St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

A sculpture by Heloise Crista at Taliesin West in Scottsdale:

Ordinary time...

...a time to let the joy of the Feast grow in our hearts!

This was gleaned from another formation leader at one of our sessions during the summer and I plan on using this phrase with the children in the atrium as a way to define the "growing time" of the Church. The past couple of weeks discussion topics in our home have been St. Maximilian Kolbe, sacrificial love, abundant mercy, and how to love amidst hatred. The maxim, "Do good to those who hate you," has been lifted out more than once.  However, we've also watched as our dry, brown grass was quickly revitalized by the 2" of rain that fell, and we've seen the Lantana go from droopy to blooming seemingly overnight. The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are sons and daughter of the King and "Alleluia" is our song. May the joy of Easter continue to grow in our hearts as we set out in confidence to serve our Lord.

The Feast of Pentecost

We generally celebrate Pentecost by making a 12 Fruit Salad, in honor of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, but today we're having a quite afternoon watching the rain come down and praying for the busload of young people who are on their way to LifeTeen Camp in Georgia. May the Holy Spirit guide and protect them on their journey. In a little bit, I'll pack up all of the remaining Easter decorations, pull out our 7 red candles, and we'll gather with those at home to pray the following prayer: 

CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

 O Holy Spirit, receive the perfect and complete consecration of my whole being. 

In all my actions, grant me the grace of being my Light, 

my Guide, my strength and the Love of my heart. 

 I surrender myself to You,

 and I ask You for the grace to be faithful to Your inspirations. 

 Holy Spirit, transform me

 through Mary and with Mary into a true image of Christ Jesus, 

for the glory of the Father, 

and the salvation of the world. 

Amen 

 Fr. Félix de Jesús Rougier, M.Sp.S – Founder Missionaries of the Holy Spirit

Wells Cathedral, England – Pentecost Altar Frontal

He Is Risen - He Is Risen Indeed!

Wishing you and your families a joy-filled Easter Season. During these 50 days of Celebrating our Lord's Resurrection, there are many little things easily incorporated into family life to help make this period a tangible part of our faith. In our prayer area, the purple has been replaced by white, the ashes by Easter water, and the crown of thorns by the Paschal candle. We used a plain white candle and decorated it with colored wax, focusing on the prayers for the blessings of the candle. 

                                        

Another idea would be to use parts of the Exultet as the evening prayer. We focused on thanksgiving for the bees and the lovely scent of the Easter candles and the overall joy of the Proclamation. 

Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,

ablaze with light from her eternal King,

let all corners of the earth be glad,

knowing an end to gloom and darkness.

We've also copied and decorated the word 'Rejoice' with the younger children:

Rejoice,

let Mother Church also rejoice,

arrayed with the lightning of his glory,

let this holy building shake with joy,

filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.

Last week, all of us were amazed at the brightness of the moon, a perfect time to lift up the following verse:

This is the night of which it is written: 

The night shall be as bright as day, 

dazzling is the night for me, 

and full of gladness.

Most of all, enjoy this blessed time together. For me, it is always a reminder that each day is a gift. May God's peace be with you all ~ Beate

" Let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish." ~ Pope Francis