Lenten Meditation~ 2015

My friend Julia recently sent me this meditation. It fit me perfectly and I will be reflecting upon it quite often this Lent...It's so good that I had to share!  I pray it might be just what you need as well:)

 

In His Hands

We must offer ourselves to God like a clean, smooth canvas and not to worry ourselves about what God may choose to paint on it, for we have perfect trust in him, have abandoned ourselves to him, and are so busy doing our duty that we forget ourselves and all our needs.  The more closely we devote ourselves to our little task, which is so simple, so secret and so hidden and apparently so paltry, the more does God enrich and adorn it: "God works wonders for those he loves." (Psalm 4:3)

 

It is true that a canvas simply and blindly offered to the brush feels at each moment only the stroke of the brush.  It is the same with a lump of stone.  Each blow from the hammering of the sculptor's chisel makes it feel--if it could-- as if it were being destroyed.  After blow after blow descends, the stone knows nothing of how the sculptor is shaping it.  All it feels is a chisel chopping away at it, cutting it and mutilating it.  For example, let's take a piece of stone destined to be carved into a crucifix or statue.  We might ask it: "What do you think is happening to you?" And it might answer: "Don't ask me.  All I know is that I must stay immovable in the hands of the sculptor, and I must love him and endure all he inflicts on me to produce the figure he has in mind.  He knows how to do it.  As for me, I have no idea what he is doing, nor do I know what he will make of me.  But what I do know is that his work is the best possible.  It is perfect.  I welcome each blow of his chisel as the best thing that could happen to me, although, if I'm to be truthful, I feel that every one of these blows is ruining me, destroying me and disfiguring me.  But I remain unconcerned.  I concentrate on the present moment, think only of my duty, and suffer all that this master sculptor inflicts on me without knowing his purpose or fretting about it."

~Father Jean-Pierre De Caussade, S.J.

 

 

Lenten (And not so Lenten) Tidbits

We are a little over half way through Lent and I found this post that I forgot to publish!  We've had 4 birthdays to celebrate in the last 6 weeks so that's kept us hoppin' just a bit...

These are just a couple of little photos and things to share, better late than never:)

+Lent is (still) in the air+ 

Loved capturing this photo on my Ash Wednesday walk...Seems like long ago, now.

It was as if as we were receiving crosses on our foreheads, God was giving them out in the skies above!  

I finally found a watermark app (used above) so I've been playing around with it and love it!  I've been wanting to protect my photos for quite some time and finally did it. I especially love that you can use the app prior to download.  If you have an iphone, I recommend iWatermark!  (Just a tidbit, not a Lenten one;)

We stumbled across this children's book "The Ant and the Elephant," by Bill Peet. Just love it!  It's a delightful tale that illustrates the scripture teaching "Do unto others as you would have them do to you..." (Luke 6:31) We checked out a copy from the library but if you are a teacher or have several little ones at home, it would be worth the purchase.

A friend of mine recently introduced me to this amazing version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, by Remnant Band.  You can download an MP3 version for $3 and it's worth every penny! I downloaded and converted mine to itunes.  It is upbeat enough that I was actually able to jog to it.  It's simply an awesome song for an awesome prayer.  We have also been playing it for background music while we are schooling and I've taken it to the abortion clinic as we pray during the 40 days for life:)  It's also a beautiful way to pray the Divine Mercy novena that begins on Good Friday!

A prayer to share...

(If it spoke to my heart, I take it as a prompting from the Holy Spirit to share...Taken from the Magnificat Meditation of the Day on St. Valentine's Day)

Oh, when shall I perfectly die to myself and be free from all creatures? 

Oh, would that I were truly meek of heart and humble;

truly poor and naked in spirit.

Grant, O Lord, that by perfect self-denial, perfect mortification of my vices I may arrive at perfect love of you.

You have commanded that I should love you: give what you command and command what you please.

Grant that I may love you with my whole heart, my whole mind, with all my powers, with my whole soul.

Deign to heal and to reform the powers of my soul, broken and corrupt by sin, by the powers of your most holy soul.

Free my soul from all distracting cares; strip from it the images and forms of perishable things.

Grant me to dwell with you in the sanctuary of my soul; grant that by steadfast thought, clear knowledge, and fervent love I may always be able to flow into you.

~Blosius The Venerable~

1566 Abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Liessies, France

And a fun tidbit for upcoming St. Patrick's Day...This was a meaningful (and easy) crafty mobile to make, all free and a generous courtesy of Sanctus Simplicitus.  What a great reminder of St. Patrick's gift of teaching the Trinity!

Finally, my rockin' theme song for Lent...Some of you young ones may not know this tune but it's a blast from the past!  Any guesses on who the singer is?

I know, it's probably kind of corny;)

(You may have to manually turn off my blog song in the side bar to hear it!?)

Do you have any Lenten tidbits to share?

Lenten Home Decor~{Sackcloth Addition}

One of my favorite hobbies is looking for easy and inexpensive ways to bring the liturgical season into the home ie. The Domestic Church.  I spend time doing it because I really enjoy creating a meaningful environment with visual reminders of the beautiful Catholic faith that I love so much!  I find grace in a little sacred space...

Last year, I wrote a post about peeking into our Lenten purple world.  We kept much of it the same but this year, I added a few more symbols (like sackcloth) to our home. 

When thinking about Lent, some easy ways to decorate in the home might be to use the following items:

Grapevine wreaths and nails to symbolize Christ's crown of thorns and His death for us.

(I found these smaller size wreaths at Hobby Lobby for $1.99)

Burlap (Sackcloth) to symbolize repentance and sacrifice. There are many biblical references back to early Christians using sackcloth in this manner.  I am so excited about this new addition at our house!  The ideas are endless and it's very inexpensive.

(Hobby Lobby)
I had fun draping this around and also have some other fun plans to come:)
Here is our updated entryway with sackcloth...
(This was actually a free burlap feed sack from a local animal feed store)

The color violet (purple) to symbolize penance and sacrifice.

Candles to symbolize Christ's light...No darkness can distinguish.

(This was a very inexpensive craft from the past)

Rocks to symbolize the terrain of Calvary and the tomb as we reflect on the Passion of Christ.

Sand to symbolize Christ going into the desert, prior to the Passion events.  It may also represent our own Lenten journey into the desert.

As I mentioned, I really liked adding the burlap/sackcloth decor to our home this year and talking to the children about it.  Today's reading about Jonah in Nineveh added great teaching material...literally:)  

"When the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth."~Jonah 3:1-10~

(This burlap sackcloth {above} was on sale in the Easter section of Hobby Lobby)  It comes in a roll and is very easy to work with, as is the regular burlap I mentioned in the beginning of this post.

+I used it here on our Dining Room Table+

These inexpensive supplies came in handy to decorate Lenten candles...These would also make nice gifts.
Just a little hot glue is all it took to adorn this violet candle with sackcloth accents, circled by a mini grape vine wreath/crown of thorns.

Another sackcloth display idea...

And another idea would be placing a twig Cross in the middle of a grapevine wreath...

We made a few twig crosses and tied them with violet ribbon... "Free" decor, courtesy of the great outdoors:)

We, like many families, use sacrifice beans to fill up an empty jar in hopes that Easter brings sweet Alleluia (jelly) beans:)

That's about it for now...

My hope is that some of these ideas will help you find a little grace in your sacred space.
+Lenten Blessings!+

If You Give a Catholic a...

I'm posting this a little after-the-fact so that I can refer back to it next year. My blog is my brain! Ok, maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration but it's not too far fetched to say that it has become my memory bank!  Sometime I don't know how I'd remember things from year to year without it:)

On Fat Tuesday/Mardis Gras, I wrote a little ditty to share that's based on one of our favorite story treasures!  My pre-K gal is particularly loving it right now. This book even has recipes to go with the stories.*Love*

If you know these stories like If You Give A Mouse A Cookie or If You Give A Moose a Muffin, you'll certainly "get it".  If not, oh well, it may just sound silly!

Here goes my little Mardis Gras Ditty:

"If you give a Catholic a pancake TODAY, chances are she will want some chocolate to go with it.  You'll give her some chocolate and she will want to tell you about Mardis Gras.  She'll probably get thirsty and want something to "drink"!  When you give her something to "drink,"  she'll tell you that Mardis Gras is French for Fat Tuesday and she'll ask you for  some ice cream.  While she's eating the ice cream, she's reminded that it's the last day of eating richer, fatty, foods before fasting for Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday.  After eating the ice cream, she realized that's tomorrow!  Chances are she'll want another pancake and some chocolate to go with it!"

*So we made Pancake Party Bowls...

An idea from the book, based on the story If You Give a Pig a Pancake*

We doubled the recipe and spread among 6 tin pie pans and we all had plenty of pancake!

Bake only 10-12 minutes

We sprinkled Mardis Gras colors (yellow, green, purple) in the pancake batter after poured.

These are the fun supplies we used to indulge!

After baking, we "made our own" party bowls...The fruit made me feel better as a Mom.  At least we all had fruit mixed in with all the junk:)

Everyone had fun making their own Pancake Party Bowl Creations!

+These were a fun treat, indeed+

Hope everyone's Lent is going well...Mine has been off to a very uncomfortable start but I'm hanging in there, always mindful that I'm not hanging on a Cross!

Lent Is Not For Wimps

Our 5 year old daughter recently made this C, for Crucifix craft, found in the Catholic ABC's pre-school curriculum.  Little did we know it would end up sparking a little apologetics conversation with her 6 year old neighbor friend, who is Mormon. I over heard the neighbor girl ask my daughter why she would hang a cross in her room with "Jesus looking like that on it...It's just so sad." "Yes it is sad, replied my daughter,..."But it's also a good thing because the gates of heaven got opened!" ...And on they went playing with their dolls in the next instant.  I smiled to myself at the innocence of their sweet conversation. Ok, ok, I was really (quietly) jumping up and down, desperately wanting to hug and shout to my daughter: "Good answer, good answer!" I did tell her later and gave her that hug:) Wouldn't it be nice if our faith differences, as adults, were this easy to manage? 
All of this got me thinking about our faith and upcoming Lent...The liturgical season where we reflect and meditate on that same Crucifix and the reason He's on it. The Passion of Our Lord, The Way of the Cross...Not events in time that are easy to watch or listen to.  While they are, yes, sad and horrible, AT the same time, they also lead us to the greatest goal and ultimate joy...Heaven itself. God so loved the whole world that He gave us only Son to suffer and die that WE may have Eternal life. (John 3:16) He suffered so that we may learn that our own suffering is not in vain. 

I like to think of Lent as a time to beef up the spiritual workout. It's a time to remind myself that my soul gets lazy.  Like my body, it needs constant work to stay healthy and strong for the life to come.  That man up there on that Cross is our personal trainer, for goodness sakes.  He invites us to share in His suffering all through our lives but especially this time of year. He's our Savior and He sweat blood and tears for our souls.
Why should we not be uncomfortable?
We shared all of this with our kids over our pre-Lenten family team huddle, adding the kicker...
Lent is not for wimps!
(Neither is Christianity, for that matter)
But when it comes to this particular liturgical season, it's definitely a time in which the 3 pillars of Lent, (Fasting, Praying, Almsgiving) inevitably activates some moaning and groaning around a large household. We hear it from the kids and occasionally a faint whine from an adult or two:)...How hard is this really going to be? 

Yet Lent is also a time when we look forward to changing or improving our ways to get a better handle on our spiritual shape.  Sometimes it's a matter of getting back on track and sometimes it's a matter of starting a new spiritual workout routine all together.  The kids seemed to enjoy this workout analogy as they all love their sports!  We need to spend time strengthening our spiritual lives, just like we do our physical lives.  It doesn't take a Doctor of the Church to discover that it takes spiritual effort to make spiritual gain:)

When it comes to Fasting, the way we encourage sacrifice in our family is to listen to our inner voice that tells us what we don't want to do.  I know for me, when I start finding and making excuses for why I can't give something up, that's probably the thing (or two) that I need to pray about sacrificing.  Just as we know ourselves, we try to teach our children that it's the tough things that make us stronger and lead us closer to Christ. 

Our Prayer life can always use a boost in repetitions:)  We try to continually remind our kids that Jesus is always waiting for them, He wants to have a relationship with Him.  Through the Eucharist and other Sacraments He comes to us but He waits for us in all other areas of our lives as well. We posed a question to them: How would your friend next door feel if you didn't speak with him when he came knocking on the door asking you to play?  That's how Jesus is...He's knocking on our door all of the time.  He wants us to take a little time to talk with Him.  Relationships are work, they are not automatic.  Sometimes it hurts to come down on our knees but the results will lift us up!

Almsgiving is the third pillar of Lent where opportunity awaits. It is through doing, that we make the great tangible discovery that it truly is better to give than to receive.  The difficult part of this pillar comes in actually carrying out the act of giving.  Almsgiving becomes the "Just Do It" part of our Lenten spiritual workout. 

Of course none of this is to say that we actually have control over the path that God leads us.  As parents, it simply helps us teach our children (and remind ourselves) that sometimes we need to be uncomfortable in our faith.  It takes work to stay on the right track and keep our relationship going with the Lord.  Things that are good for us and produce the best results do not always come easy. Nothing is automatic.
Lent Is Not For Wimps!
Here's wishing you an uncomfortably blessed Lent:)

In light of the recent news of our Holy Father, I can't help but admire his heroic humility as we enter this historic 2013 Lenten season.  If only I could die to myself even a smidge of what he has, I'd be happy...
"I didn't go to religion to make me happy.  I knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don't recommend Christianity." C.S. Lewis

"Remember, You Are Dust (Cake)!"

OK, so try not to wince with the reminder that Lent begins 3 weeks from today!  We just so happened to have a spontaneous conversation about it over cake, yes, cake!

It all started around the letter D for Dirt Dust, as I played with our little Pre-K gal to make Dirt Dust Cake.  
Yep it was messy but don't be afraid...Be Not Afraid to get a bit messy because...That's just the point!  We are all messy sinners when left to our own devices.  It's only with God's help that we are clean again.
This was a nice activity to do prior to Ash Wednesday since the date itself is a day of sacrifice. (No cake:)

As we all crumbled up the messy "Dust" Cake, we talked about how it reminded us of Ash Wednesday and the words of the priest when he places the ashes on our foreheads: 

"Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:19)

  It was a tangible reminder that God made us out of dust (a lifeless existence) and someday we all return to dust until we are (hopefully) raised again by Christ on the last day. The hopeful part is where the ashes come in as they remind us to turn away from our dirt (sin) and get right (clean) with God!

*Only God can bless our dirty mess*

So why not make Dust Cake and have Conversation?
My kids loved it!

 *I posted the easy recipe details over at Catholic Cuisine*

Just A Few Fun Tidbits about Ash Wednesday To Share With Kids:

• People have been using ashes as a sign of repentance since Old Testament times. Look it up! (Daniel 9:3-6)
• Since Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Catholics, it's a time for us to stop and reflect upon our own walk with God and where we might have gotten off track.  For many of us, the ashes are an outward expression (and reminder) of our broken nature and the deep necessity for reconciliation (repentance) in order to be whole again.  

•  Lent  is a Latin term for "Spring" to highlight our "rebirth" in Christ. 
• For over 1200 years, faithful followers have received ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. 
• Remember those palm fronds from Palm Sunday last year? They were saved to be burned for this year's ashes.  They are burned, incensed, and blessed with holy water, using prayers that are thousands of years old.

And the best part...

Well, you know!

"Christ does not force our will, He takes only what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees we give ourselves entirely to Him."~St. Teresa of Avila~

[The Catholic Toolbox also has some good Ash Wednesday Resources for kids]

A Peek Into Our Purple (Lenten) World

This year we are making more of a conscious effort to decorate our home with the liturgical color of Lent~Violet/ Penitential Purple, resisting any Easter decor until the Easter season actually begins!

(This Cross hangs in our stair well)
Upon being called to live out the church year more wholly in our home several years ago, I've been intrigued by the signs and symbols of our faith.  We have so many visuals within the celebration of our beautiful liturgy, made just for the "visual learner" in me!  As we have learned more about the liturgy, our faith has come alive for our family.  Bringing the signs and symbols into our home has made it more tangible, hands-on, alive, allowing us to better respond to the beauty and power of God.  

~This Lenten wreath was made last year~
Now I know very well that Catholic images and sacramentals do not make a Catholic home.  Over and above, we must live  the faith and radiate love in keeping with Christ's commandments and example.  However, at the same time, our homes are competing with the outside culture as our children are being bombarded by practices that are contrary to Jesus.  It seemed to us (my husband and I) that handing down the Christian faith boiled down to what's important to  parents becomes important to children. Transmitting our values and attitudes had to be transparent in our home, to include visible reminders.

Just a simple visual sign like the color purple (violet) helps our family remember that it's not Easter yet.  Though the secular retail stores try to sell us otherwise, we resist the temptation to celebrate too early. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving strengthens us on the road to Calvary...A road we must travel first, leading us to Easter and the hope of our Salvation.


Lacy (Catholic Icing) has also written a post a long these same lines about resisting Easter until Lent is over.  
Kara and Gardenia both inspired me with their grape vine (crown of thorns) wreaths so I put together the one pictured above.  Hobby Lobby is carrying these neat metal crosses in the shape of nails for only $3.99!  They aren't very big but they are a perfect inset for a wreath.


I found great purple pillar candles on Amazon...

During Lent, I love the symbol of sand that reminds us of Jesus' time in the desert and the time we also need in the desert to sacrifice and grow, praying for a new conversion of heart.  This is our family "Lenten Desert" table center piece this year.  

I changed things up a bit from last year.

By the way, Barbara also has a beautiful candle/sand display to see.

This year I even found a purple table cloth for our kitchen table for only $3.00 on Amazon.  Couldn't resist that! It was linen so I still can't believe the price!?

Our table fits a 90 inch round but there were others that were also surprisingly low in price...Just search Amazon for purple table cloths:) The color of mine was described as "egg plant" but I really love it. 

I've mixed up the shades of purple throughout our home so some things might not be the "perfect" or most accurate violet color but it's the thought that counts, right?
Our prayer corner table has a lavender covering right now...
(We use the same one for Lent and Advent)

Holly and I must think alike as we both created Lenten Mantels.  This is what ours looks like...

I found a great deal on the purple glass votives (candles sold separately) on Amazon, as well as this pretty purple table runner for our mantel for only $3.99...Another great bargain!


  It's been nice to light the votive lights in the evenings as a reminder of the ancient prayer traditions of our church. It's been a special addition to our Lent.  I bought the Calvary Crosses (pictured) at Oriental Trading Company a few years ago.


Our front door dons a Dogwood Lenten wreath.  Have you heard about the Legend of the Dogwood?  It's a beautiful Lent/Easter story to know and share.

  I added a purple ribbon (Hobby Lobby has the perfect purple colored ribbon on their wedding aisle) and this little crown of thorns door hanger that I found at Autom last year for $4.99.

Purple in the bathroom, maybe? After all, some of my best prayer time goes on here;) 

I told you I was a liturgical loon!

And finally, I couldn't resist planting a few (very early) purple pansies for our front entry.  We have had an unusually warm winter this year so I'm not sure what to expect in the coming months.  Will they survive?  I'm not sure but nevertheless, they are a perfect pretty purple for now!

+Thanks for joining us for a peek into our purple Lenten world+