Lent calendar 2015
18 Feb
19 Feb
20 Feb
21 Feb
22 Feb
23 Feb
24 Feb
25 Feb
26 Feb
27 Feb
28 Feb
1 March
2 March
3 March
4 March
5 March
6 March
7 March
8 March
9 March 10 March 11 March 12 March 13 March 14 March 15 March
16 March 17 March 18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March
23 March 24 March 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29 March
30 March 31 March
4 April
5 April
1 April
2 April
3 April
Ash Wednesday: 18 February
This Lent we’re asking you to
‘Cut it out’:
As we start the 40 day
journey, think of
different ways you can
Cut it out this Lent.
Act
Using labels downloaded from our website,
make a collection box for your class, to help
communities like Martin’s in
Myanmar.
Martin
Thursday 19 February
“...like a tree planted by streams
of water.” Isaiah 58
When Cyclone Nargis destroyed
trees in the jungles of Myanmar, our
partners worked with villagers to
restore the jungle.
Kyin Nu says: “Every Saturday we
would plant… for four weeks… It
produces shade, blocks winds and
defends the village from cyclones.”
Act
Watch our video about Martin from Myanmar
and begin to plan your Lent Fast Day
fundraising.
Friday 20 February
“Raise your voice
like a trumpet.”
Isaiah 58
What injustices should I be
shouting about?
Give
Contact your local office to find
out how you can speak in your
parish to help raise money for
people in poverty.
Saturday 21 February
‘You shall be called the repairer
of the breach…’ Isaiah 58
Daur San Mhwe (pictured, right),
from Myanmar says: “If you work
alone, you never succeed. We always
work together. Everyone participates
…a few people together will triumph.”
How can I help people, near and far
away, to know that we are standing
alongside them in their troubles?
Act
Find out about our Climate Coalition
event. Could you and your friends
attend?
Sunday 22 February
“Behold, I establish my covenant with
you… and with every living creature
that is with you.” Genesis 9
God’s covenant is with every living creature.
The whole of creation is important to God –
we are only one part of it.
Do I appreciate the whole of creation?
Act
Visit our website today to support
others by taking action on climate
change.
Monday 23 February
“…neither shall you gather the fallen
grapes of your vineyard. You shall
leave them for the poor…” Leviticus 19
Fairtrade Fortnight starts today, reminding
us that it is possible to create a more just
and fair way of farming and trading the
Earth’s produce – fair to the Earth and fair
to its poorest people.
How will you more fairly share Earth’s
produce?
Give
Buy something with the Fairtrade
mark and thank your local shop for
stocking it.
Tuesday 24 February
“The Lord is close to the
broken-hearted.” Psalm 33
Kyin Nu from Myanmar was brokenhearted after Cyclone Nargis. Looking
back, she says:
“My faith helps me through these times…
What gives me hope is God.
God is the only one who can save you.”
Act
Look out for anyone who
is sad today and say an
encouraging word to
them.
Wednesday 25 February
“And the people of Nineveh
believed in God.” Jonah 3:1-10
When the Jonah spoke God’s message, the
people of Nineveh believed him. They changed
their attitude and their lifestyle.
One of God’s messages to us is to care for our
planet. By doing this we also help to protect
its poorest people who are the most affected
by climate change. Yet many people still think
climate change is a myth.
Act
Go to our website and find
answers to some climate
change myths.
Thursday 26 February
“On the day I called, you answered me,
O Lord.” Psalm 137
Do I give my worries and cares
over to God? Or do I struggle on
trying to solve everything myself?
Pray
In today’s Gospel Jesus
says, “Ask and you shall
receive.” Bring your needs
and the needs of others
before God today
in prayer.
Friday 27 February
Today is CAFOD
Lent Fast Day.
“..be reconciled to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.”
Many of our sisters and brothers
unjustly live in poverty due to
unfair trade systems, conflict or
the impacts of climate change.
We can help by our prayer and
fasting, our actions and our giving.
Give
What will you cut out
today?
Saturday 28 February
“Creation is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so
that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all,
always with great respect and gratitude.” Pope Francis
God gives the world to
everyone. How, this week,
can I show love beyond the
people I know personally?
Pray
Creator God, thank you for
always loving everyone,
regardless of our actions.
Amen.
Sunday 1 March
“This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”
Mark 9:2-10
The disciples thought that they knew
Jesus… and themselves. But as they saw
Jesus in his true glory, their perceptions of
him were changed. Later, as they obeyed
the Father’s command to ‘listen to him’,
they grew in faith and wisdom until they
were transformed from simple fishermen
into heralds of the Gospel.
Will I let God transform and use me?
Pray
Ask God to show you who
you could be, and ‘listen to
him’.
Monday 2 March
“Give and it will be given to you.
Good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, running over…” Luke 6:36-38
Today’s Gospel calls us to be generous.
This Lent, every pound you give will be
matched by the UK government, up to
the value of £3.5 million. That’s double
the help for people living in poverty
around the world!
Give
Put a donation into your
CAFOD collection box.
Tuesday 3 March
“For they preach but do not practise.”
Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus criticised the Pharisees for not practising
what they preached.
Our campaign One Climate, One World calls on
politicians to commit to act to prevent climate
change pushing people deeper into poverty.
But we cannot ask others to do what we do
not do ourselves.
Act
Pledge to play your part to care for
creation and love your neighbour. Add
your individual pledges to a giant
heart and send us a photo.
Wednesday 4 March
“Whoever would be great among
you must be your servant…”
Matthew 20:17-28
Jesus was the Son of God, but chose
to serve. In our leadership, we too are
called to the service of others. CAFOD
partners are inspiring examples - like
Oscar Romero, who spoke in defence
of poor and oppressed people.
Where in my life am I called to be a
leader who serves others?
Pray
Servant King, teach me
how to serve bravely.
Amen.
Thursday 5 March
“The world is given to all, not only
to the rich.” St Ambrose
Compared with most of our world, our
country is rich. Around 12 per cent of the
people in our world suffer from chronic
hunger. We are called to share the goods
of creation, for the good of all.
How will you share your talents, time and
money to help the poorest communities
of our world?
Act
Take part in the Close up on
climate film project – details at
cafod.org.uk/greatgeneration
Friday 6 March
“There was a master of a house
who planted a vineyard…” Matthew 21:33-46
As tenants we don’t have
ownership but are called to care
for the Earth for God.
How do we produce its fruit? Are
we good tenants on the Earth? And
will we share its produce when we
are asked to do so?
Act
Go to our website and find out
how you can email political
leaders to take action.
Saturday 7 March
“I will show them marvellous things.”
We often hear of marvellous things
being done by our partners, thanks
to your donations and with God’s
help. For example, in Myanmar,
people have practised emergency
drills, to prepare for future cyclones.
“Before we had the training our
losses would have been great. Now I
think they would be far, far less.”
U Than Win, Community leader
Pray
Thank you, Lord, for the
great things you do through
ordinary people.
Amen.
Micah 7:14-20
Sunday 8 March:
International Women’s Day
“Remember the Sabbath day,
to keep it holy…” Exodus 20:1-17
God knows that we need time to rest and
to pray, as well as time to work.
Today, International Women’s Day, we
remember and pray for women living in
extreme poverty who labour long hours to
feed their families and are not able to rest.
Act
In thanks for the rest time God has
given, go out and appreciate nature,
relax and reflect on the gift of
creation.
Monday 9 March
“No prophet is accepted in the
prophet’s hometown…” Luke 4:24
Jesus’ audience were used to thinking of
themselves as God’s chosen people, and
interpreting this as ‘God’s favourites’.
But Jesus preached an inclusive,
welcoming message for all people.
Do I recognise that everyone is special?
Pray
Lord, help me to treat
everyone with dignity
and respect. Amen.
Tuesday 10 March
“Lord, teach me your paths…”
We all need good teachers, both in
school and in life. Sadly, in many
countries where CAFOD works, people
are denied a good education.
Ke Kachok runs adult literacy classes in
his village in Cambodia: “My village has
40 students… most can now read, write
and do maths. As a result, some have
started running small businesses.”
Give
As a class, buy our “Teach
someone to read” World Gift
to help communities like
Ke Kachok’s.
Psalm 24
Wednesday 11 March
“Whoever does these commandments and
teaches them will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
If I use my skills, that is great. But if I
teach two others a skill today, and they
teach two others tomorrow, and so on,
by the tenth day, there are 1024 people
who have learned that skill.
We can change the world, if we lead by
example.
Pray
Divine Teacher, show me
how to teach your ways by
word and example. Amen
Thursday 12 March
“With songs let us hail the Lord.” Ps.94
U Win Myi, a fisherman in Myanmar
whose village was devastated by
Cyclone Nargis in 2008, told us:
“I take my boat a long way from the
village at night and sing... when I get
depressed, I sing gospel songs with a
very loud voice…and it helps…
I feel singing helps me to be at one with
God. I found it is good way to discover
God. Singing is a spiritual thing.”
Pray
Sing a song of praise
to God.
Friday 13 March
“You shall love your neighbour as
yourself...” Mark 12:28-34
Do I love whatever the cost…
or only so far as it is
convenient for me?
Who do I consider to be my
neighbour?
Act
Act as a good neighbour to
those you meet today.
Saturday 14 March
“What I want is love, not sacrifice.”
Hosea 5:15-6:6
We make sacrifices in Lent – fasting and
trying to focus on less material things.
But it is important that our motivation is
love: love of God, but also solidarity with
those who have too little food. If we share
the money we have saved with the
poorest people, our fasting can make a
lasting difference to them and help us to
grow in love of our neighbour.
Give
Deny yourself a treat today,
and take the money you save
into school to put in your
collection box.
Sunday 15 March
Mothering Sunday
“We are God’s work of art created in
Christ Jesus to live the good life…”
Ephesians 2:4-10
We are artworks by the ultimate artist.
Every human being is created in God’s
image and has dignity for this reason.
If we truly recognised this, we would
protect and care for others with a
sense of awe.
Act
Create a card or other work of art
for your mother or another
woman who is important in
your life.
Monday 16 March
“They shall build houses and inhabit
them…” Isaiah 65:17-21
After Typhoon Haiyan hit the
Philippines, our partner, Cordaid,
helped communities to build new, safer
homes and to prepare for future
typhoons. When Typhoon Hagupit
arrived a year later, the houses
survived and everyone benefited from
the disaster training:
“Everyone was smiling, everyone was
more prepared than ever, we were
safe, we were alive.”
Tuesday 17 March
“The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, Daur
San Mhwe was on her way home:
“I used a mosquito net to tie myself to a
pillar. It made me a little warmer, but not
much. I could see many people like me –
holding onto pillars for their lives... I
focused on Christ’s Passion when the
storm was at its height.”
Pray
Pray the Stations of the
Cross from the secondary
school pages of our
website.
Psalm 45
Wednesday 18 March
“He will guide them to springs of
water.” Isaiah 49:8-15
In an area where scorching sun is a
daily challenge, people in Isiolo, Kenya
are working to bring Isaiah’s vision to
life for their community.
They now have a greenhouse irrigated
by a solar-powered pump and can grow
enough tomatoes to feed themselves,
with some left over to sell.
Act
Go to our website and watch
a film about the Isiolo
project.
Thursday 19 March
“They have made themselves a calf of
molten metal and have worshipped it…”
Exodus 32:7-14
Take a look at your life and the
things that you focus most on.
What are your false idols?
Try to focus on what is really
important instead and share your
ideas on facebook or twitter.
Give
Cut out an activity that costs
money, like going to the cinema
or buying something new. Put
what you save into your
collection box.
Friday 20 March
International day of happiness
“His way of life is not like others, the paths
he treads are unfamiliar.” Wisdom 2:12-22
The Yanomami people in the Amazon
forest of Brazil work hard to protect their
land and their way of life, which is very
different from our own. We can learn
much from them about living simply and
respecting creation.
Do I have the courage to learn from
others, to live differently, to challenge our
consumer-driven society?
Act
Think of ten reasons, not connected
to consuming, to be happy
today.
Saturday 21 March
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
“Lord God, I take refuge in you.”
We often hear of refugees fleeing
conflict. Communities whose
resources are already stretched are
frequently the most generous.
Thousands of Syrian refugees have
been welcomed into Jordan and
Lebanon, where CAFOD partners are
also supporting them.
Pray
Lord, open my heart and help
me to welcome those who
need help. Amen.
Psalm 7
World Water Day: Sunday 22 March
“Christ offered up prayer and entreaty,
aloud and in silent tears…” Hebrews 5:7-9
Even the Son of God turned to his Father
in prayer. How much more do we need to
do this?
Whether we pray aloud or silently, whether
we pray for ourselves or for others, God is
listening and is always with us.
Act
Think of new ways to save water
today. If you are in a parish youth
group, play our simulation game,
Life without taps.
Monday 23 March
“Neither do I condemn you.”
If, like Jesus, we are rooted in love,
compassion is our immediate response
to suffering. Whether that suffering is
caused by global poverty or is closer to
home, we are compelled to take
action. Compassion is one of the seven
values that underpin CAFOD’s work.
What are the values in my life?
Act
Name the three values
that matter most to
you.
John 8:1-11
Tuesday 24 March
Today is the anniversary of Oscar
Romero’s death.
Pray
Act
Give
Reflect on Romero’s words
‘Aspire not to have more but
to be more.’
Find out more about Oscar
Romero by watching the video
on our website.
Buy a Romero cross for your
classroom.
Wednesday 25 March
“Nothing is impossible to God.”
The Angel Gabriel told Mary, “Nothing is
impossible to God.” Like Mary giving birth
to the Son of God, we too can play our
part in miracles that transform the world.
When I think about our world, what
seems impossible to change? What does
God want me to do? What small steps can
I take to start to make this a reality?
Give
Small actions make a difference.
Count the light switches in your
house - for each one, put 10p in your
collection box.
Luke 1:26-38
Thursday 26 March
“I will establish my covenant between
myself and you, and your descendants.”
Genesis 17:3-9
How will the next generations
remember us? What kind of Earth
will we be leaving behind for them?
Our choices today can be a promise
to them of a habitable, fruitful
planet.
Pray
Lord, may future generations
remember my generation with a
blessing. Amen.
Friday 27 March
“The waves of death rose about me…”
Psalm 17: 2-7
This psalm must bring back vivid
memories to those who have
experienced floods like those caused by
Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
Yet the psalm writer is reminding us all
that when it feels like we are drowning
in our troubles, God is still there.
Pray
What troubles do I want to
leave with God today?
Act
Make a donation in your
collection box to support people
experiencing extreme
weather.
Saturday 28 March
“I will console them, give gladness for
grief.” Jeremiah 31:10-13
In refugee camps for people fleeing Syria’s
violence, our partners use puppets to help
children overcome the trauma they have
experienced.
Through the voice of a puppet, children can
speak about things they would otherwise be
too upset to share. The puppets also provide
a welcome and essential source of fun.
How can I bring joy to others today?
Pray
…for peace.
Palm Sunday: 29 March
“Those who went before and those who
followed cried out, ‘Hosanna!’” Mark 11:1-10
The crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem
and a few days later about demanded his
crucifixion. How quickly they had completely
changed their attitude to Jesus!
Do I stick to my convictions, even when
people around me express a different opinion?
Do I try to influence others for the good?
Act
Share your beliefs with others.
Write to your MP or, better still,
become an ‘MP correspondent’
speaking out for justice.
Monday 30 March
“Faithfully he brings true justice.”
Isaiah 42:1-7
There is still injustice in our world.
As members of the Body of Christ, it
is our job to continue Jesus’ mission.
This Lent, CAFOD supporters have
been making tremendous efforts to
support the communities where our
partners are based and make the
world a more just place.
Act
Tell us what you have done this Lent
so that we can use your story to
inspire others.
Tuesday 31 March
“Before the cock crows, you will have
denied me three times.” John 13:21-38
Peter is going to get it wrong. He will deny
he even knows Jesus. But after the
Resurrection, Peter will be reconciled with
Jesus. His experience will make him an even
better leader.
We all get it wrong sometimes. But it’s okay
as long as we repent and make a change.
Pray
Lord, forgive me and help me
to forgive others.
Amen.
Wednesday 1 April
“I have reached the end of my strength.”
Psalm 68
In developing countries there are people
every day who reach the end of their
strength: women exhausted after carrying
water for miles; farmers whose crops fail;
children without enough food or medicine.
Thanks to your donations, our partners
support people at the end of their strength
and help them to find a way forward.
Act
Put some money in your collection
box and, as Easter approaches,
make plans to send it
in to us.
Maundy Thursday: 2 April
“This is my body… do this as a memorial
of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Eucharist is an amazing gift - Jesus
present with us. But the Eucharist also
commits us to service of others. Jesus
makes this clear when, in John’s Gospel, he
washes the disciples’ feet before the meal.
Pope Francis said: “In the Eucharist the Lord
makes us walk on his road, that of service,
of sharing, of giving.” Do I let the Eucharist
motivate me to serve others?
Act
Do an act of service for
someone else today
without being asked.
Good Friday: 3 April
“They crucified him, and with him two
others, one on either side, with Jesus
between them.” John 18:1 - 19:42
Even as he was dying, Jesus spoke with
the repentant thief and gave him hope.
Consistent compassion without barriers
is not for the faint-hearted; it takes
determination and courage.
Act
Draw the outline of a cross. Write on
it the names of people you know who
are suffering and in need of hope.
Pray for them at 3pm, the
hour Jesus died.
Holy Saturday: 4 April
Today we watch and wait.
Easter Sunday: 5 April
“This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.” Psalm: 117
How often we limit our expectations of
God. Yet the Lord who can rise from the
dead is capable of so much more than
we can imagine.
Let’s rejoice today with our Lord who
has conquered death and entrust our
world and all its people to his care.
Jesus is alive! Alleluia!
Act
Eat a (Fairtrade!) egg, sing an Easter
‘Alleluia’ and look for Jesus alive in
yourself and others today.
Picture credits:
Eleanor Church; Michel Monginda Mondengele; Phil Knox; Stephen
Wood; Ataklti Mulu; Development Partnership in Action, Cambodia;
Simon Rawles; Lucasz Cholewiak; Sam Carling; Shareef Sarhan;
Emma Clark; The Archbishop Romero Trust; Asad Zaidi; Stuart
Matthews; Shea Bradley; Annie Bungeroth; CAFOD.