One of my favorite hobbies is looking for easy and inexpensive ways to bring the liturgical season into the home ie. The Domestic Church. I spend time doing it because I really enjoy creating a meaningful environment with visual reminders of the beautiful Catholic faith that I love so much! I find grace in a little sacred space...
Last year, I wrote a post about peeking into our Lenten purple world. We kept much of it the same but this year, I added a few more symbols (like sackcloth) to our home.
When thinking about Lent, some easy ways to decorate in the home might be to use the following items:
Grapevine wreaths and nails to symbolize Christ's crown of thorns and His death for us.
(I found these smaller size wreaths at Hobby Lobby for $1.99)
Burlap (Sackcloth) to symbolize repentance and sacrifice. There are many biblical references back to early Christians using sackcloth in this manner. I am so excited about this new addition at our house! The ideas are endless and it's very inexpensive.
(Hobby Lobby)
I had fun draping this around and also have some other fun plans to come:)
Here is our updated entryway with sackcloth...
(This was actually a free burlap feed sack from a local animal feed store)
The color violet (purple) to symbolize penance and sacrifice.
Candles to symbolize Christ's light...No darkness can distinguish.
(This was a very inexpensive craft from the past)
Rocks to symbolize the terrain of Calvary and the tomb as we reflect on the Passion of Christ.
Sand to symbolize Christ going into the desert, prior to the Passion events. It may also represent our own Lenten journey into the desert.
As I mentioned, I really liked adding the burlap/sackcloth decor to our home this year and talking to the children about it. Today's reading about Jonah in Nineveh added great teaching material...literally:)
"When the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth."~Jonah 3:1-10~
(This burlap sackcloth {above} was on sale in the Easter section of Hobby Lobby) It comes in a roll and is very easy to work with, as is the regular burlap I mentioned in the beginning of this post.
+I used it here on our Dining Room Table+
These inexpensive supplies came in handy to decorate Lenten candles...These would also make nice gifts.
Just a little hot glue is all it took to adorn this violet candle with sackcloth accents, circled by a mini grape vine wreath/crown of thorns.
Another sackcloth display idea...
And another idea would be placing a twig Cross in the middle of a grapevine wreath...
We made a few twig crosses and tied them with violet ribbon... "Free" decor, courtesy of the great outdoors:)
We, like many families, use sacrifice beans to fill up an empty jar in hopes that Easter brings sweet Alleluia (jelly) beans:)
That's about it for now...
My hope is that some of these ideas will help you find a little grace in your sacred space.
+Lenten Blessings!+
