Ash Wednesday, 2012: Another Lent, Another Chaplet

Lent begins today. Among other things, that means that I've started praying a chaplet. There's a 'how to' in this post, a little farther down.

There's more to Lent than giving up jelly beans or cribbage: neither of which are part of my habits, anyway. The USCCB has a pretty good set of resource pages for Lent this year, starting with:

• "Lent"
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

This is a season for fasting, discipline, dying to myself: and I'm looking forward to this? Actually, yes: and that's not as crazy as it may sound. Part of the explanation is in this video:


"Chaplet, Day One"
ApatheticLemmingMinn, YouTube (February 22, 2012)
video, 2:35

I plan to be back with more like that: which could be taken as a promise or a threat. Moving on.

How to Pray the Chaplet

"LENTEN CHAPLET

"Once you have received your cross, go back to your pew and start to pray. The first name that comes to mind is the person you will be praying for a deepening conversion of faith during these 40 days of Lent.

"Each day you will pray:
"Apostles' Creed - knot that ties the cross on the necklace.

"Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be (Around your neck are 21 knots, representing these three prayers to be said seven times).

"Any time after Good Friday, give your Chaplet to the person you have been praying for."
(March 25, 2011)

This year's chaplets are the last of the ones using crucifixes blessed by Pope Benedict XVI. Not the last anywhere in the world: just the last that this parish has. Maybe we'll get someone to Rome again, on a similar errand.

And that's another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "A Prayer for Clouded Hearts"
  (December 4, 2011)
• "Lenten Chaplet How-2"
  (March 25, 2011)
  Particularly
  • How to Pray This Lenten Chaplet
• "Ash Wednesday, 2011: Smudge on My Forehead, Chaplet Started"
  (March 9, 2011)
• "My Chaplet, Magic, Prayer and Catholic Beliefs"
  (March 4, 2010)
• "Happy Lent?! What Kind of a Nut am I?"
  (March 3, 2009)