Welcome Risen Jesus: Lent and Easter Reflections for Families Pamphlet – January 26, 2012

I bought this book hoping for something new, interesting and meaningful I could do with my children during Lent and this book gave me more than I could imagine. My kids are 6 and 3 and the concepts and activities in this book, while excellent for older children, are also excellent for us. (True, my 3 year old can't grasp all the concepts but he can benefit from reciting the prayer with us and learning to set aside some time for God each day.)There is a very brief scripture quote for each day. A child-friendly "think" point about the scripture that really brings it to an interesting and relevant level for kids. Next is an "Act", a simple, prayerful activity for a child to do. For example: "Put a cross in your pocket today. Whenever you touch it or feel it it there, say a prayer for a special adult in your life."Then there's a "fast" - an act of sacrifice for the day such as "put aside one of your favorite toys and do not play with it all day".Finally, each page concludes with a simple prayer.Although appropriate for children, it can also help adults who are struggling with Lent as well. The simple, practical ideas can be put into practice by people of all ages.This book is an excellent resource for Catholic families who want to grow in faith together. The appealing format and graphics of the book make it enjoyable for kids to use as well. I am so happy with this book. Will definitely be getting the author's Advent book as well.

We LOVE this book! This company also has an advent book that is absolutely beautiful. These books keep children very engaged with the liturgical calendar, and helps involve children! Lots of self reflection included for littles to ponder on, after reading a very descriptive, but child like, passage for the day. Absolutely perfect!

I loved the content of the book, but I think the quality could be better. It's more of a pamphlet quality than a book.

I bought this knowing it might be a little over the heads of my 1 and 3 year old. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they were able to pay attention to the daily bible verses and short reflections. We usually read it after breakfast, and it was a wonderful addition to our family's Lenten devotions.There are also Daily fast ideas for older children that we didn't use this year, but I hope to make good use of them in the years to come. The reflections are geared towards children, but I thought they were applicable to all ages.

It came bent, but the family devotions are interesting. I knew it would be a little too advanced for our kids for now, but I got it to check it out and will use it when my kids get bigger for sure! We are not Catholic, but can definitely still use this with our kids.

This is a wonderful book to use during lent. I am really looking forward to using this with my daughter. It has day to day explanations and things a child can give up.. It's truly an amazing book and perfect for catholic families. My daughter is really excited to use this. For the price you can't go wrong. Buy it you will not regret it!

I bought two of these to give as easter presents. I didn’t read closely enough about the author to realize it was a catholic publication. That in and of itself isn’t a problem if it had been a general study of the holy weeks leading up to and including the resurrection but it is uniquely written from the catholic perspective and if your family isn’t attending a Roman Catholic mass then you are at a loss. For instance the very first page outlines a specific liturgy. Many other denominations celebrate Ash Wednesday but not the verbatim liturgical catholic mass, and the author tells the reader what they can expect to hear said in response to a specific action.It’s a day by day devotional and the questions are meant for a family sit down and written for elementary + (beyond kindergarten). I’m an educator and am pretty good with taking curriculum and modifying it to work for what I am trying to accomplish. I’m sure there is good stuff I can use to teach but it’s not going to work at all for an easter present to a 3 year old (way too advance) or even a 10 year old who would like to read independently. I will have to find something else more appropriate for them to sit down with independently, because this sure isn’t it. I do wish amazon had put “catholic” in the synopsis and not solely in the bio.If you are looking for a good educational course for older elementary students, especially if you are catholic, then this will work for you and at $2 it would warrant 5 stars. I wouldn’t shy away from this product if you aren’t catholic because I feel anyone could pull good lessons out especially if you plan on teaching a prolonged course through holy weeks.

This and the Advent version are EXCELLENT materials for families. Our kids are 2, 5, and 7, and everyone in the family (except the 2 year old) gets something out of this. As an adult, I find these readings thought-provoking and inspiring. Don't delay - buy these for your family and enjoy for years to come.