Sunday, February 28, 2010

Lenten Activities: Stations of the Cross


Of all the Catholic memories I have from growing up in the Church, Lenten activities remain the strongest. I, especially, remember attending the Stations of the Cross in the evenings. I remember,  back in the 1960's, that not many attended.  Not as many as there are at Mass, for sure.  The reason I remember that is because it would be quiet. It was a quiet prayer time. The pews would creak as people would genuflect at the appropriate time. The Church too, would always have a special feel about it.  It was dark outside giving the stained glass windows a special look about them. Without the light shining in the images on the windows seemed so much more real. The pictures in the prayer book were very sad. They showed the sufferings of Jesus and his mother and the look of Simon of Cyrene being asked to help carry the cross. I can still see the sadness on Jesus's face when he met the women of Jerusalem. There was the smell of the incense that can't be forgotten either. The prayer before each station the Priest would pray, "We adore Thee, O Christ, and bless Thee," and we would respond with, "because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world."
The evening would end with the singing of,  "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name."  It is still the same today, the same holy feeling,  the same prayers and music,the same awesome God who doesn't change. I even purchased some of the prayer books to have in our homeschool.
I always knew Lent was a time before Easter when we remembered the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus, but it wasn't until recently that I researched the history of Lent and came to understand what it meant.
The word Lent actually means "spring" or March, which is the month most of Lent falls in.
Lent is a season of about 40 days set aside by the Church in order for the faithful Christians to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. It is a time when Christians prepare for Easter by a recalling of their Baptism and Baptismal promises and by doing works of penance, that is, prayer, fasting and giving of alms.
This time coincides so well with spring, calling to mind new life and growth, a hope and change that we should be about during this beautiful season.  It is a time when days become longer and the sun seems to shine more.  By the time Easter is here there will be flowers blooming and some green showing.  It is a time to start fresh. A time to remember what Jesus did for us and a time for us to show our love for Jesus by doing for others because as our Lord said,  "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."  Maybe the word "Lent" is not mentioned in the Bible, but prayer, fasting and almsgiving definately are.  It is awesome for me to think that because Jesus left us the Church we can all be one, participating in this seeking of the Lord at the same time.  There are many websites that talk about the history of Lent and it's importance. One place to seek out information is EWTN.  Their library has a very long article on the history of Lent and tells that many of the early Church fathers assure us that Lent was instituted by the apostles.  http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/histlent.txt
At this point on the Liturgical calendar, and I love the Liturgical calendar because it causes us to yearly stay focused on the life of Jesus, we draw closer to the Lord by remembering His passion, death and resurrection.
I hope and pray all of you are able to draw yourself and your family closer to the Lord during this Lenten season, also.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Home Organization

I love taking care of my home. There is something great about the feeling you get when making things comfy and clean for your family. I don't always get my house as clean as I would like. It is hard when there are several people living in one home. Every one needs to pitch in and help do their share.  My pots and pans are not all shiny. I just recently found out that S.O.S. Cleaning Pads stands for "save our saucepans".  I think it is too late for some of mine.
I don't have a written out schedule I follow but I have found I do most things on a routine which is pretty much the same thing.  I clean the house on the days that work the best for what is happening that week, that usually ends up Monday or Tuesday which is what I prefer. If there are reasons I will switch cleaning that week to a better day and then return to my routine the next week, but I feel cleaning needs to be done once a week and it is best to keep it on the same days. Dust buildup causes sneezes and painful sinuses. Our cat, Johanne Sebastion Tiger, leaves fur here and there, so need I say more.
Laundry is something that must be done every day because there is something usually in the wash that someone needs. Waiting until a particular day doesn't help here. 
One of the things that helps to keep the home running smooth is having a binder full of important checklists and papers. Some items in mine are:  work schedules, phone numbers, computer passwords (nothing is worse than forgetting a password to a particular website), childhood vaccine schedules,  school testing score sheets, other medical papers, vacation and traveling checklists, holiday schedules, insurance papers and more.
The home isn't always kept perfect but I like coming up with new ways to organize and improve. My next goal is to set up a routine for cleaning out the refrigerator. Now there is a job that needs tackling.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

School or homeschool?

Well, my son is reaching high school age and next year may attend a Catholic school. I wonder if this is what my life will be like?

Dear Lord help us to educate our family for your glory.

"Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. For it devolves on parents to create a family atmosphere so animated with love and reverence for God and others that a well-rounded personal and social development will be fostered among children. Hence, the family is the first school of those social virtues which every society needs."--Gravissimum Educationis (one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council)

Helping and Loving Our Neighbor

Corporal works of Mercy
Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Clothe the naked

Shelter the homeless

Visit the sick

Visit the imprisoned

Bury the dead



The Spiritual Works of Mercy
Admonish the sinner

Instruct the ignorant

Counsel the doubtful

Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently

Forgive all injuries

Pray for the living and the dead


Good Samaritain