Don't hit snooze tomorrow!  Take time to pray for someone- start your day with a short prayer, thanking God for the gift of a new day.  
Give up an hour of sleep to wake early and spend some time with Jesus.

Drink nothing but water, give up your morning coffee, or take your coffee without sugar or creamer and offer up a prayer. Will you say a prayer each time you’re tempted to have a cup of coffee? Do you need to break a dependence on sugar so that you can give God your best? Tell us how who we can pray for today?
#prayforintentions

Give up your usual treat on Friday and instead consider donating to Mary's Meals to help those in crisis in Ethiopia. What if you gave up that special treat today and put the money you’d have spent towards helping with the crisis in Ethiopia?

Please click HERE to be taken to our Mary's Meals Ministry page for more information, including Lenten prayer cards for the children who depend on Mary's Meals.  

If you would like to make a donation to Mary's Meals, please click HERE to visit "Ways to Support Our Parish", which includes an options, including Venmo, to directly support Mary's Meals. 

"Mary's Meals is a series of little acts of love.  If you put all those acts of sacrifice together, it creates a beautiful thing."
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Mary's Meals Founder and CEO

This Lent, look to free yourself from material things. Consider making a Lenten sacrifice by donating clothing or household items you no longer use.  St. Stephens will be accepting donations on Tuesday, March 23 from 4pm-6pm and Tuesday, March 30 from 4pm-6pm in the parish gym.  Blue clothing drop bins are in the school parking lot and can be accessed 24 hours a day for convenient CLOTHING donation drop off.  

See the flyer below, and click HERE for more details!

Make an effort to abstain from social media and spend time in prayer today.  Reach out to family and friends you haven't spoken to in awhile.  Instead of checking your feed this morning, spend 10 minutes writing down all you're grateful for.  Good feelings, more meaningful relationships, and a more prayerful, peaceful way of living may just be reason enough to fast more often.  Can't give up social media altogether? That's ok too, make your scrolling a more intentional and prayerful experience by pausing over each post and picture to pray over the person or headline you see.

Choose a weekday to attend Mass, in person or Livestream, or join us for one of our Lenten programs listed below.  Make your Lenten goal today one that brings you closer to Jesus.  What will you choose?

Please consider donating non-perishable food items for our parish Lenten Food Drive today.  The food will support the Florida and Greenwood Lake food pantries.  Sadly, many families in our area need to rely on food pantries.  As you probably know, almsgiving is one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, according to the Catholic catechism.  This is a great way to share some of our countless blessings with those in need. 

Click HERE or on the photo to learn more about our Food Drive!

 

Lent is great time send anger and resentment packing!  Carve out time in your day to spend time in prayer to forgive and let go of any negative feelings or thoughts.  If there is someone you have a grudge with, write a note and ask for forgiveness or a chance to talk through the disagreement.  Dig deep and ask God for His help to heal your heart.  How will you use today to grow in friendship with our Lord? 

The 8th graders of our parish are being Confirmed into the faith this weekend. Choose 2 of our Confirmandi and pray for that young person's spiritual growth this Lent.
Holy Spirit, strengthen our St. Stephen Parish Confirmandi with your gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord, as a disciple of Christ. Fill them with the joy of your presence. Increase in them the fruit of your Spirit. Help them to experience and trust your dwelling within, so that they may count on your guidance today and every day. Show us the way to help one another become better disciples of Jesus Christ, sharing your love with our world and with each person we encounter.
Amen.

Enjoy the stillness of silence this morning. Try sitting quietly for a few moments; breathe in Jesus’ name and breathe out “I trust in You.” By doing this you are breathing in God’s mercy and breathing out anxiety and fear.

Consider a good habit to begin today, write it down, and leave it someplace where you can see it daily.  Some examples are to pray more, being more compassionate to others, add a daily devotional, or participate in a daily prayer service.  What will you do today to bring more focus to your relationship with Jesus during this time?

Empty yourself to God today. Abstain from second helpings, snacks between meals, and after dinner snacks. Pray for those who have less than enough.

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Be intentional in your interactions with others today. Open your heart and your mind. Be open to LISTENING not just hearing. Truly listen- recognize similarities, not differences. Everyone has a story and we can learn from one another.