Today. Just Today.

I took the Facebook and Twitter apps off my phone last week. The noise had become unbearable. Now, I check in on my laptop, timer ticking, in the morning and in the evening. I'm amazed at the difference in my distraction level. Clearly, I was checking in and engaging way more often than I recognized. It's good to look up more, instead of down at that screen.

Yesterday afternoon, I planned to settle into my booth and write while Sarah and Karoline were at ballet. Alas, there was no charge on my compuer and I'd neglected to pack a charger. So, I took a walk instead. 

With me, I carried the the very real and very large medical sadness  of Lynn, of  Elizabeth DeHority and of another dear and very close woman. It's ironic; after the election I heard a pundit from the "losing side" reflect that at least he didn't get up in the morning and discover a lump. His world would go on and unless there was that crisis, nothing else was a crisis.

But what if there were that crisis? Three people I love are living that crisis. Well, lots more people than that are living that crisis, but these three are in my constant thoughts. And in my mind, I live that crisis, too. With my what-ifs and my very overactive imagination.

I set off on my walk down a familiar path, listening to and praying along with the familiar voices at Divine Office. As the hymn played, my mind wandered. Initially, I lamented the fact that fall was slipping away. Soon, these trees would be stripped bare. I kicked myself for neglecting to get the beeswax and gather the leaves to dip before the hurricane, for failing to capture autumn in its glory. I brought myself back into the prayer.

The Holy Spirit nudged me to capture the day, the very moment for the gloriousness it was, right now. I looked up. I noticed. How absolutely perfect was just this day, just this fading afternoon! What if I could do that with every moment of my life? What if I could stay --constant prayer supporting me-- in the very moment I was living? No lamentations about what could have been, no gripping fears about what lies ahead, just profound and startling awareness and gratitude for what is right now?

 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34

"I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11

The Year of Faith

On October 11, 2012 the Catholic Church officially begins its celebration of the Year of Faith. To celebrate the occasions of the 50^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20^th anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI leads the faithful in a three-fold mission for the next year. (If you haven’t begun at all, no worries; it’s actually a little more than a year.) Especially this year, we are called to know the Christian faith, to live the faith with every breath, and to generously share the faith. Let’s begin with some ideas for getting to know the faith a  little (or a lot) better.

As the year begins, take some time to make a plan. Be intentional about soaking up the graces that come with an entire year focused on faith. Seize the opportunity to really do this thing. As a family, how will you grow in your knowledge of the faith?  Begin with a Bible for everyone. My preferred adult Bible is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. It’s just the New Testament for now, but I know I will fill in with lots of Old Testament study praying the Liturgy of the Hours. For teens, Amy Welborn has the wonderful Prove It! Catholic Teen Bible. For children, My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories is absolutely perfect for the Year of Faith. There are Bible stories, Catechism lessons, and notes on devotions, all woven into an engaging book with charming illustrations. Finally, I encourage you to commit to setting aside some time every week for Family Night. Jeff and Emily Cavins have a valuable online resource for a weekly family Bible study that will bring the Mass readings of the week to life and bring the family together. 

What better way to celebrate the anniversary of the Catechism than to read the Catechism? It seems a daunting task to tackle on one’s own. The folks at Flocknote have made it simpler and less lonely. Every morning, they will send you an email with just a bit of the Catechism to read that day. You can stop there, or you can click a little further and join an online discussion about the topic at hand. It’s all free and it couldn’t be much simpler to get going and take part in a movement that was already 27,000 strong the day before the Year of Faith began.

If you are up for a full-fledged course that you can access from the comfort of your couch, check out the free Pillars of Catholicism online course offered by John Paul the Great University. If you’d prefer not to use an online resource, you might enjoy watching the ten part Catholicism DVD series from Word on Fire. 

For those who would rather hold a book-based resource, Fr. Mitch Pacwa has written The Year of Faith: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics. Designed to use in a group or alone, this book seeks to foster conversion, growth in faith, and friendship with Jesus. Fr. Pacwa aims to show us how to integrate every component of life into a meaningful, faith-filled whole. One of our family’s most trusted resources also lends itself to a daily study. Alone or as a family, you can work your way through the excellent Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft, just a little at a time, every day with breakfast. 

Many will recognize a beloved resource in Magnificat. For the Year of Faith, Magnificat has published a comprehensive, page-a-day booklet designed to strengthen the life of faith. Each day features one of eight cornerstones of the Catholic Faith: faith profiles, the Word of God, Catechism, devotions, essays, meditations, prayers, and poems.  Finally, as the year progresses, I encourage you to check in at Patheos online. There is a dedicated year of  Faith portal which will be curated all year long, ensuring that we will never be in need of food for thought and prayer.

Preparing for the Feast of St. Therese

~repost, because that's what we can do with traditions.

If you've ever been to my house, chances are excellent to 100% that you have seen one of these prayer cards laying around. I ordered them in bulk when Karoline Rose was born to include in her birth announcements. And I've ordered more every year since. The rose novena is most definitely how we begin to prepare for the feast of this saint, who is so, so dear to our family. Karoline's name, of course is a tribute to St. Therese's promise to shower roses upon the earth and Karoline tells everyone she knows that she is, indeed, a rose sent from heaven. Katie was baptized Kirsten Therese, so she, too, is named for St. Therese. And there is lots of evidence of her presence on this blog because there is lots of evidence of her presence in our lives as a family.

We will go to Mass, of course, to celebrate with the Universal Church. There will be roses. Michael is Katie's godfather and buys her miniature roses ("Little Flowers") on this day--just as long as I remind him;-). For this year, the girls are all abuzz about this pan, I purchased last summer. So, a rose-shaped cake. But I'm still not sure what the recipe will be. Any suggestions would be most welcomed in my inbox. Extra points if you have a grain freen recipe that works in a pan like this. It's a season for miracles, no?

One of Trish's candles (in that amazing St. Therese rose scent) will be lit before the icon. Mary Beth took Therese as her confirmation name and Patrick's godmother blessed her with this beautiful image.

 

I have learned over time that this is one feast I do not overplan, despite the fact that it is huge day in our family. St. Therese has a history of showering us with her love in most unexpected ways.

The novena begins September 23, to prepare for the October 1st feast.

*September 23 is the feast of our favorite Capuchin, St. Padre Pio. In our house, that means cappucino all around:-)

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-fulled people pray for one another.

Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.

How about this idea? What if I pop in here every weekend, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?

{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.}

My heart is with the family of Don Perry, spokesman for Chick-Fil-A, who died unexpectedly this week. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for the comfort and consolation of his family.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gospel 

John 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes
and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip,
"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.'"
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?"
Jesus said, "Have the people recline."
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
"Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted."
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Think

"The sense of futility is one of the greatest evils of the day...People say, "What can one person do? What is the sense of our small effort?" They cannot see that we can only lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the one action of the present moment. But we can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform all our individual actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes."

~Servant of God Dorothy Day

Act

What is it in you life about which you feel that sense of futility? Is it serving your family by conquering that mound of laundry? Is it opening your home more often in the spirit of hospitality? Is it stretching yourself to go into the corners of despair that aren't really very far from your home? Ask God to give you the strength and grace to begin with the first brick.

Pray

Lord, you give us all five barley loaves and two fish. Please help me to recognize them in my life, to prayerfully offer them back to you, and to be the instrument of your miracles.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-fulled people pray for one another.

Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.

How about this idea? What if I pop in here every weekend, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?

{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.}

Gospel

 Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
"This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come."

He said,
"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Think

I have a mustard seed and I'm not afraid to use it. ~Pope Benedict XVI

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Pray

Dear Lord,

Help me to better love my husband and the father of my children. Let me listen to him genuinely and with love, always offering to him the disposition of firm belief in his best intentions. Let me see him as You do and inspire in him all the confidence to become the man you created him to be.  Let my hands be busy making his home a place of comfort and peace. Remind me to speak often of my gratitude for him and for the hard work he does for our family. Help me to be generous and genuine with heartfelt affection. Let me sincerely offer to him the best of who I am. And, Jesus, help us both to wholeheartedly offer that best to our children.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Act

Take a few moments to put to paper a gratitude list. List all those things about your husband for which you are grateful. First, offer the list to prayer. Genuinely thank God for the gift of your good man. Then, in private, speak every one of those words aloud to him.