Feast of the Holy Family

"The best and surest way to learn the love of Jesus is through the family." ~ Mother Teresa

Today is a wonderful day to celebrate the family in our own homes. As a family, read:

Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

What would our world be like if all families clothed themselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience? I will make this quote my copywork for the week and post it on the fridge as a reminder. In the past, we've had a 'special' plate in our family. At dinner time, the rest of the family would say something nice about whomever had the 'special' plate. In honor of the Holy Family, I think I may resurrect that tradition this evening.

Shared meals are so vital but as children grow and spread their wings they seem harder to come by. Personally, I need to make a bigger effort to assure that we eat meals together as often as possible. During the Christmas season, the table is adorned with a lovely centerpiece and white candles in glass holders. There seems to be something magical about eating dinner in the candlelight.

May the peace of the Good Shepherd reign in your hearts and in your families this holy season ~

Beate

"The family is the basic cell of society. It is the cradle of life and love, the place in which the individual ‘is born’ and ‘grows.’" ~ JPII

Pope Francis' Urbi et Orbi..

Here is a bit of the Pope's message "to the city and the world" for Christmas 2013:

"Lord of life, protect all who are persecuted for your name. Grant hope and consolation to the displaced and refugees, especially in the Horn of Africa and in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Grant that migrants in search of a dignified life may find acceptance and assistance. May tragedies like those we have witnessed this year, with so many deaths at Lampedusa, never occur again!

Child of Bethlehem, touch the hearts of all those engaged in human trafficking, that they may realize the gravity of this crime against humanity. Look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers.

Lord of heaven and earth, look upon our planet, frequently exploited by human greed and rapacity. Help and protect all the victims of natural disasters, especially the beloved people of the Philippines, gravely affected by the recent typhoon.

Dear brothers and sisters, today, in this world, in this humanity, is born the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. Let us pause before the Child of Bethlehem. Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us not fear this. Let us not fear that our hearts be moved. We need this!.....God is full of love: to him be praise and glory forever! God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by God’s goodness."

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

In our home, that meant it was time to go buy a Christmas tree ;-) It is in the house and has joined us in waiting. Generally, the decorations are put on Christmas Eve, although some years the evening of the last Sunday of Advent seems perfect.

Isn't it wonderful that Momma Church tells us the story of the very first Christmas on this, the last Sunday, just to make sure we are properly anticipating the birth of our Lord? At the parish where we attended Mass this evening, the priest reminded us that while we view everything which transpired as extraordinary, the reality at the time was rather ordinary. A young couple travelling for the census, the fact that there was no room at the inn, and people staying with animals - all normal for that time. His point was to look for God in the ordinary moments of our lives. Rather apt for a blog on living life in the Domestic Church :-)

I love keeping Advent - that joyful anticipation of something that we haven't experienced but know with certainty will arrive! God always keeps His promises. Christ will come and it will be beautiful. Today the boxes of Christmas decorations came down from the attic. Tomorrow evening stockings and garland will replace the purple candles and plain green sprigs on the mantel.  Yes, it is yet another way we are counter cultural yet what a lovely, quiet and reflective time this season can be if we just allow it to unfurl in its own time.

Mary and Joseph are approaching the Creche, the shepherds are in the fields, and a young woman is feeding her flock of chickens. The sky is filling up nicely, don't you think?

May the peace of the Good Shepherd be with you ~
Beate

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;"

Gaudete Sunday

Part of Pope Francis' Angelus message on Gaudete Sunday:

"The Church is the house of joy! And those who are sad find true joy in her....But the joy of the Gospel, however, is not just any joy, it is motivated by the knowledge that we are wanted and loved by God …"

Wow - no matter how small and little we may be, God has made us worthy of His love! This must surely fill us with joy, a complete unadulterated joy that fills us to the brim! If we live this joy within our families, what a wonderful witness we will give. I will try to remember that as Advent winds to a close and Christmas approaches. In my home, that tends to coorelate with stress :-( The Advent candles are growing shorter and Mary's sky is filling with stars but there is so much to do! We were to start the O'Antiphons two days ago!! 

Tonight we will focus on the one for today... One step and one day at a time we will pray for another as we try our best to live life in the Domestic Church!

May the peace of the Good Shepherd be with you all ~

Beate

The O'Antiphons:

December 17

O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18

O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!

December 19

O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!

December 20

O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!

December 21

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.

December 22

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

December 23

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!

For more info and to see the symbols click here

Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Some of us started our day with Holy Mass, where Father shared the history of this devotion with the congregation. At my former parish, they will have a feast this evening complete with a Mariachi band! We will have our favorite Tex Mex for dinner and culminate our evening with some Mexican hot chocolate - Yum!

In 1531, there was a major faith crisis in Europe but because of Juan Diego's humble faith millions of native people converted to Catholicism in the Americas!

A brief history of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the Queen of the Americas Guild.

Science Sees What Mary Saw From Juan Diego's Tilma - this is from an article that ran in Zenit and surprised me :-) I always read that it was Juan Diego displayed in the Tilma, not what Mary would have seen when the Tilma was being unfurled in the Bishop's quarters.

God of power and mercy,
you blessed the Americas at Tepeyacwith the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   ~  Amen.

Meanwhile back at St. Thomas, sharing laughter and fellowship while rolling tamales, a very appropriate activity for this feast day :-)

Second Week of Advent

How is Advent going in your homes? We've been on the road, so it has been a case of Advent interupted ;-) Saint Nicolas did make an appearance in Henderson Nevada on Friday night - we are a bit worried that he may have tripped over some bushes in unfamiliar territory!


We attended Holy Mass at a lovely parish where the priest reminded us to take a moment to place ourselves in the presence of God. I thought of Msgr. Doerfler, who always prefaced the Holy Mass with those words. It was only later that I found out he passed away that very morning. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him . May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

As I listened to the first reading (Isaiah 11:1-10), I thought it would be helpful to set the scene. Prior to the shoot springing from the stump of Jesse, there is massive, loud destruction. We talked about that later in the day, how our world often seems like the world in Isaiah's day and how easy it is to miss the beauty God places in our path along the way. So we played in the snow and appreciated the wonder of it all.

Week 2 Advent Wreath Prayer:

Let us pray:

O Lord, stir up our hearts that we may prepare for your only begotten Son, that through His coming, we may be made worthy to serve you with pure souls. Through the Same Christ our Lord. Amen.

If any of you are doing the Jesse Tree, please comment and let me know how it's going!

I'll close with a quote I found last week that really spoke to me and gave me joy, I pray it touches you as well!

In the peace of the Good Shepherd,
Beate


"The one true God, ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,’ is not a God who is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our history, but he is the-God-who-comes. He is a Father who never stops thinking of us and, in the extreme respect of our freedom, desires to meet us and visit us; he wants to come, to dwell among us, to stay with us. His ‘coming’ is motivated by the desire to free us from evil and death, from all that prevents our true happiness. God comes to save us." ~ Papa Ben 12/06

The First Sunday in Advent

Happy New Year!

As we begin our Church year, we are reminded to prepare the way of the Lord. The season of Advent is a time for joyful anticipation - we await the birth of our Savior just as the prophets of old, we also await the coming of Christ at Parousia, and at the same time await the coming of Christ into our daily lives through participation in the Eucharist and through our acts of charity.

It is a good time to reflect on how Christ centered our lives are - do we turn to Him first? What needs to change, what can we add, what could we improve? By the end of the long period of ordinary time, I tend to be just coasting along, so Advent reminds me to turn off the cruise control and think about where I am and where we are as a family ;-)

As a mother, my heart often aches for my children. I pray that I sufficiently prepare them to weather the storms of life and ultimately must face the realization that people have free will which seriously impedes my control! Advent is a time of hope - like the prophets I can live with the assurance that God's plan is good and all will be well.

The photo shows our Advent wreath on the prayer area (with pumpkins still in the background.) I've pulled out a book of Advent reflections from JPII for myself and the older teens. Tonight we'll bless the wreath using the prayer found at the USCCB's site.  Their Advent calendar has click-able text for each day, offering suggestions and activities. We plan on lighting the wreath at dinner each evening that we are home and praying the "stir up" prayer for the week. Another site we've used in the past is The Advent Workshop. We've gone there primarily for the Jesse tree activity and the O'Antiphons. I've literally spent hours at Praying Advent, which has some nice reflections for adults. I like the One Prayer a Day page.

This year we won't do the Jesse tree as we will spend an entire week away from home at the beginning of Advent. I've tried catching up before and it rather took away from the meditative spirit of things ;-) However, delving into the Old Testament stories for the genealogy of Christ is definitely worth it if you have the time.

Instead, we are resurrecting "Mary's Star Walk." Each day of Advent Mary and Joseph will move a bit closer to Bethlehem and another star is added to the sky. As the time draws closer we also add a bit more scenery. Eventually they will see the stable in the distance. It's a lovely and simple way to count the days until Christmas.

I think this idea was inspired by a Waldorf type book, but I'll have to look for the title some other time.

Even though I've shared many links, it's important to remember to keep things simple and doable! In the past I've tried to implement every activity that happened to catch my eye and in the end none of them received the attentions they deserved!

May the peace of the Good Shepherd be with you and your family ~

Beate

 "Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope." ~ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger 1986

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

After the work of making homemade sugar cookies and fighting for candy with two three year olds, I was told that the Lolly Pop cake is better ;-) It certainly is less work! However, we had fun making the crown cake for the crew at home and crown cookies for the children in Level 3.

I have to say, it seems that the Year of Faith just started last week, so it's hard to believe it is drawing to a close!! I am not really ready to close that door just yet! Here is a snippet of Pope Francis' homily to mark the occasion: Be sure to pop on over to the Vatican

HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS

Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 24 November 2013

Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith opened by Pope Benedict XVI, to whom our thoughts now turn with affection and gratitude for this gift which he has given us. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long.

Be sure to pop on over to the Vatican to read this short homily in its entirety :-) The Holy Father reminds us that not only is Christ the center of the history of humanity, but also the center of our individual history. These words reminded me of our Level 3 Plan of God work...

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Feast everyone!

~ Beate


"O Jesus, come back into our society, our family life, our souls and reign there as our peaceful Sovereign. Enlighten with the splendor of faith and the charity of Your tender heart the souls of those who work for the good of the people, for Your poor. Impart to them Your own spirit, a spirit of discipline, order and gentleness, preserving the flame of enthusiasm ever alight in their hearts... May that day come very soon, when we shall see You restored to the center of civic life, borne on the shoulders of Your joyful people."- Pope John XXIII

The Feast of Christ the King...

..is this Sunday! In the past we've celebrated by making a Bundt cake and decorating it with crushed Jolly Rancher candies. This year, I found a cute idea for a Cookie Crown Cake which I think we will adapt and try. If it turns out, I'll post a picture ;-)

This week we will spend some time looking at the history of this Feast - when, why, and who? Hopefully this will inspire some great dinner table discussion!

Have a blessed week,

Beate

Ordinary Time is drawing to a close...

...and I am beginning to prepare for Advent! But before that happens, I wanted to link to the November post from last year which is here.

Also, today is the feast of St. Margaret of Scotland, my youngest daughter's patron and tomorrow is the feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, the patron saint of bakers and my oldest daughter's confirmation saint.

Both these royal saints were born in Hungary and had a great affinity for the poor. I think we will make a simple Hungarian goulash in their honor.

~ Beate

"Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply."
~ St. Francis de Sales

All Souls, etc...

I have a blog in my Feedly reader that gives food ideas for the various feast and saint days. They are really nice, but I have to keep things simple or they won't happen ;-) Our book Saints at the Dinner Table was passed on to a foody priest, who is surely using it more often than we did!

The plan for today is to set up the prayer table for November with photos of family members and friends who have gone before us. Perhaps as a way to remind us to pray for them, I will utilize some of their favorite recipes throughout this month. I know when I'm gone, I am going to appreciate everyone's prayers! Another thought is to take put out a different item throughout the month - a pair of socks my Oma knitted, my Dad's handmade cowboy boots, my husbands baptismal cap - to remind us of his mom who shopped for it and our babes born into Heaven - you get the idea.

The feast day of Charles Borromeo is tomorrow - his book is still in the basket so I will pull it for a read-a-loud. His story is fascinating, as is the time period in which he lived.

To be continued.....

Happy All Saints Day!

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robesand were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:9-14

Coming soon....

All Hallow's Eve, All Saints and All Souls!

In honor of All Saints Day, Father Alberic has asked the RE children to dress up as their favorite saint and process in before the 11:00 am Mass on November 3.  That was a nice reminder for me to stop ignoring the wonderful friends we have in Heaven. Life has been stressful this year, and the strain is showing in our relationships - what better role models could I possibly call on?

So how do we make the saints a bigger part of our lives? In our home, we "strew." That means I'll pull saint books out and leave them in various places.

The bookbasket has a couple of picture books and
Footsteps of a Giant, an intersting book about
Charles Borromeo.

 



Next to the bed, a couple of books that have short stories, making for good read-a-louds right before bedtime.

In the bookcase, I've pulled some of my own favorites
out into the forefront. I'm hoping the teens will choose
to peruse some of these.
Maybe I'll finish The Four Teresas, which I put away
last year in favor of Walking with God ;-)

On the seasonal table, I put The Big Book of Women Saints
- it has some nice and really short biographies of saints who
are not so well known. The Book of the Twelve Apostles,
is one we read out of periodically but have yet to finish.















Picture books are by far my favorite, and most successful, way of strewing. They have visual appeal, are easy to pick up and read in one sitting, and often lead to further research.

We also revisit why we pray for the dead - 2 Maccabees 12:39-45 - and why we ask the saints to pray for us - Rev. 5:8


If you are curious about the custom of the upcoming holiday, Father Barron hosts Father Steve Grunow on his blog in order to present some insight into Catholicism and Halloween.

An excerpt from Mary Reed Newland's book The Year and Our Children can be found here and offers a suggestion for a fun Halloween party.

Personally, we've done All Saints parties, celebrated the modern notion of Halloween and nothing at all ;-) However, the kids love the idea of dressing up and are confirmed candy addicts, so it is really something they look forward to.

September is here!

I've been so busy with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and the atria, that I haven't had a chance to think about our little blogs. We're in the midst of our long Ordinary Time - hopefully I can manage to come up with some ideas of life in the Domestic Church in the next couple of weeks. As it is, our family is busy praying for peace and enjoying the Holy Father's catechesis. One of the things that drew me to the internet many years ago was the Vatican website, and it is still a place I visit often. Following Archbishop Gustavo's visit to St. Thomas, I looked up the text of the World Youth day homily the Archbishop was referring to in his own homily and I found it here. It doesn't take very long to read and is beautifully insightful - it definitely spoke to me both as a parent and catechist.

Beate

The First Annual Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle...

...was a huge success and sincere gratitude goes out to everyone who helped make the day so memorable –

• The KC’s and Helping Hands who provided the delicious meal and worked hard to set up and make everything look beautiful
• Chris and Becky for rounding up the clown, and helping us have snow cones, cotton candy and popcorn
• The youth who helped with the games
• All the families and individuals who gave their time and talents to create posters, mottoes and prayers
• Liz  who wowed us all with her amazing face painting skill
• Gino for organizing and providing music, along with Mary, Bryce and Roland
• Christian and Gideon of Renevus who came back to sing for us
• All of you who offered resources in other ways
• And all the volunteers who worked diligently to help things run smoothly!

Father Alberic would also like to extend his appreciation to:

• Father Camillo Botello Jr. M.S.F
• The Pastoral Council
• The Finance Committee
• Deacon Paul and Deacon Cliff
• John Behr
• Mike and Irene Speed
• Tom Newell
• Mando Perez
• Mary Raley
• Rachel Hernandez
• The St. Thomas choir
• Eucharistic Ministers
• Altar Servers
• The Garden Committee
• Those in charge of the History of the Church and Wall of Families
• All our donors and benefactors
• And most of all, the families and friends who shared this day with us

for their continued help and support.

May the prayer of our Patron Saint, Thomas the Apostle, bless and protect us always.

~ Enjoy the slide show!

Music Fest at the Lake

Confirmation 2013

From the CCC:

 ....the bishop extends his hands over the whole group of the confirmands. Since the time of the apostles this gesture has signified the gift of the Spirit. The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words:

All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Finally, a post for June!

It's raining (thank you Jesus!) so I thought I'd take a moment to update here. We spent a fabulous week participating in the CatChat VBS - "Cool Kingdom Party" I'll try to post some pictures of that on Monday or Tuesday on the Atrium Notes page.

At the closing Mass, graciously celebrated for us on Friday in the Outdoor Chapel, Father Alberic asked us about the Feast of St. Thomas. He thankfully allowed a semi-close guess rather than waiting for all the 365 possibilities ;-) I confess, I also didn't know that his feast day is July 3. This inspired Father to give us our task for the month - learn more about St. Thomas the Apostle. This shouldn't be too difficult, he is mentioned in every gospel! Saint Thomas has a write-up in the Catholic Encyclopedia and Catholic Culture has some information as well.

In our family, this type of research often leads to other rabbit trails. For example, we might want to learn more about the symbols used to represent St. Thomas and why they were chosen or perhaps investigate the geography covered by the 12 apostles.

We can use our research to participate in one of the 3 projects Father Alberic has come up with:

1. Create a poster of Saint Thomas - the size is up to you, just keep it between 11" X 17" and 22" X 28"
2. Come up with a motto for our community 
3. Write a prayer to Saint Thomas - the winning prayer will be read at the Masses!

We are blessed to have St. Thomas as a patron and ought to take full advantage of his intercessory capabilities. I know I rely on my children's patrons to pray for them, helping to keep them from harm.

I hope you have a safe and fruitful month - see you at Holy Mass!

Pentecost

...is only 10 days away! Which means it's time for the Holy Spirit Novena, which starts tomorrow, the day after Ascention Thursday. I like getting it in my inbox so I've sign up here, but you can print one out just as easily.
                                                                                                 

Several years ago we put together a Holy Spirit faithfolder, which gave me another idea. We are dreadfully inept at taking things down once they are put up, so May came along and our Jesse tree was still up on the dining room wall. While I was pulling the symbols off the tree, it reminded me of the small tree on the back of the
faithfolder. So I printed out 12 clipart apples and 7 clipart gifts and gave them to the kids to color. Then we looked up the Holy Spirit in the CCC - articles 1831-1832 - and labeled the cutouts accordingly.

The 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit:


charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

The 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit:

wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord which is sometimes referred to as awe.

We also found some great Holy Spirit prayers and quotes which the kids could use for copywork and mounted them onto red cardstock along with a picture of the descent of the Holy Spirit. 

Some other things you may choose to do is to research the history of the celebration of Pentecost, both in the Jewish and Christian traditions. I love connections to our Jewish roots, esp. as I study Exodus in my bible study class ;-) You could also delve into the CCC or the YouCat and do some more reading on the Holy Spirit, or reflect together where in the life of Christ the Holy Spirit has made an appearance. 




For our actual Pentecost celebration we usually make a Twelve Fruit salad, with the children choosing the fruits until we have 12 varieties. It's never the same, but always delicious and I get so much joy out of them selecting the fruits and maybe even mentioning a virtue or two ;-)

Quote for today:

"The best and surest way to learn the love of Jesus is through the family" - Mother Teresa

The Rosary with Children

This child's rosary, entitled "A Modern Rosary," was composed by
Rev. Malachy Augustin Toner, S.S.C. of Our Lady of Apostles Convent in
Northern Ireland. According to the article in Catholic Faith and Family
where I first saw this rosary, it was approved by Archbishop Sean Brady of
Armagh on April 3, 1998. Now all we need is to write something for the
Luminous Mysteries.

Saying the rosary in this way puts the focus on the meditation on the mysteries, something
that may be second nature to adults, but is difficult for children who are still working on 
saying their Hail Mary's and counting the prayers.

We put the Hail Mary into the mouth of a person involved in the Mystery, and
we add the Holy Mary as our part and our petition.

Family members can take turns reciting the mysteries, even the little ones take part telling
the story in their own words. In our home, we didn't use the words below ver batim,
we simply told the story behind the mystery.

Begin with the  Our Father.

The Annunciation
The angel Gabriel enters the little home of Mary in Nazareth, speaks to
her softly and says: Hail Mary, etc. (once)

The Visitation
Elizabeth hears the voice of Mary who has come to visit her. She rushes
out and embraces her and says: Hail Mary, etc.

The Nativity
The shepherds enter the cave at Bethlehem and kneel before the crib. They
adore the child Jesus. Then they turn to Mary, bless her and say: Hail Mary, etc.

The Presentation
Simeon offers the child Jesus in the temple. He hands him gently back to
His Mother Mary. He blesses her and says: Hail Mary, etc.

The Finding in the Temple
The doctors return the lost boy Jesus to Joseph and Mary, and as the
three depart for home, from the temple steps, they bless Mary and say:
Hail Mary, etc.

The Agony in the Garden
As the holy women hear of the terrible agony of Jesus and His sweating of
blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, they gather round Mary, comfort her,
and say: Hail Mary, etc.

The Scourging at the Pillar
John returns to the little group in the upper room and tells what he has
seen: Jesus brutally scourged at the pillar. He comforts Mary and says:
Hail Mary, etc.

The Crowning with Thorns
Mary Magdalene also comes back and tells what she has seen: Jesus crowned
with thorns and mocked as a king. She comforts Mary and says: Hail Mary, etc.

The Carrying of the Cross
Veronica shows Mary the towel on which is imprinted the suffering face
of Christ as He carries His Cross to Calvary. She consoles Mary and says:
Hail Mary, etc.

The Crucifixion
As Jesus bows His head in death, the good thief speaks down from his cross
to Mary, blesses her and says: Hail Mary, etc.

The Resurrection
Though the Gospels do not tell us this, yet we can easily believe that
Jesus appeared early on Easter Sunday morning to His own Mother Mary,
smiled upon her, blessed her, and said: Hail Mary, etc.

The Ascension
As Jesus ascends into Heaven and disappears beyond the clouds, the
Apostles gather round Mary. They comfort her, console themselves, and
say: Hail Mary, etc.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit descends upon the Apostles and upon the head of Mary as a
flame of fire. He speaks to the heart of Mary and says: Hail Mary, etc..

The Assumption
The angels carry the body of Mary to Heaven, and as they go on their way,
they sing and they say and they pray: Hail Mary, etc.

The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven
As Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven, Queen of Earth, Queen of Angels, and
Queen of Men, the Father has no better words to speak to her that the words
of the Angel Gabriel, and He says: Hail Mary, etc.

Finish with:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was
in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Quote for the day:

"God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons."
- Blessed John Henry Newman

He is Risen - He is Risen Indeed!

We've resurrected the Alleluia, packed away the purple and flooded the house with light! Exult - Rejoice - Happy Easter!

If Lent was a time for nurturing our soil and waiting for the delicate seedlings to emerge, carefully thinning them and pulling weeds, Easter is a time to rejoice in the growing leaves and opening blooms! It is a perfect time to go on a nature walk looking for buds and other signs of new life.

What's growing in your garden or neighborhood?

During the Easter season, Catholics throughout the world pray the Regina Coeli in place of the Angelus. This is a lovely tradition to incorporate into one's prayer life:

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Habemus Papam!

Viva Pope Francis!

What a blessing to be a part of this moment in history - I look forward to getting to know the man who has become our Papa and trust in the Holy Spirit's plan for us all.

As a family, we've enjoyed learning more about the process of electing a new pope and garnering trivia of elections past. Wacking a presumed dead pontiff in the head with a hammer, really?!? We looked at the college of cardinals, counting how many cardinals from various counries and checking out their ages.

It's been a priviledge to pray for these men as they have gathered in Rome, and our prayers remain with them and our new Pope.

Prayers...

...for Father Sam who is being treated at SAMC. May God grant him many more years before taking him home.

Also, Cardinal Dolan has asked us to pray a Novena to St. Joseph starting Monday March 11, for the pending Conclave. Here is the prayer: Speaking of the conclave, a possible family activity would be to do a papal unit study and create a 'lapbook.' Free printables can be found here.

Novena prayer to Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. I have special confidence in you. You are powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me, to your intercession. By the love you have for Jesus and Mary, do not abandon me during life, and assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the immaculate Virgin, Foster-father of Jesus Christ, obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request). Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I am confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

Speaking of the conclave, a possible family activity would be to do a papal unit study and create a 'lapbook.' Free printables can be found here.

Second Sunday of Lent

"....let us pray that the Lord enlighten us, give us the faith that builds the world, the faith that makes us find the path of life, true joy. Amen." ~ Cardinal Josef Ratzinger 2/24/05

The second Sunday of Lent is already here! In our family, the Crown of Thorns is loosing toothpicks at a good rate and the children are enjoying the activities on the Lenten calendar. I was glad that I was reading Abraham's story, as continuing to verse 18 would have been awkward! The children were quick to delve into the discussion of other celebratory meals and another time when it was said that all things are possible with God. Since I'm often filled with "mommy guilt" over my many shortcoming in sharing faith with the children, that was a true gift!

How is your Lenten journey progressing? I love the imagery of Lent as a new beginning, a time for looking forward and preparing the soil for the spring, allowing growth to happen. While tilling and weeding is certainly laborious esp. in the hard Texas soil, who doesn't catch their breath at the miracle of little green shoots poking through the earth!

May God's peace be with you ~
Beate

Happy Candlemas Day!

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Presentation, or Candlemas - a great time to introduce the Nunc Dimittis. I love the prayer of Simeon and enjoy wondering about him and Anna with the children. It seems each time we read this gospel we are struck by something new.




I also wonder about Mary's amazing strength and her continued "yes" in response to the gift she was given.

Hopefully time will permit me to post some of my Lenten plans - wow, less than two weeks before Ash Wednesday!

God's peace be with you ~ Beate

The Feast of the Epiphany

Advent has come and gone and the Christmas season is drawing to a close. Life has been busy in our home yet we've managed to spend some moments reflecting on God's great love for us as evidenced in the Incarnation. Each year I fall in love again with the beauty and simplicity of the Infancy narratives as I share them with the children in the atrium - their joy and wonder ignites my own and I thank God for the little ones.

This weekend we celebrate the Epiphany. As a mom, I think of Mary with the toddler Jesus - watching his first wobbly steps, picking him up when he falls. I wonder at her openess and trust, saying "yes" to parenting God! What were her thoughts when foreigners complete with entourage showed up at her humble abode with gifts for a King?

With my children at home, I will again bake a "crown cake." We will read and reflect on the readings for the day:

• Isaiah 60:1-6
• Psalm 72
• Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
• Matthew 2:1-12

I'll also invite them to read CCC 528: ....In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation.

We might discuss the gifts, look up some background and ponder their meaning.  Later on in the week, the younger kids are working on an Epiphany lapbook, with ideas from Willa, found here.

On Saturday Evening, the kids leave out hay for the camels, and the Wise Men show their gratitude by leaving a small gift, generally a religious book or activity.

On Sunday evening, we'll do our annual house blessing - provided I remember to bring home the Holy Water ;-)

Books in our Book Basket:

Mary: The Mother of Jesus 

The Legend of Old Befana 

We Three Kings 

The Stone: A Persian Legend of the Magi 

Humphrey's First Christmas 

The Story of the Three Wise Kings by Tomie dePaolaT

    

Collect: May the splendor of your majesty, O Lord, we pray, shed its light upon our hearts, that we may pass through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

~ Beate