tuesday generally does not have restrictions on what to eat."},{"id":"faq-question-1707172416823","question":["Why are pancakes eaten on Shrove Tuesday?"],"answer":["Pancakes have a long history as a Fat/Shrove Tuesday meal. They are a rich food often made with eggs, butter, and some sugar, ingredients traditionally used less often in Lent."],"jsonQuestion":"Why are pancakes eaten on Shrove Tuesday?","jsonAnswer":"Pancakes have a long history as a Fat/Shrove Tuesday meal. They are a rich food often made with eggs, butter, and some sugar, ingredients traditionally used less often in Lent."},{"id":"faq-question-1707172423888","question":["Why do Christians celebrate Fat Tuesday? "],"answer":["Fat Tuesday celebrations take place as a way for people to come together and share a celebratory day before the more somber, penitential period of Lent."],"jsonQuestion":"Why do Christians celebrate Fat Tuesday? ","jsonAnswer":"Fat Tuesday celebrations take place as a way for people to come together and share a celebratory day before the more somber, penitential period of Lent."},{"id":"faq-question-1707172430644","question":["What is the difference between Fat Tuesday and Fat Thursday?"],"answer":["In some cultures, Fat Thursday is the final Thursday before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It takes place several days earlier than Fat Tuesday but contains many of the same celebrations."],"jsonQuestion":"What is the difference between Fat Tuesday and Fat Thursday?","jsonAnswer":"In some cultures, Fat Thursday is the final Thursday before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It takes place several days earlier than Fat Tuesday but contains many of the same celebrations."}]} --> <div class="schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block"><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1707172401226"><strong class="schema-faq-question">When is Fat Tuesday in 2025?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In 2025, Fat Tuesday takes place on March 4. It always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1707172409270"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What can you not eat on Fat Tuesday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">There are fasting guidelines on Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, but Fat Tuesday generally does not have restrictions on what to eat.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1707172416823"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Why are pancakes eaten on Shrove Tuesday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Pancakes have a long history as a Fat/Shrove Tuesday meal. They are a rich food often made with eggs, butter, and some sugar, ingredients traditionally used less often in Lent.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1707172423888"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Why do Christians celebrate Fat Tuesday? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Fat Tuesday celebrations take place as a way for people to come together and share a celebratory day before the more somber, penitential period of Lent.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1707172430644"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What is the difference between Fat Tuesday and Fat Thursday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In some cultures, Fat Thursday is the final Thursday before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It takes place several days earlier than Fat Tuesday but contains many of the same celebrations.</p> </div> </div> <!-- /wp:yoast/faq-block --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-lent-resources">More Lent Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/where-to-get-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/">Where to Get Ashes on Ash Wednesday</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-surrender-novena/">Surrender Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Fat Tuesday 2025: Catholic Guide to Mardi Gras (or Shrove Tuesday) [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => fat-tuesday [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-09-18 19:46:24 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-09-18 19:46:24 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=51925 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 31186 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-02-05 01:53:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-05 01:53:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Along with prayer and almsgiving, fasting is one of the three pillars of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20071030_lent-2008.html">message for Lent in 2008</a>, Pope Benedict XVI described these as “specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A decade earlier, <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/john-paul-ii/">St. (Pope) John Paul II</a> described Lent as a “commitment to a new life, inspired by Gospel values,” moving away from selfishness and drawing closer to the path Christ.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">That path, according to Pope John Paul II, can be summarized in the words of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, with fasting consisting of moderation in food and lifestyle as “a sincere effort to remove from our hearts all that is the result of sin and inclines us to evil.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Prayer and almsgiving may be easier to fully grasp than fasting, for which the Church has provided specific rules and guidelines to help shape our Lenten journey towards renewal. In 2025, Hallow’s <a href="https://hallow.com/pray40/">Pray40</a> Lent prayer challenge focuses on prayer, fasting and almsgiving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here’s an overview of common questions about Lent fasting rules to guide your observance in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lent-fasting-rules-frequently-asked-questions">Lent Fasting Rules: Frequently Asked Questions</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:yoast/faq-block {"questions":[{"id":"faq-question-1675558433476","question":["What Is Fasting?"],"answer":["In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have."],"jsonQuestion":"What Is Fasting?","jsonAnswer":"In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558441583","question":["What are the Lent fasting rules?"],"answer":["On ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/","children":["Ash Wednesday"]}}," and ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/","children":["Good Friday"]}},", fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent."],"jsonQuestion":"What are the Lent fasting rules?","jsonAnswer":"On \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/\u0022\u003eAsh Wednesday\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/\u0022\u003eGood Friday\u003c/a\u003e, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558449152","question":["What are the Lent rules on abstinence?"],"answer":["In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals."],"jsonQuestion":"What are the Lent rules on abstinence?","jsonAnswer":"In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558459616","question":["At what age do you start fasting for Lent?"],"answer":["Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance."],"jsonQuestion":"At what age do you start fasting for Lent?","jsonAnswer":"Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558478338","question":["Who is exempt from fasting during Lent?"],"answer":["Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast."],"jsonQuestion":"Who is exempt from fasting during Lent?","jsonAnswer":"Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558495217","question":["When is fasting over?"],"answer":["Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/preparation-and-celebration-of-the-easter-feasts-2169","children":["Paschalis Solemnitatis"]}}," recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”"],"jsonQuestion":"When is fasting over?","jsonAnswer":"Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/preparation-and-celebration-of-the-easter-feasts-2169\u0022\u003ePaschalis Solemnitatis\u003c/a\u003e recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”"},{"id":"faq-question-1675558511688","question":["Can you eat meat on Good Friday?"],"answer":["On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/","children":["Easter Triduum"]}},", which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. "],"jsonQuestion":"Can you eat meat on Good Friday?","jsonAnswer":"On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/\u0022\u003eEaster Triduum\u003c/a\u003e, which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. "},{"id":"faq-question-1675558535376","question":["Do Sundays count for fasting?"],"answer":["It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision."],"jsonQuestion":"Do Sundays count for fasting?","jsonAnswer":"It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558558032","question":["Are fish frys OK?"],"answer":["Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant. "],"jsonQuestion":"Are fish frys OK?","jsonAnswer":"Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant. "},{"id":"faq-question-1675558576655","question":["Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent?"],"answer":["No. Abstinence refers to food. ",{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html","children":["Some parish birth records"]}}," from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice."],"jsonQuestion":"Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent?","jsonAnswer":"No. Abstinence refers to food. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003ca href=\u0022https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html\u0022\u003eSome parish birth records\u003c/a\u003e from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558599376","question":["What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee?"],"answer":["Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food."],"jsonQuestion":"What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee?","jsonAnswer":"Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558619663","question":["What are the fasting rules around alcohol? "],"answer":["The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. "],"jsonQuestion":"What are the fasting rules around alcohol? ","jsonAnswer":"The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. "}]} --> <div class="schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block"><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558433476"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What Is Fasting?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558441583"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What are the Lent fasting rules?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">On <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday</a> and <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/">Good Friday</a>, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558449152"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What are the Lent rules on abstinence?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558459616"><strong class="schema-faq-question">At what age do you start fasting for Lent?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558478338"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Who is exempt from fasting during Lent?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558495217"><strong class="schema-faq-question">When is fasting over?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/preparation-and-celebration-of-the-easter-feasts-2169">Paschalis Solemnitatis</a> recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558511688"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Can you eat meat on Good Friday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/">Easter Triduum</a>, which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. </p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558535376"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Do Sundays count for fasting?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558558032"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Are fish frys OK?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant. </p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558576655"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">No. Abstinence refers to food. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html">Some parish birth records</a> from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558599376"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558619663"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What are the fasting rules around alcohol? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. </p> </div> </div> <!-- /wp:yoast/faq-block --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/lentfastingrules">Pray and Fast with Hallow this Lent</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-helpful-lent-resources"><strong>More Helpful Lent Resources</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/what-to-give-up-for-lent/">What to Give Up for Lent</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/where-to-get-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/">Where to Get Ashes on Ash Wednesday</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">How to Pray the Rosary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/">Holy Week Guide</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Lent Fasting Rules: Catholic Rules for Fasting During Lent in 2025 [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => lent-fasting-rules [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-09-18 19:47:14 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-09-18 19:47:14 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=31186 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 24049 [post_author] => 18 [post_date] => 2024-02-04 00:15:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-04 00:15:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Good Friday 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The&nbsp;crucifix does not signify defeat&nbsp;or&nbsp;failure. It reveals to us the Love that overcomes evil and sin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Pope Francis</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Table of Contents</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#what-is">What is Good Friday? </a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#triduum">Is Good Friday part of the Paschal Triduum?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#holy-day">Is Good Friday a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#when-is-good-friday">When is Good Friday in 2022? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#significance">What is the significance of Good Friday? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#fasting-abstinence">Fasting &amp; Abstinence </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#liturgy-service">Good Friday Service</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayers">Prayer </a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#stations">Stations of the Cross </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#divine-mercy-novena">Divine Mercy Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is">What is Good Friday?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Good Friday, formally known as the Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, recognizes the day of Christ’s crucifixion — the most solemn day of the year for Christians. It is a day for us to turn our gaze to the cross and recognize Christ’s most loving sacrifice for us after dwelling with him through <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/augustine-of-hippo/">St. Augustine of Hippo</a> <a href="https://catholicgentleman.com/2015/04/our-only-hope-25-quotes-about-the-cross/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wrote</a>, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:pullquote --> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>As they were looking on, so we too gaze on his wounds as he hangs. We see his blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of his resurrection. He bows his head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that he may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as he was once fixed to the cross in every part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in every part of your soul.</p><cite>St. Augustine of Hippo</cite></blockquote></figure> <!-- /wp:pullquote --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="triduum">Is Good Friday part of the Paschal Triduum?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Yes, Good Friday is at the heart of the Paschal Triduum. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Day 1: dusk on Holy Thursday — dusk on Good Friday (Crucifixion)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Day 2: dusk on Good Friday — dusk on <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/easter-vigil/">Holy Saturday</a> (Death)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Day 3: dusk on Holy Saturday — dusk on <a href="https://hallow.com/easter/">Easter Sunday</a> (Resurrection)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="holy-day">Is Good Friday a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">No, Good Friday is not a Catholic <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-days-of-obligation/">Holy Day of Obligation</a>. The Church, however, encourages us to recognize Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for us and to prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload">Pray with Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-is-good-friday">When is Good Friday in 2024? </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This year, Good Friday falls on March 29.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="significance">What is the significance of Good Friday?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Good Friday is, above all, the day in which we recognize Christ’s ultimate, loving sacrifice for each of us: His death on the cross. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As St. Paul <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A15&amp;version=NRSVACE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">writes</a> in his second letter to the Corinthians, “And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor. 5:15)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Like Lent, Catholics recognize this day through fasting, abstinence, and prayer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="fasting-abstinence">Fasting &amp; Abstinence</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Catholic Church obligates its members to fast and abstain from meat on Good Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="" id="observance">Fasting allows for one full meal and two smaller meals (that combined do not equal a full meal), with an expectation to abstain from meat on Good Friday. Exemptions are available for those with special physical needs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="liturgy-service">Good Friday Service</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Although Good Friday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, many Catholics still attend a service on this solemn day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">While this service is similar to a Mass with a liturgy, intercessory prayers, and communion, the Eucharist is never consecrated <em>on</em> Good Friday. (Consecrating the Eucharist is what differentiates the Mass from the service.) The Eucharist is typically consecrated the day before, on <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-thursday/">Holy Thursday</a>, and then distributed on Good Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Attending a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/56093/the-significance-of-good-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Good Friday service</a> is a profoundly humbling experience. There is no entry procession, no music, the altar is bare, and the tabernacle stands open and empty. Many services also include a Veneration of the Cross, in which we approach the crucifix one-by-one and kiss the feet of Christ. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Read more about the significance of the service from the <a href="https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/triduum/roman-missal-and-the-good-friday-liturgy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USCCB</a>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="prayers">Prayer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We turn to Christ in silence during this most solemn day to adore Him. We remember His sacrifice for us. We ask Him for strength and grace. We glorify Him, who has saved us from our sins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are many different ways to pray this Good Friday — <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/">Lectio Divina</a>, Spiritual Writing, <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-with-music/">Prayer with Music</a>, and more. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>MORE PRAYERS: </strong><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers for 2024</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Also, consider meditating on the last 14 moments of Christ’s Life (Stations of the Cross) and begin the Divine Mercy Novena:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="stations">Stations of the Cross</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Many Catholics pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross</a> on Good Friday at 3:00 p.m. when Christ died on the cross. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Most parishes hold Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. Services can take place inside or outdoors. If you’re unable to attend in person, consider praying the Stations of the Cross on Hallow with a guide of your choosing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="divine-mercy-novena">Divine Mercy Novena</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider beginning the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/">Divine Mercy Novena</a> on Good Friday. Christ instructed <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/faustina/">St. Faustina</a> to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet from Good Friday to the Sunday after Easter, “Divine Mercy Sunday.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>See:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-novenas/">How to Pray: A Novena</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"opacity":"css"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You can pray the Stations of the Cross and the Divine Mercy Novena on Hallow. We look forward to praying with you this Good Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload">Pray with Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>More Prayers</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">Rosary Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/easter-prayers/">Easter Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-night-prayer/">Night Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/">Lectio Divina</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/eucharist-holy-communion-adoration-prayer/">Eucharist Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Good Friday 2024 - The Passion of Christ [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => good-friday-the-passion-of-christ [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2019/09/25/how-to-pray-night-prayer/ https://hallow.com/2019/09/23/how-to-pray-the-rosary/ https://hallow.com/2020/01/09/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/ https://hallow.com/2022/02/05/lent-prayers/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/17/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/ https://hallow.com/2020/12/14/how-to-pray-with-music/ [post_modified] => 2024-03-28 01:09:14 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-03-28 01:09:14 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=24049 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 51588 [post_author] => 24 [post_date] => 2024-01-31 15:21:17 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-01-31 15:21:17 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Mark Wahlberg, Jonathan Roumie will star in ad set to air three days before Lent begins</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>CHICAGO</strong> - Hallow, the #1 prayer app in the world, today announced the company’s first-ever Big Game commercial ahead of Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie star in the 30-second spot that will encourage fans to take time away from the spectacle of the big game and enjoy a moment of prayer on the Lord’s day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A clip previewing the commercial can be found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmWBNhheFww">here</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Wahlberg begins the commercial, which is set to air shortly before halftime, by inviting viewers to join him in prayer, saying, “God, we take this moment just to give You thanks.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Wahlberg will help lead Hallow’s annual Pray40 prayer challenge that begins on Ash Wednesday, serving as one of the voices guiding reflections to help Christians around the world draw closer to God during Lent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">With an early Ash Wednesday in 2024 (Feb. 14) and Super Bowl LVIII taking place on Feb. 11, among its latest-ever dates, the two events occur in the same week for the first time since 2008.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“The goal at Hallow has always been to reach out to as many folks as possible, both those who take their faith seriously and especially those who might have fallen away, and invite them deeper into a relationship with God,” said Alex Jones, Hallow co-founder and CEO.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“When we learned about the timing of the Big Game this year, we couldn't have been more excited to work with Mark and Jonathan to use it as an opportunity to invite millions into prayer.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Last Ash Wednesday, Hallow made history by rising to No. 3 in Apple’s AppStore, becoming the first health and wellness app to ever reach the Top 10, ahead of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and others.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Timothy Reckart directed Hallow’s Big Game commercial, while Venture served as the producer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>About Hallow</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3628876-1&amp;h=568891511&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fhallow.com%2F&amp;a=Hallow">Hallow</a> helps people deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided prayers, sleep meditations, Bible readings, meditations, and music. The app has more than 10,000 sessions including a Daily Rosary, Daily Gospel, Daily Saint, Novenas, Examens, Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year, The Chosen’s Jonathan Roumie’s audio Bible, Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons, peaceful Christian music, Gregorian chant, and so much more. Launched in December 2018, Hallow is now the #1 Catholic app in the world and has been downloaded 10 million times and used to pray over 300 million times across 150-plus countries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Contact</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Stephen Spiewak</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">stephen@hallow.app</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-resources-from-hallow">More Resources From Hallow</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday 2024</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Complete Guide to Lent</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/what-to-give-up-for-lent/">Things to Give Up for Lent</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">Lent Fasting Rules</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/when-is-lent/">Lent 2024</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Hallow, #1 Prayer App, to Launch Commercial During Big Game Ahead of Ash Wednesday [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => hallow-announces-big-game-commercial [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-02-12 23:54:04 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-02-12 23:54:04 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=51588 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 51178 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-01-25 18:48:22 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-01-25 18:48:22 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-our-lady-of-lourdes-table-of-contents">Our Lady of Lourdes: Table of Contents</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>History</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayers">Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#feast-day">Feast Day</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#novena">Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite> Our Lady of Lourdes</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-history">History</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Lady of Lourdes dates back to 19th century France, in the city of Lourdes, when the Virgin Mary appeared to a young woman named Bernadette in February 1858 (just four years after the doctrine of the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/feast-of-the-immaculate-conception-church-teaching-prayers/">Immaculate Conception</a>).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Just 14 at the time, Bernadette encountered the Virgin Mary more than a dozen times. Our Lady eventually instructed the young peasant girl to dig into the ground, revealing a running spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In his 1872 book “<a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Our_Lady_of_Lourdes_The_History_of_the_M/pGBxSEQrttUC?hl=en&amp;gbpv=0">Our Lady of Lourdes: The History of the Miraculous Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes</a>,” T.I. Sisk described the encounter poetically:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“The innocent frankness of a child, the absolute purity of a Virgin, the tender gravity of the highest of maternities, a wisdom superior to that of all accumulated ages, were summed up and melted together, without injuring one another, in this marvellous countenance of a young person.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Lady famously told Bernadette, "I do not promise to make you happy in this life but in the next."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ourladyoflourdes">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">During the 16th apparition, Our Lady finally revealed herself to Bernadette, who was<a href="https://catholicexchange.com/st-bernadette-kind-saint/"> poor, uneducated and in poor health</a>. Few people believed her at first, but visitors starting coming to Lourdes and in 1862, a local bishop verified Bernadette’s story.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To this day, the grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes remains a popular pilgrimage site. It hosts 3 million people each year, and its healing water has <a href="https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/?goto_centre=ru&amp;id=467&amp;contexte=en&amp;mot=water">70 miracles attributed to it</a>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcSsCUuNNCY">According to Marlene Watkins</a>, author of "Everyday Miracles of Lourdes," there are thousands of others who have come forward claiming to have experienced a miracle healing from Lourdes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Bernadette was canonized in 1933.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="prayers">Our Lady of the Lourdes Prayers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Lady of Lourdes is the patron saint of the sick, and countless people have turned to her over the past two centuries, asking for her intercession to heal them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope St. John Paul II <a href="https://www.piercedhearts.org/jpii/prayers/his_prayers.htm">gives</a> us this prayer, calling on the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Blessed by the Most High!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We join in your song of praise,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">and the full liberation of humanity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Glorious Mother of Christ!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">and to his manifestations in the events of history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Mother of the living!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Be our guide along the paths of the world.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">to stand with you before the innumerable crosses</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">on which your Son is still crucified.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hail Mary, woman of faith,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">First of the disciples!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">to account for the hope that is in us,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">in the depths of silence and prayer,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">in the joy of fraternal love,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Holy Mary, Mother of believers,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Lady of Lourdes,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">pray for us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="feast-day">Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on Feb. 11. Pope Leo XIII declared the feast day in 1890.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The celebration at Lourdes itself includes a <a href="https://en.lourdes-infotourisme.com/explore/have-a-spiritual-experience/explore-the-sanctuary/the-unmissables/the-processions/">procession</a> (which happens often at Lourdes) and an international Mass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Churches around the world who count Our Lady of Lourdes as their patron celebrate the day with special activities, including those, <a href="https://tour.nd.edu/locations/grotto-of-our-lady-of-lourdes/">such as the University of Notre Dame</a>, that contain grottos in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The eve of the feast day also marks for many the final day of novena to Our Lady of Lourdes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ourladyoflourdes">Pray on Hallow </a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="novena">Our Lady of Lourdes Novena</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes can be prayed during any 9 days, but is most often said beginning on February 2nd or 3rd, ending on either the eve of the Feast Day (Feb. 10) or the Feast Day itself (Feb. 11.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This version of the Our Lady of Lourdes novena comes from Our Lady of Lourdes Church in <a href="https://ollmlb.org/our-lady-or-lourdes-novena/">Melbourne, Fla.</a>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-opening-prayer">The Opening Prayer</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Happy are you, holy Virgin Mary,&nbsp; deserving of all praise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">From you rose the sun of justice, Christ the Lord.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-novena-prayer">The Novena Prayer</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Most Holy Mother Mary,&nbsp; at Lourdes you asked us to do penance and to pray for the conversion of sinners. &nbsp; Obtain for each of us the grace of true repentance.&nbsp; Help those for whom we pray, and especially those who most need God’s mercy. Your Divine Son so loves every soul&nbsp;that He gave His life to pay the price for our redemption. &nbsp; Help us to return His love by making the sacrifices&nbsp;needed to keep his commandments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Most Holy Mother,&nbsp; you offered your Divine Son to the Eternal Father&nbsp; when you presented Him in the temple;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">offer us to the Father as your other children;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">watch over us and guide us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Blessed Mother, obtain for me the grace I most need, and especially these favors that I ask in this Novena, if they be in keeping with God’s will. &nbsp; Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ourladyoflourdes">Find novenas on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-petition">The Petition</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We pray for the prosperity of our parish and school,&nbsp; and that we may live the virtues in our daily lives, shedding our light and love on those around us.&nbsp; Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-prayer-of-thanksgiving">The Prayer of Thanksgiving</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In thanks, we promise to follow in your virtues, that we may one day share your glory. Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your divine son while upon earth. &nbsp; You have the same influence now in Heaven.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray for us; obtain for us from your Divine Son our special requests if it be the Divine Will. &nbsp; Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-rosary-prayer-nbsp-nbsp-nbsp">The Rosary Prayer&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One decade of the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">Rosary</a> is prayed</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">(1 <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/">Our Father</a>…, 10 <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/">Hail Mary</a>…, 1 Glory be…)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us.&nbsp; Saint Bernadette,&nbsp; Pray for us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Dismissal</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. &nbsp; Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-related-posts">Related Posts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/feast-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-prayers-celebrations/">Our Lady of Guadalupe</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/our-lady-of-fatima/">Our Lady of Fatima</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/our-lady-of-chiquinquira-history-feast-day-and-prayers/">Our Lady of Chiquinquira&nbsp;</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/our-lady-of-aparecida-prayers-feast-day/">Our Lady of Aparecida</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Our Lady of Lourdes: Feast Day, Prayers, Novena, and More [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => our-lady-of-lourdes-feast-day-prayers-novena [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-01-25 20:17:18 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-01-25 20:17:18 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=51178 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 24469 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-01-16 17:57:05 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-01-16 17:57:05 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Holy Week 2024 Schedule</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#palm-sunday">Palm Sunday</a> - March 24</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#thursday">Holy Thursday</a> - March 28</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#good-friday">Good Friday</a> - March 29</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#holy-saturday">Holy Saturday</a> - March 30</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#easter-sunday">Easter Sunday</a> - March 31</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The season of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a> gives way to the celebration of <a href="https://hallow.com/easter/">Easter</a> in Holy Week, the most sacred period of the liturgical calendar.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Holy Week includes both the Church’s most solemn observances and joyous feasts. Unique, beautiful liturgies fill the period of time that begins on Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Holy Week 2024 is a great time to recommit to prayer and draw close to God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload">Pray with Hallow during Holy Week</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="palm-sunday">Palm Sunday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Holy Week begins with <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/palm-sunday/">Palm Sunday</a>, a distinct liturgy that begins with a Gospel reading of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem at the entrance of the worship space.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">Those attending the service receive palms, a reminder of Scripture telling us that people welcomed Jesus by laying down their cloaks and waving palm branches (John 12:13).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Palm Sunday is the first time we hear the Lord’s Passion in the liturgical calendar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, Palm Sunday is March 24. In the homily that Pope Francis delivered in Palm Sunday in 2023, Pope Francis <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023/documents/20230402-omelia-palme.html#:~:text=The%20sufferings%20of%20Jesus%20were,the%20cruelty%20of%20the%20crucifixion.">reminded us</a> that "Jesus, in his abandonment, asks us to open our eyes and hearts to all who find themselves abandoned. On Palm Sunday in 2022, he stressed that <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/04/10/palm-sunday-pope-francis-homily-2022-242799?fbclid=IwAR0QUFOB11Sm1rBtWUPWp_hFxcb_4_90C9EYtEtCBs5wrMEy69PUPKjtYdQ">God can forgive every sin</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Daily Mass takes place like normal during these three days of Holy Week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Gospel readings during these days include passages from the Gospels of John and Matthew about Judas betraying Jesus, preparing us for the Thursday liturgy commemorating The Last Supper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Taizé prayer services are popular in the evenings in the days between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">While some Catholics refer to these days as “Holy Monday,” “Holy Tuesday” and “Holy Wednesday,” these names are less prominent than those given to other days that compose Holy Week. <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041222.cfm">The USCCB</a> simply refers to these days as “Monday of Holy Week,” “Tuesday of Holy Week” and “Wednesday of Holy Week.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="thursday">Holy Thursday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-thursday/">Holy Thursday</a> begins the Easter Triduum–the three days leading up to Jesus’ Resurrection. Its formal name is Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which was the first celebration of the Eucharist. Other branches of Christianity refer to this day as Maundy Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This liturgy includes the reception of the Holy Oils, in which the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens, and the Holy Chrism are processed through the church, to be used for the rest of the year. These oils are all blessed by the local bishop shortly before the liturgy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Also notable at the Holy Thursday service is the washing of the feet, in which the priest washes the feet of 12 parishioners. Jesus did this to demonstrate to his disciples how they are to serve others through selfless love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Originally, only men were invited to be among the 12 to have their feet washed. <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/33283/women-may-now-have-their-feet-washed-at-holy-thursday-mass-pope-says">A decree from Pope Francis in 2016</a> opened up the ritual to all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">At the end of Mass, consecrated hosts remain on the altar while everything else is stripped away. As incense fills the church, the priest, donning a special garb called a humeral veil, takes the Blessed Sacrament and processes out of the church to a chapel or other area for adoration.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, Holy Thursday is March 28.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="good-friday">Good Friday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/">Good Friday</a> of the Lord’s Passion, commonly known as Good Friday, is the only day in the entire year in which no Mass is celebrated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s a solemn day that calls for fasting and abstinence.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross</a> are popular on Good Friday. The main service on Good Friday features no procession. The Passion is read and the Eucharist (consecrated on Thursday) is distributed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Veneration of the Cross and solemn intercessions–a set of shared prayer intentions offered universally on this day–are other unique elements to the Good Friday service.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, Good Friday occurs on March 29.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="holy-saturday">Holy Saturday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Mass on Holy Saturday is the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/easter-vigil/">Easter Vigil</a>, though its full reference on the USCCB schedule of daily reading is “Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord Holy Saturday At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This is the most unique and perhaps most important liturgy of the year. The Easter Vigil ends the Triduum and begins Easter celebrations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The service can only begin once the sun has set. Outside the church, a fire lights the Paschal candle, and the flame is shared throughout the church to individual handheld candles. The Liturgy of the Word, which normally <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041622.cfm">includes nine readings</a>, begins in darkness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The readings demonstrate the connection between the Old and New Testaments and how Jesus fulfilled Scripture and achieved salvation for all humanity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Liturgy of Baptism, which follows the Gospel and homily, marks the culmination of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program. Catechumens, who have been preparing to enter the Church, are baptized, confirmed, and later receive their first Holy Communion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Easter Vigil is a joyous, celebratory liturgy, filled with rich songs. Although the services ends late at night, churches typically have a reception afterward to continue the celebration.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, the Easter Vigil will take place on March 30. It will begin at different times in different parts of the country (and world), depending on the sunset time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="easter-sunday">Easter Sunday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Compared to other Holy Week services, Easter Sunday Masses are most similar to those that occur during Ordinary Time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The festive atmosphere continues from the Easter Vigil, with the worship space decorated with beautiful flowers, especially white lilies.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Of course, many parishioners wear special outfits to celebrate the day. Easter, the biggest feast that the Church has, is also among the most well-attended services of the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload">Pray with Hallow during Holy Week</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Holy Week 2024 Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/easter-prayers/">Easter Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/happy-easter-images/">Happy Easter Images</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">How to Pray the Rosary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/">How to Pray Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-go-to-confession-the-sacrament-of-penance-reconciliation/">How to Go to Confession</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/bible-in-a-year-with-father-mike-schmitz/">Bible in a Year</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Holy Week 2024: Schedule and Key Dates for the Catholic Observance of Holy Week [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => holy-week-schedule [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2019/09/23/how-to-pray-the-rosary/ https://hallow.com/2022/02/05/lent-prayers/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/08/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/ https://hallow.com/2021/01/12/bible-in-a-year-with-father-mike-schmitz/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/17/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/ [post_modified] => 2024-02-13 02:34:53 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-02-13 02:34:53 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=24469 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 50222 [post_author] => 24 [post_date] => 2024-01-15 22:51:25 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-01-15 22:51:25 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>By: <a href="https://sistersoflife.org/">Sisters of Life</a></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-novena-for-life-table-of-contents">Novena For Life - Table of Contents</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray the novena for life at any time but especially from Jan. 16-24. The intentions in this novena are from the USCCB. You can find their intentions and their 9 Days for Life novena <a href="http://usccb.org/resources/9-days-life-novena">here</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-1">Day 1</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-2">Day 2</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-3">Day 3</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-4">Day 4</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-5">Day 5 </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-6">Day 6</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-7">Day 7</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-8">Day 8</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-9">Day 9</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-1">Novena for Life - Day 1</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus, we ask that you pour your spirit powerfully upon our world. Please open the eyes, ears, and hearts of all to the truth of the sacredness of every human person and the unquenchable love of the Father. Cast out from us any spirit of contempt for life - of our lives or others’ lives - so that our world may experience&nbsp; conversion and renewal of heart, and seek to protect the life and dignity of every unborn child and pregnant mother. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/novenaforlife">Pray Novena for Life on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-2">Novena for Life - Day 2</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Saint John Paul II, in Crossing the Threshold to Hope said that in the event of an abortion, “It is precisely the woman who pays the highest price, not only for her motherhood, but even more for its destruction, for the suppression of the life of the child who has been conceived. The only honest stance, in these cases, is that of radical solidarity with the woman. It is not right to leave her alone…”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus, we know that there is no sin or darkness is greater than your infinite mercy. May each heart suffering from the experience of abortion powerfully know your gaze of love upon them right now, and find forgiveness, hope, healing, and freedom in your Sacred Heart. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-3">Novena for Life - Day 3</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus, we pray for every woman who is considering abortion, and in a special way for those who are pregnant from acts of rape or incest. May every woman know the goodness, gift, and beauty of her own life, and so be able to receive the gift of her child’s life. May You surround her with a fortress of compassionate care, support, and understanding, so that she knows she is not alone. We ask that you open our hearts to make room for her heart. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/novenaforlife">Pray Novena for Life on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-4">Novena for Life - <strong>Day 4</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Francis said, “Every Family needs a father – a father who shares in his family’s joy and pain, hands down wisdom to his children, and offers them firm love and guidance.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus, we pray that men may find strength in the example of St. Joseph, who embraced the role of fatherhood amidst difficult circumstances. May each man know the gift and goodness of his own life, and be given the courage to lovingly support the mother of their children in welcoming new life. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-5">Novena for Life - <strong>Day 5</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">From the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”&nbsp; it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,&nbsp; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, we know that parenting and adoption are both beautiful, heroic expressions of maternal love, both full of joys and struggles. We pray that every pregnant mother who is considering adoption may receive grace and support in freely discerning the path You are calling her to.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-6">Novena for Life - <strong>Day 6</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Founder, Cardinal O’Connor commented: St. Paul says we have to exchange bitterness for love. We don’t want to let any words of malice pass our lips, any evil, anything hurtful or spiteful. How desperately this gentleness is needed! And if we’re going to pick up the pieces of this broken world, if we’re really going to show the world the sanctity of human life, it must be everybody’s life, it must be the life of the prostitute, it must be the life of the drug dealer, it must be the life of the man who tells a woman unless she has an abortion, he won’t support her. It must be the life of the doctors who make fortunes out of abortion, it must be the life of the nurses who assist, it must be the life of those in … Planned Parenthood, all sacred to God. We have to heal.” (JCOC.1. 275)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus, you took upon yourself the weight of every abortion. Lord, may all who support or participate in abortion come to know You and experience a profound conversion of heart. We pray that all who support abortion will hear your voice calling their names, encounter your transforming love and, with repentant hearts, seek and receive Your infinite mercy and healing. Jesus, we know that you make all things new. We put our trust in you. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/novenaforlife">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-7">Novena for Life - <strong>Day 7</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">From Psalm 139: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our founder, Cardinal O’Connor, said, “No human life, nothing related to any human life can ever again be casual or small. The unborn, the frail-elderly, those dying of cancer completely vulnerable. We see in them the image and likeness of God.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, today we pray that children in their mothers’ wombs would again be protected in law, and we do penance in reparation for abortion and ask for the healing and renewal of all who have experienced abortion. May all preborn children be protected and welcomed in love. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-8">Novena For Life - <strong>Day 8</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Cardinal O’Connor, our founder, said: “Somehow it seems that in God’s mysterious design He has brought each one of us into this world in order to work His wonders through us. …And that all of you have an enormous potential for even greater goodness than that which you already practice so valiantly. To underestimate you is to underestimate God, for each of you is sparked with His divinity. I see in every single one of you, whether you be strong or weak, whatever may have been your past, whatever your circumstances at the moment, I say it with deepest sincerity, that I see the reflection of the sacred, the image and likeness of Almighty God.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/novenaforlife">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, we pray for all people in positions of leadership. May those who work as public officials and civic leaders be awakened to the dignity of their role in serving the common good and their own summons to stand for the protection of all human life, in every stage and circumstance. May they encounter your gaze of love upon them, personally, and be moved to proclaim and safeguard the goodness of every life. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-9">Novena for Life - Day 9</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Begin with the Sign of the Cross: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On our final day of prayer together, we pray in a special way for all pro-life advocates.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our Founder, John Cardinal O’Connor, said: “If all the marches, all the prayers, the speeches, the encyclicals, the entire effort of each of you saved but one human life, would not the Lord of Life say to each one of us and to each individual who has ever made the effort on behalf of human life: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.&nbsp; Receive the kingdom the Lord has prepared for you from all eternity.&nbsp; For you not only fed me and clothed me, confirmed and consoled, and visited me in prison. You saved my life.’”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, we pray for all who advocate and fight for a pro-life culture; may we all find strength and renewal in the Holy Spirit. Breathe upon us, that we may become radiant witnesses of Your life, love, and communion to the Church, and the world. And may we all be animated by Your love to build a culture that respects the dignity of every human person, from conception to natural death. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Say the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3 Hail Marys</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Close with the Prayer for Life:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>The Novena for Life's intentions come from the 9 Days for Life Novena, <a href="https://www.usccb.org/resources/9-days-life-novena">created by the USCCB</a>.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Related Prayers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/pray-the-litany-for-life/">Litany for Life</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-family-novena/">Holy Family Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Novena For Life: How to Pray the Novena for Life [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => how-to-pray-novena-for-life [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-01-17 16:31:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-01-17 16:31:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=50222 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 32474 [post_author] => 24 [post_date] => 2024-01-13 09:10:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-01-13 09:10:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Palm Sunday: Table of Contents</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#intro">Intro</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#biblical-roots">Biblical Roots</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#scripture">Palm Sunday Scripture</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#music">Music and Psalms</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#liturgy">All About the Palm Sunday Liturgy/Service</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#papal-mass">Papal Mass on Palm Sunday</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayers">Palm Sunday Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#other-faiths">Palm Sunday in Other Faith Traditions</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#faq">Palm Sunday FAQ</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="" id="intro">The final Sunday before <a href="https://hallow.com/easter/">Easter</a>, Palm Sunday represents an important day in Christian worship traditions spanning Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox traditions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the Catholic Church, Palm Sunday represents the sixth Sunday of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a> and marks the beginning of <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/">Holy Week</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s a unique, beautiful liturgy that sets the stage for Easter Triduum and traces its inspiration back to the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-gospels/">Gospels</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/palmsunday">Easter's coming. Try Hallow for free!</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="biblical-roots">Biblical Roots of Palm Sunday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">John’s Gospel tells us the story of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem as Passover approached.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Hosanna!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[even] the king of Israel.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>John 12:12-13</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When the Gospel makes mention of Jesus riding on a colt or ass, it fulfills the prophecy from Zachariah:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Exult greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, Humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Zechariah 9:9</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As Jesus prepared to celebrate Passover, we celebrate Palm Sunday as we prepare for Easter. In 2023, as in all years, Palm Sunday occurs one week before Easter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="scripture">Palm Sunday Scriptures</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040223.cfm">The USCCB</a> formally refers to Palm Sunday as “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion” because it’s the day we first hear the Passion reading.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We will hear it again on <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/">Good Friday</a> but from a different Gospel.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, Palm Sunday will feature the Gospel of Mark, while Good Friday will allow us to hear the Gospel according to John.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Gospel we hear at the start of Mass, which describes Jesus’s approach to Jerusalem, also rotates with the liturgical cycles. (In 2024, the Church is in the lectionary cycle of Year B.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="music">Music, Psalm and Songs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">At the start of the Palm Sunday liturgy, the first hymn song usually proclaims “Hosanna” (a word of divine praise that we see in John’s Gospel) as seen in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suN49xIcdb4">these</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suN49xIcdb4">YouTube videos</a> of Catholic liturgies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Responsorial Psalm typically comes from Psalm 22 and features the familiar response, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Offertory hymns and songs during the Eucharist vary greatly from parish to parish. “Were You There”--a song which depicts Jesus’s crucifixion–is one you might hear during Communion. ”What Wondrous Love Is This” represents another common hymn.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A popular Palm Sunday recessional hymn is “Lift High the Cross.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Given that Palm Sunday falls within Lent, music will not feature “Alleluia.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="liturgy">Palm Sunday Mass and What Makes It Unique</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Scriptures and songs are just some of the components of the Palm Sunday liturgy that makes it unique.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Churches distribute palms at the start of the service, and often, churchgoers file into the pews as usual. The priest then calls the parishioners to either the back of the church or the vestibule, where the first Gospel is read.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Following that passage, parishioners wave palms as the priest continues into the church as the congregation sings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Not your normal Sunday processional!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The palms will later form the ashes distributed on <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday</a> to begin Lent the following year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Palm Sunday is the only Sunday (and the only Mass) featuring the Lord’s Passion and is one of the only liturgies where the priest wears red vestments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s a beautiful, engaging worship experience that prepares us for the Easter Triduum, a time filled with unique liturgies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="papal-mass">The Pope and the Papal Mass</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On Palm Sunday, as on other important days in the liturgical year, the Pope traditionally delivers a homily in St. Peter’s Square.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The liturgy is usually posted to the <a href="https://youtu.be/w6GdDhhl-hI">Vatican’s YouTube channel</a> so people around the world can watch it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In his homily during Palm Sunday 2022, Pope Francis emphasized a message of forgiveness as the Church approached Easter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Brothers and sisters, in the course of this week, let us cling to the certainty that God can forgive every sin. He forgives everyone. He can bridge every distance, and turn all mourning into dancing,” <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2022/documents/20220410-omelia-palme.html">he said</a>, referencing Psalm 30.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="prayers">Palm Sunday Prayers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Palm Sunday prayers can acknowledge Jesus’s triumph, as when crowds celebrated Him at Jerusalem, as well as His sacrifice, which we remember during the reading of the Passion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider these short prayers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“God, You are indeed King of Kings and I am blessed by Your love and mercy. May my day today be guided by Your spirit and may I approach any obstacles knowing that my life and our world all belong to Your kingdom. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Heavenly Father, crowds cheered and welcomed Jesus and later yelled for his crucifixion. I try to honor and celebrate You, but I know there are areas of my life where I reject or ignore You. Today, give me the strength to sing Your praises at times I might otherwise dishonor You. Amen.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">For more ideas on how to pray on Palm Sunday, check out our <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent prayers</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/palmsunday">Get the Hallow App</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="other-faiths">Palm Sunday in Other Faith Traditions</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Many Christian faith traditions observe Palm Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America <a href="https://www.goarch.org/palmsunday">describes Palm Sunday as</a> the “commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Evangelical Lutheran Church <a href="https://www.livinglutheran.org/2015/03/elca-members-celebrate-palm-sunday/">observes</a> Palm Sunday, as do many other Lutheran and Methodist churches, some of whom refer to the day as “Passion Sunday.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="faq">Frequently Asked Questions about Palm Sunday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:yoast/faq-block {"questions":[{"id":"faq-question-1679257498817","question":["What happens on Palm Sunday?"],"answer":["At Palm Sunday, churchgoers receive palms, hear The Passion and prepare for Holy Week."],"jsonQuestion":"What happens on Palm Sunday?","jsonAnswer":"At Palm Sunday, churchgoers receive palms, hear The Passion and prepare for Holy Week."},{"id":"faq-question-1679257509181","question":["Why do churches give out palms?"],"answer":["Palms commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, as Scripture (John 12:13)  tells us the crowd welcomed Him by waving palms."],"jsonQuestion":"Why do churches give out palms?","jsonAnswer":"Palms commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, as Scripture (John 12:13)  tells us the crowd welcomed Him by waving palms."},{"id":"faq-question-1679257517764","question":["What happens to the palms?"],"answer":["The palms distributed on Palm Sunday will form the ashes distributed on Ash Wednesday to begin Lent the following year."],"jsonQuestion":"What happens to the palms?","jsonAnswer":"The palms distributed on Palm Sunday will form the ashes distributed on Ash Wednesday to begin Lent the following year."},{"id":"faq-question-1679257920944","question":["Is Palm Sunday a Catholic thing?"],"answer":["Palm Sunday is an important day in the Catholic faith, but other Christian religions also recognize the day."],"jsonQuestion":"Is Palm Sunday a Catholic thing?","jsonAnswer":"Palm Sunday is an important day in the Catholic faith, but other Christian religions also recognize the day."},{"id":"faq-question-1679257932269","question":["Why do we make crosses on Palm Sunday?"],"answer":["Some people choose to turn their palm leaves into crosses as a reminder of the meaning of the day, but it’s not required. Keeping the palm leaves straight is totally fine."],"jsonQuestion":"Why do we make crosses on Palm Sunday?","jsonAnswer":"Some people choose to turn their palm leaves into crosses as a reminder of the meaning of the day, but it’s not required. Keeping the palm leaves straight is totally fine."},{"id":"faq-question-1679257955889","question":["When is Palm Sunday?"],"answer":["In 2024, Palm Sunday is March 24."],"jsonQuestion":"When is Palm Sunday?","jsonAnswer":"In 2024, Palm Sunday is March 24."},{"id":"faq-question-1679257965844","question":["When Is Orthodox Palm Sunday?"],"answer":["In 2023, Orthodox Palm Sunday falls on April 28."],"jsonQuestion":"When Is Orthodox Palm Sunday?","jsonAnswer":"In 2023, Orthodox Palm Sunday falls on April 28."},{"id":"faq-question-1679258000729","question":["What’s the color of Palm Sunday?"],"answer":["Red is the color of Palm Sunday. It symbolizes the blood of Jesus."],"jsonQuestion":"What’s the color of Palm Sunday?","jsonAnswer":"Red is the color of Palm Sunday. It symbolizes the blood of Jesus."}]} --> <div class="schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block"><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257498817"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What happens on Palm Sunday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">At Palm Sunday, churchgoers receive palms, hear The Passion and prepare for Holy Week.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257509181"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Why do churches give out palms?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Palms commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, as Scripture (John 12:13)  tells us the crowd welcomed Him by waving palms.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257517764"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What happens to the palms?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">The palms distributed on Palm Sunday will form the ashes distributed on Ash Wednesday to begin Lent the following year.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257920944"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Is Palm Sunday a Catholic thing?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Palm Sunday is an important day in the Catholic faith, but other Christian religions also recognize the day.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257932269"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Why do we make crosses on Palm Sunday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Some people choose to turn their palm leaves into crosses as a reminder of the meaning of the day, but it’s not required. Keeping the palm leaves straight is totally fine.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257955889"><strong class="schema-faq-question">When is Palm Sunday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In 2024, Palm Sunday is March 24.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679257965844"><strong class="schema-faq-question">When Is Orthodox Palm Sunday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In 2023, Orthodox Palm Sunday falls on April 28.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1679258000729"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What’s the color of Palm Sunday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Red is the color of Palm Sunday. It symbolizes the blood of Jesus.</p> </div> </div> <!-- /wp:yoast/faq-block --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Lent Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/">Holy Week 2024</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-thursday/">Holy Thursday 2024</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/">Good Friday 2024</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/easter/">Easter 2024</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/easter-prayers/">Easter Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Palm Sunday 2024: Scripture, Songs, Readings, and the Meaning of Palms [post_excerpt] => Hallow's complete guide to Palm Sunday. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => palm-sunday [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-01-17 21:56:00 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-01-17 21:56:00 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=32474 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )