Lent is right around the corner!
Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2015.
So, what are you doing to get ready and what will you do during this season to prepare your heart for the greatest day on the calendar, Easter Sunday?
Here are some options:
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist has available a Lenten Journal. It is part of their Disciple of Christ-Education in Virtue program. I used it last year and it is excellent. Find it here: https://www.sistersofmary.org/our-news/news/347-a-lenten-journal.html
For those who live in the greater Detroit area:
Holy Trinity Apostolate is having their annual Lenten Symposium on Saturday March 14, 2015 at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Slovak Catholic Church at 41233 Ryan Road in Sterling Heights . Many great speakers are on tap for the day (including Archbishop Allen Vigneron). Lunch is included in your registration fee of $55. Register at: www.holytrinityapostolate.com I have attended this several times and have never been disappointed. This year, my Dear One and I are making a weekend of it.
Church of the Divine Child 1055 N. Silvery Lane Dearborn, MI 48128 is hosting an event titled Discovering Christ. This is a free event but registration is required. Meetings will take place each Friday, February 13-March 27 from 7-9 p.m. in the High School All-Purpose Room. Contact Karen at ChristLifeDC@gmail.com by February 6, 2015.
Many churches have fish fries on Friday evenings along with Stations of the Cross.
For those homebodies among us, try dynamiccatholic.com. Matthew Kelly wants you to have your "Best Lent Ever" and it will come right to your inbox. How easy can it get?
Confession of course!! Check out times in your area at: masstimes.org Click on confessions and it will only show those times, which makes things a lot easier to find.
Anyone know of anything else going on in your area? Be sure to leave a comment so others can know too!
Monday, January 26, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Growing in Sanctity
Sanctity = Holiness
Can you feel yourself growing in sanctity every day?
Are you working at it with the patience of a Saint?
Sanctity is hard work and something we absolutely cannot do on our own.
We must take God, in all three persons, along for the ride.
Pray to God the Father for wisdom to see the places in your life that need to be sanctified. Trust me, He will show you. Thankfully, with me, He is very gentle in His approach, although sometimes, I admit, that a 2 x 4 may be more effective!
Pray to Jesus to lead you to the Father. "No one comes to the Father except through Me", Jesus tells us.
Read the Gospels. Embrace the words of Jesus. Come to KNOW Him and His love for you!!
Especially pray to the Holy Spirit. He has all those gifts He longs to pour out on you:
Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.
These are gifts, freely given to those who who have been baptized and who ask for them. You have to want them. You have to embrace them.
When you embrace them, you will give off good fruit. Those good fruits are:
charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, constancy and chastity.
Granted we cannot work on all of these at once. We are a work in progress. But, if we truly wish to change and to grow in sanctity these are steps in the right direction.
Mary and St. Joseph are key helpers in growing in sanctity. Don't forget to ask for their intercession as well.
thatslife12.blogspot.com
Can you feel yourself growing in sanctity every day?
Are you working at it with the patience of a Saint?
Sanctity is hard work and something we absolutely cannot do on our own.
We must take God, in all three persons, along for the ride.
Pray to God the Father for wisdom to see the places in your life that need to be sanctified. Trust me, He will show you. Thankfully, with me, He is very gentle in His approach, although sometimes, I admit, that a 2 x 4 may be more effective!
Pray to Jesus to lead you to the Father. "No one comes to the Father except through Me", Jesus tells us.
Read the Gospels. Embrace the words of Jesus. Come to KNOW Him and His love for you!!
Especially pray to the Holy Spirit. He has all those gifts He longs to pour out on you:
Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.
These are gifts, freely given to those who who have been baptized and who ask for them. You have to want them. You have to embrace them.
When you embrace them, you will give off good fruit. Those good fruits are:
charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, constancy and chastity.
Granted we cannot work on all of these at once. We are a work in progress. But, if we truly wish to change and to grow in sanctity these are steps in the right direction.
Mary and St. Joseph are key helpers in growing in sanctity. Don't forget to ask for their intercession as well.
thatslife12.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Can People Tell You're Catholic?
One of the kids asked me today, "Is he Catholic?" When I said yes, she said, "I didn't know that."
That speaks volumes!!
Do others know that you are Catholic? Does it show in how you speak? Does it show in how you act toward others? Does it show in other actions?
Or are you only Catholic on Sunday for an hour, or for that matter, in name only?
Our prime mission as Catholics is to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel. We don't have to stand on the street corner screaming out Bible verses to back up our proclamations. We don't need to be Bible scholars -though we do need to read it and join Bible studies to know what it says and have a basic understanding.
What else do we have to do?
We have to smile at people and show our joy.
We need to lend a helping hand to someone in need, whether it's opening a door, bringing a meal, driving someone to Mass, raking an elderly neighbor's leaves.
We need to be willing to pray in public. Do the Sign of the Cross and bless your food in a restaurant. Take a walk and pray a Rosary with your rosary in hand. Join a Marian procession or an Advent tree lighting at your church.
Speak about the Lord and what He had done in your life. Praise Him out loud. Tell someone you'll pray for their needs. Don't complain about anything, even the weather.
We talk about so many things, lots of them unnecessary. How often do we speak of the One who gave us life and a whole lot more.
Have children! That may sound weird but it's a question that often comes up when I tell people we have nine kids. Trust God with this area of your life.
Volunteer at soup kitchens, crisis pregnancy centers, etc. Because it is a part of your life, you're bound to talk about it, and that spreads the Gospel about taking care of the less fortunate.
Bring Jesus to others. Do not let anyone, even for a moment, wonder whether you're a Catholic.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
That speaks volumes!!
Do others know that you are Catholic? Does it show in how you speak? Does it show in how you act toward others? Does it show in other actions?
Or are you only Catholic on Sunday for an hour, or for that matter, in name only?
Our prime mission as Catholics is to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel. We don't have to stand on the street corner screaming out Bible verses to back up our proclamations. We don't need to be Bible scholars -though we do need to read it and join Bible studies to know what it says and have a basic understanding.
What else do we have to do?
We have to smile at people and show our joy.
We need to lend a helping hand to someone in need, whether it's opening a door, bringing a meal, driving someone to Mass, raking an elderly neighbor's leaves.
We need to be willing to pray in public. Do the Sign of the Cross and bless your food in a restaurant. Take a walk and pray a Rosary with your rosary in hand. Join a Marian procession or an Advent tree lighting at your church.
Speak about the Lord and what He had done in your life. Praise Him out loud. Tell someone you'll pray for their needs. Don't complain about anything, even the weather.
We talk about so many things, lots of them unnecessary. How often do we speak of the One who gave us life and a whole lot more.
Have children! That may sound weird but it's a question that often comes up when I tell people we have nine kids. Trust God with this area of your life.
Volunteer at soup kitchens, crisis pregnancy centers, etc. Because it is a part of your life, you're bound to talk about it, and that spreads the Gospel about taking care of the less fortunate.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
Saturday, November 29, 2014
We Need To Take Back Sunday
When I was a kid, Sunday was family day. We would go see our grandparents. Because is was Sunday, and Sunday was family day, our cousins and uncles and aunts would be there as well. Family time!
Stores were closed so shopping was out of the question. The visiting was anticipated so the chores that needed to be done, laundry, ironing, grabbing a gallon (or 4) of milk, going to the dry cleaners, etc. all needed to be done before Sunday. Sunday was not a day of work, it was a day of relaxation.
I miss that~
Sunday now, seems to be just another day. The kids who play sports often have a game on Sunday (must to my dismay). The stores are open and so the planning that went into getting things done by Saturday is gone. "There's always tomorrow."
We're busy, busy people.
I don't really think it needs to be this way. I think we need to bring back Sunday as a day of true relaxation. Close the stores so the owners and employees can be with their families. Close the restaurants and cook together!
There are those who would argue that to close on Sunday means the loss of income to the shop and restaurant owners. I would argue that if we do as God commanded and keep the Sabbath holy by getting to Mass and spending Sunday relaxing, rather than making it just one more day, that things would be a whole lot better.
Ask the owners of Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A about profits and being closed on Sunday. I think they would tell you they're doing just fine! They have been in business since the 40's for Chick-fil-A and the 70's for Hobby Lobby. Sunday for them, is a day off. Thus, they and their employees get a well deserved break and can go back to work refreshed.
The roads around our house have been under construction for over two years. They crews work 7 days a week. Trying to get the job done is the goal. I get it. But my mom had a conversation with one of the crew and he told her he was praying for rain. A good hard rain would mean he could go home and have a day off. He was so tired.
How do you get a good days work out of someone who never has an opportunity to do nothing for a little while?
So I put forth a cry for the return to sanity. God knew what He was doing by requiring us to keep holy the Sabbath. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
Stores were closed so shopping was out of the question. The visiting was anticipated so the chores that needed to be done, laundry, ironing, grabbing a gallon (or 4) of milk, going to the dry cleaners, etc. all needed to be done before Sunday. Sunday was not a day of work, it was a day of relaxation.
I miss that~
Sunday now, seems to be just another day. The kids who play sports often have a game on Sunday (must to my dismay). The stores are open and so the planning that went into getting things done by Saturday is gone. "There's always tomorrow."
We're busy, busy people.
I don't really think it needs to be this way. I think we need to bring back Sunday as a day of true relaxation. Close the stores so the owners and employees can be with their families. Close the restaurants and cook together!
There are those who would argue that to close on Sunday means the loss of income to the shop and restaurant owners. I would argue that if we do as God commanded and keep the Sabbath holy by getting to Mass and spending Sunday relaxing, rather than making it just one more day, that things would be a whole lot better.
Ask the owners of Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A about profits and being closed on Sunday. I think they would tell you they're doing just fine! They have been in business since the 40's for Chick-fil-A and the 70's for Hobby Lobby. Sunday for them, is a day off. Thus, they and their employees get a well deserved break and can go back to work refreshed.
The roads around our house have been under construction for over two years. They crews work 7 days a week. Trying to get the job done is the goal. I get it. But my mom had a conversation with one of the crew and he told her he was praying for rain. A good hard rain would mean he could go home and have a day off. He was so tired.
How do you get a good days work out of someone who never has an opportunity to do nothing for a little while?
So I put forth a cry for the return to sanity. God knew what He was doing by requiring us to keep holy the Sabbath. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
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