Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: What Does Lent Mean?

Directions: Watch the video and fill in the blanks.

www.thereligionteacher.com/lent-meaning-video

The word lent is comes from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon word _______________. This

word was used to refer to the season of _______________ or the month of _______________.

We also get the English word ________________, because during this calendar season the

days get longer. But in other parts of the world, the word for Lent comes from the Latin

word _________________________, which refers to the forty days leading up to

________________ Sunday.

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

The Meaning of Lent

Direction: Answer each question and use the circle clues to answer the bonus question.

1. Lent comes from the Old English/Anglo-Saxon word lencten, from which we get the

English word __________.

2. How long does Lent last?

3. The Old English/Anglo-Saxon word lencten also refers to this season of the calendar

year in which Lent is always celebrated.

4. “Remember that you are __________, and to __________ you will return.”

5. In Latin the season of Lent is called _________________.

6. Although Lent lasts for forty days, this day of the week is not included because it is a

weekly celebration of the Resurrection of Christ.

7. During Lent we live out the three pillars of fasting, prayer, and ___________.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Bonus Question:

What short liturgical season falls between Lent and Easter and includes Holy Thursday,

Good Friday, and Holy Saturday?

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: The Number 40 in the Bible (and Lent) Directions: Replicate the image from the video in the boxes on the left and summarize

each story in the boxes on the right.

www.thereligionteacher.com/40daysvideo

Old Testament

Story Name:

Story Summary:

Story Name:

Story Summary:

Story Name:

Story Summary:

Story Name:

Story Summary:

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Story Name:

Story Summary:

New Testament

Story Name:

Story Summary:

Story Name:

Story Summary:

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

40 Days in the Bible Word Search

Directions: Find the answers to the clues on the next page in the word search below.

T E M P T E D I O N A T H A N B R E B W

T L U I N R U S W I W Q E I J O H N X E

U I S V O K S A E N A A W B C U C T I R

K J R C D Y S I R E E X A R X I A R K K

V A U Z E R C A C V R B L E N T E L R J

A H O J S L X H P E T O G A A P R O A V

E G P U E Q U A S H E S E D S H O R E B

Y A L N R P A M O S A P L E D O P A L T

J Q J M T I S O A V S U I R T L U R A J

A W K M E U T S Y E B J S C O Y F G S E

S I N O A H Y U J O N A H I P S I R D R

H P O S F O O M E T O Q A M N P L W L E

E Y A E T S P N S I A F R I E I E A H M

S U D S Y E N B U P C P F C W R R N K I

R J V B N A V X S A X K I A A I E D M A

J O E L B Y A I D R Z F U H X T H E L H

U B F H Z T I D E V I L B U T H T R O Y

X T U T C R N M O W A O X Y Y I C V I R

S A C K C L O T H U E O Z P H W Y C Y U

Z C B V M I O P E S V D A N I E L Z R M

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Directions: Fill in the blanks below.

1. __________ gathered two of every animal at the command of God.

2. Noah built an __________ to protect himself and his family from the great __________

that lasted for forty days and forty nights.

3. _______________ spent forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai receiving the stone

tablets containing the commandments.

4. As punishment for their lack of faith, God sentenced the people of _______________ to

________________ in the _______________ for forty years.

5. The prophet _______________ had a forty day journey to escape to Mount __________

where he encountered God in a whispering wind.

6. The prophet ________________ travelled to the city of _______________ in the belly of a

whale. When he shared a warning from God to repent the people of that city, they

wore _____________________, the king sat in _______________, and they all fasted for forty

days.

7. Jesus was led by the _________________ into the desert to fast for forty days and forty

nights. At the end of that time he was _________________ by the _______________ who

challenged him three times. In response to one challenge, Jesus responded quoting

Scripture, “One does not live by ___________ alone, but by every word that comes

forth from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Bonus:

List the names of the prophets hidden in the word search that are not in numbers 1-7

above.

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

The 40 Days of Lent

Directions: Make a list of forty actions you can take during the forty days of preparation

for Easter. In groups or alone, brainstorm ideas for living out a spirit of prayer, fasting,

and almsgiving.

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________

8. _____________________________

9. _____________________________

10. _____________________________

11. _____________________________

12. _____________________________

13. _____________________________

14. _____________________________

15. _____________________________

16. _____________________________

17. _____________________________

18. _____________________________

19. _____________________________

20. _____________________________

21. _____________________________

22. _____________________________

23. _____________________________

24. _____________________________

25. _____________________________

26. _____________________________

27. _____________________________

28. _____________________________

29. _____________________________

30. _____________________________

31. _____________________________

32. _____________________________

33. _____________________________

34. _____________________________

35. _____________________________

36. _____________________________

37. _____________________________

38. _____________________________

39. _____________________________

40. _____________________________

Bonus Activity:

Print out a calendar of the months of Lent. Take this list and put each action in a day on

the calendar. Keep that calendar with you and make sure you remember to live out your

Lenten commitment.

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: A Brief History of Lent

Directions: Fill in the blanks in the charts below.

www.thereligionteacher.com/lenthistoryvideo

The Focus on Baptism and Reconciliation in the Early Church

Fasting and the History of the Church

Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325 Middles Ages Today

Fasting until evening for all

forty days of Lent.

Fasting until the noontime

prayer for all forty days of

Lent.

Fasting only on

_________________________ and

__________________________, and

no meat on ________________.

_______________

Order of

Penitents

Sacrament of

Baptism

Sacrament of

_____________

LENT EASTER RCIA stands for:

R________

of

C____________

I_____________

of

A_____________

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

The Order of the Penitents

Directions: Read the brief summary of the group of people called the “Order of the

Penitents” and answer the questions below.

In the early Church, the Sacrament of Penance

(often called “Confession” today) was very

different. Instead of confessing sins in private

to a priest, a person who had committed

serious sins would confess his or her sins to the

bishop who would give a penance to be

carried out, usually during Lent. Their penances

were a set of actions that could include fasting,

manual labor for the Church, pilgrimages, and

caring for the poor or ill.

While the penitents worked through their penances, they were usually distinguished

from the rest of the Church community by wearing special clothes, sitting in special

places during mass, and by being dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word. At the

beginning of Lent, they wore ashes as a sign of their repentance—a practice that all

Catholics take part in today.

1. How did the Order of the Penitents differ from the way we celebrate the Sacrament

of Penance today?

2. How were the penitents distinguished from the rest of the Church community?

3. What did the penitents wear at the beginning of Lent as a sign of repentance?

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: The Meaning of Ash Wednesday

Directions: Watch the video and fill in the blanks.

www.thereligionteacher.com/ashwednesdayvideo

Even though so many Catholics go to Mass on Ash Wednesday, it is not a Holy Day of

____________________. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the forty day period leading

up to _______________, but if you were to actually count them you would find that there

are actually _____ days during the season of Lent. This is because we don’t count

_______________ as a part of the forty days of Lent. This day, the Lord’s Day, is a

celebration of the Resurrection and new life and therefore not a day for fasting.

Why do we wear ashes on Ash Wednesday? When we receive the ashes we hear

“Remember that you are __________, and to __________ you shall return.” This is to help us

recognize that all we have is a __________ from God.

Ashes were a sign of ____________________ in the Old Testament. In the early Church, the

Order of _______________ wore ashes as a sign of their penance. In a similar way, John the

_______________ called for repentance and baptism in preparation for the Kingdom of

God. This is why we may also hear the words “Turn away from __________ and be faithful

to the Gospel” when we receive the ashes on our foreheads.

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

From Ash Wednesday to Easter

Directions: In the space below, write the name of the thing(s) you intend to give up (or

add) as your Lenten commitment this year. Post this paper somewhere important as a

reminder of this commitment.

Why are you giving this up (or adding this) for Lent this year?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What will be the biggest challenges to living out this commitment?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

How will you overcome these challenges?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

My Lenten Commitment

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving: The Three Pillars of Lent

Directions: Fill in this mind map as you watch the video. After taking notes, write down

some actions you will take during Lent to live out each pillar.

www.thereligionteacher.com/pillarsoflentvideo

Three

Pillars of Lent

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Motivated by Fasting

Directions: There are two important reasons for fasting: 1) to recognize that all that we

have is a gift from God and 2) to build up self-control and resistance to temptation.

Create a poster in the space below that would motivate you to resist temptation in the

future. In the poster you might include the success you have had living out fasting

during the season of Lent.

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Scheduling Prayer

Directions: In the hour slots below, write down a typical week’s schedule. Then, add a

time to pray during each day of the week.

Time Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

6:00

7:00

8:00

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

1:00

2:00

3:00

4:00

5:00

6:00

7:00

8:00

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

What prayers will you pray during these times?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Giving Alms in Your Community

Directions: Do some research on the charities in your area. Use a search engine to find

and research three charities with offices in or near your city.

Charity What do they do?

1.

2.

3.

Directions: Choose to give money to one of the charities you have researched. Ask your

parents, teachers, catechists and others what they know about the charities. Choose the

one you feel the best about donating your money. Make a commitment to donate a set

amount of money by the end of the season of Lent.

I promise to give $_________ to _____________________ by ________________.

I will save this money by

1.

2.

3.

4.

Bonus Activity: Write a letter to the charity thanking them for the service that they

provide. Write why you have decided to donate your money to their cause during this

season of Lent.

Bonus Activity: Call the organization and set up an appointment to visit the charity with

your parent and give them the letter with your donation.

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

Directions: Fill in the graphic organizer below based on the notes in the video.

www.thereligionteacher.com/sacramentofpenancevideo

1. CCC, 1451-1454

2. CCC, 1455-1458

3. CCC, 1459

4. CCC, 1460

Reconciliation with

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Penance and the Prodigal Son

Directions: Define each of the following words:

Contrition:

Confession:

Absolution:

Reconciliation:

Penance:

Directions: Label each of the following parts of the parable of the Prodigal Son with one

of the words above.

The father gives both sons their shares of

his estate, but the younger son leaves

and squanders his inheritance. (Lk 15:12-

13)

Sin

The son realizes he has sinned against

his father decides to return home and tell

his father to treat him as a servant. (Lk

15:17-19)

His father sees his son returning home

and runs to greet him. (Lk 15:20)

The son apologizes for his sins. (Lk 15:21)

The father orders that his son be given

new clothes and that there is to be a

party to be thrown in celebration of his

return. (Lk 15:22-24)

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Video: Stations of the Cross Directions: Fill in the blanks below.

www.thereligionteacher.com/stationsvideo

The Stations of the Cross is also called:

____________________

____________________

____________________

The Stations of the Cross originated out of a desire to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem

for people who were unable to do so in their lifetime.

What is a pilgrimage?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the fourteen Stations of the Cross?

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. ___________________________________

4. ___________________________________

5. ___________________________________

6. ___________________________________

7. ___________________________________

8. ___________________________________

9. ___________________________________

10. ___________________________________

11. ___________________________________

12. ___________________________________

13. ___________________________________

14. ___________________________________

Name ___________________________________________________ Date _____________________________

©The Religion Teacher

Stations of the Cross Word Search

J E R U I C

E L A M C R

G I M N V U

A F O C C C

R D T E O I

M A H W N F

E Q E Q D I

Y I B I P N C R A E E B S D E S

U U V U E T O E S M D N P B S A

O T C R O S S D I N V M P D D G

N R A G S G I C V E R O N I C A

T O M B C Y M U O D C N O E C P

A E E C B U O O S B X L I S I O

N N P E O J

V E K C D E

C M I O Y R

F N M N H U

I P S D Y S

R O X B U A

S T T E I L

T H I R D E

F R Y X N M

V S J S C P

D E A T H Y

I E V A A T

E W B K W F

S A N M E R

1. Jesus is Condemned to ___________

2. Jesus Takes up the _______________

3. Jesus Falls the _______________

Time

4. Jesus Meets His _______________

5. _______________ of Cyrene Helps

Jesus Carry the Cross

6. Jesus’ Face is Wiped by

_______________

7. Jesus Falls a _______________ Time

8. Jesus Meets the Women of

_______________

9. Jesus Falls a _______________ Time

10. Jesus is Stripped of his

_______________

11. Jesus is _______________

12. Jesus _______________ on the Cross

13. Jesus’ _______________ is Taken

Down from the Cross

14. Jesus is Laid in the ______________