Catholic Family Vignettes

Bread bakers: check out the video at Fast Food.

I've baked four loaves of this delicious bread...it is comparable to the delightful rustic bread one would purchase in an authentic Parisian boulangerie. Read more!

Well...I've had an afternoon of "feasting"...visiting a few "friends", dropping a line here and there (especially here!) I'm taking the rest of the week off, and will post again next Sunday, God willing and the flu doesn't catch me!

This year's Lenten devotions include a daily reading of Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich's The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. What heart-rending images these writings invoke. I'd like to share a passage that has particularly touched me, though I'd certainly recommend reading the entire chapter for the purpose of context. Only in eternity will I ever grasp fully the level of suffering our dear Lord so willingly undertook to redeem humanity, and more specifically, me.

You can find the entire work here. And the chapter that this paragraph is taken from here.

Have a blessed week!

When God had created the first Adam, he cast a deep sleep upon him, opened his side, and took one of his ribs, of which he made Eve, his wife and the mother of all the living. Then he brought her to Adam, who exclaimed: 'This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. . . . Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.' That was the marriage of which it is written: 'This is a great Sacrament, I speak in Christ and in the Church.' Jesus Christ, the second Adam, was pleased also to let sleep come upon him--the sleep of death on the cross, and he was also pleased to let his side be opened, in order that the second Eve, his virgin Spouse, the Church, the mother of all the living, might be formed from it, It was his will

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to give her the blood of redemption, the water of purification, and his spirit--the three which render testimony on earth--and to bestow upon her also the holy Sacraments, in order that she might be pure, holy, and undefiled; he was to be her head, and we were to be her members, under submission to the head, the bone of his bones, and the flesh of his flesh. In taking human nature, that he might suffer death for us, he had also left his Eternal Father, to cleave to his Spouse, the Church, and he became one flesh with her, by feeding her with the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar, in which he unites himself unceasingly with us. He has been pleased to remain on earth with his Church, until we shall all be united together by him within her fold, and he has said: 'The gates of hell shall never prevail against her.' To satisfy his unspeakable love for sinners, our Lord had become man and a brother of these same sinners, that so he might take upon himself the punishment due to all their crimes. He had contemplated with deep sorrow the greatness of this debt and the unspeakable sufferings by which it was to be acquitted. Yet he had most joyfully given himself up to the will of his Heavenly Father as a victim of expiation. Read more!

The past few days have been exhausting. One by one, the children are succumbing to this devilish illness. The little girls have remained feverish, with temperatures exceeding 103. They feel a bit better, then they feel worse. The boys are suffering as well, though their temperatures haven't been as high. Thank you, friends, for your continued prayers!

As we approach the holy season of Lent, I've decided to take a bit of a sabbatical from blogging. I'm preparing to renew my Consecration to Our Lady and feel called to limit my distractions as much as possible. Having devoted so much time of late to tending the sick has helped me to realize that I really need to shift my focus...

It's such an odd thing: I'm never so patient, so solicitous of the needs of my family as I am when they are sick. Why is that? They are the same dear children and I am their mother, yet I find myself annoyed by the constant interruptions and distractions that make up day to day life.

Except when they're sick.

They can interrupt me anytime. Even when I'm sleeping. I'm charmed by how happy they are when I serve them hot tea (when they didn't ask), sat down and read a book to them (when they didn't ask), and watched a young boy play a video game (and he didn't ask)...

Over the past few weeks, I've developed a nasty habit: I've been spending a lot of time filling requests, rather than genuinely serving. I enjoy serving, willingly, so much better. So I'm going try to be present. I'm going to try a little harder to give those little acts of kindness before they have to ask. And I'm quite sure, my patience will be tried more than once.

But I'm going to try...

I'll be thinking of all my dear friends, and will keep you in my prayers. Could you pray for me? Thanks...I knew you would! Read more!

Amazing! We are a mere thirty days from the start of the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday comes early this year, February 6th, to be precise. There's no time like the present to begin contemplating this season of sacrifice.

A great way to prepare for Lent is to start with a novena. The Novena may be recited nine days prior to Ash Wednesday (in true Novena form) or may be recited throughout the holy season. Here is an excellent Novena from Catholic Doors to start with:

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
During the Holy Season of Lent
You call us to a closer union with Yourself.
Help me to prepare to celebrate
The Paschal Mystery
With mind and heart renewed.
Give me a spirit of loving reverence
For You, our Father,
And of willing service to my neighbor.
As I recall the great events
That gave us new life in Christ,
Bring the image of Your Son
To perfection within my soul.

This great season of grace is Your gift
To Your family to renew us in spirit.
Give me strength to purify my heart,
To control my desires,
And so to serve You in freedom,
Teach me how to live
In this passing world with my heart set
On the world that will never end.

I ask for the grace
To master my sinfulness
And conquer my pride.
I want to show to those in need
Your goodness to me by being kind to all.

Through my observance of Lent,
Help me to correct my faults
And raise my mind to You,
And thus grow in holiness
That I may deserve
The reward of everlasting life.

In Your mercy grant me this special favor:

(State your intention(s) here...)

The days of the life-giving Death
And glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Your Son, are approaching.
This is the hour
When He triumphed over Satan’s pride,
The time when we celebrate
The great event of our Redemption.
The Suffering and Death of Your Son
Brought life to the whole world,
Moving our hearts to praise Your glory.

The power of the Cross reveals
Your judgment on this world
And the kingship of Christ crucified.
Father, through His love for us
And through His Sufferings, Death and Resurrection,
May I gain eternal life with You in heaven.

Another excellent preparation for the season is viewing (once again, I'm sure) The Passion of the Christ. Our youngest children have been allowed to view only the Agony in the Garden, but the rest of the family views the movie in its entirety prior to Ash Wednesday. It provides an excellent opportunity for all to contemplate the sacrifices we wish to make, both material and spiritual.

Involving the little ones takes a bit of creativity. A dear friend shared a tradition that I find intriguing. The Crown of Thorns

You'll need a styrofoam wreath form, brown paint and a couple boxes of toothpicks. Paint the wreath form. Insert toothpicks (thorns) randomly, but not too deeply. Your Crown of Thorns is complete! When the children are observed engaging in good behavior, kind and sacrificial acts, then they are allowed to "pull a thorn." "Thorns" may be placed in a jar beside the crown. The goal should be to remove all of the thorns by Good Friday.

Another suggestion is an empty bowl and bunch of small, paper crosses. As a sacrifice is made, the child places a "cross" in the bowl. The goal: fill the bowl by Good Friday.

Our family performs the Stations of the Cross at home. The fourteen "stations" are set up throughout the home, with the family "processing" to each station. This year, I've been thinking about setting up the stations along the path to the woods. It is generally very cold and windy here...I'll have to think about that one!

And then there's food. Which is how most to secular world knows that Lent is here. The lines at Long John Silver's are longer and your local grocery store will have prominent seafood displays. You'd think that Lent is the only time that Catholics are obligated to fast!

Nonetheless, fast and abstinence definitely play a large role in the mortification of the flesh. For a rules regarding fast and abstinence, read this.

I'll be posting a couple extra recipes per week under the "Fast Food" tab on my menu bar. Allowing the children to take turns choosing the "fast" meal, is another way to encourage involvement.

How will you prepare for Lent? What are your traditions? Spiritual exercises? How do your children approach "sacrifice"?

Wishing you a joyful pre-Lenten preparation!

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