— Lent 4.5 is a seven-week faith formation program in Christian Simplicity.

GRATITUDE & GENEROSITY

Sometimes it is helpful to examine the world through someone else’s lens. See through the eyes of a Haitian family who lives in a house that is fifteen feet square, with a tin roof that has enough ¼ inch holes sprinkled across it to let the rain in at night. For them an 800 square foot house with siding, like one that might be found in an impoverished area of the U.S., would appear a mansion.

But for the American family of six who lives in an 800-square-foot siding-covered house, a home with three full bedrooms and two baths would be palatial.

From the eyes of a woman who picks coffee in the Nicaraguan mountains -- a single mother who does not earn enough from her hard labor to purchase adequate food for all three of her children each day -- being part of a nutrition project that teaches her to grow a tiny patch of vegetables to supplement her meals is wealth beyond telling.

What are the eyes through which you view the world?

Jesus saw with the eyes of our Creator. His gratitude for our precious life was reflected in the generosity which he shared with others – teaching, healing, witnessing God’s presence in the faith and lives of the people around him.

This most holy of weeks we read again how Jesus taught us generosity when he washed the feet of his disciples. He assumed the role of the servant and modeled how one passes on our gratitude for our lives to others. Gratitude becomes generous service.

Our choices affect real people.

Each week of this program for Lent has a unique focus:

Week before Ash Wednesday – Christian Simplicity: A Compassionate Life (two handouts)
First Week of Lent – Food: Eating is a Moral Act
Second Week of Lent – Consumption: Buying Less, Wasting Less
Third Week of Lent – Water: Caring for our Sacred Waters
Fourth Week of Lent – Energy: Choosing Efficient and Clean
Fifth Week of Lent – Transportation: Exploring Alternative Means
Holy Week – Gratitude & Generosity: Becoming Involve

THE PROGRAM

church program for lent Lent 4.5 inspires and informs individuals and Christian communities on how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to protect God’s creation, bringing forth and just society, and nurturing a fulfilling spiritual life

The core component of the program is a series of nine full-color handouts covering the seven themes (two handouts are introductory).

Each insert contains the following:

An essay explaining the theme
What the churches are saying about the issue
A weekly focus prayer
Practical action steps
An invitation to delve more deeply into the topic on our website

Handouts are available in three formats:

Catholic
Christian interdenominational
Catholic in Spanish

CONTINUE THE JOURNEY

Christian Simplicity: A Gospel Value is a non-denominational discussion course book which offers small groups within your church a chance to read and discuss articles about the weekly topic. While the seven themes correspond exactly to the Lent 4.5 themes, Christian Simplicity does not use the language of Lent, so it can be used any time of the year! Many groups interested in deepening their understanding of the issues have found this discussion resource fruitful as a next step in the journey of transformation.

Also available is a School Resource book available in a Catholic (K-8), and a Sunday School (K-8) version. Rights to reproduce as needed are included with this modestly priced book.

PROTECTING GOD'S CREATION & EMBRACING GOSPEL JUSTICE

Through a measuring tool called Global Footprint, we are able to assess the impact of various lifestyles upon the Earth. It is a complex process, but a simple formula. At present, there are more than 6.5 billion people on the planet. If we were to divide the Earth equally among all of us, 4.5 acres would be available to each person. 4.5 acres is what we are each entitled to use. 4.5 acres is a fair share.

Prayer - Fasting - Almsgiving

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Lent 4.5 is a seven-week faith formation program which inspires and informs Christian communities on how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to protect God’s creation, embrace Gospel justice and nurture spiritual fulfillment. It offers practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Christian Simplicity to their everyday lives.

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