Washed by the Water
28 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
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Tomorrow, my baby boy will be three weeks old. He’s such a sweet baby. He has beautiful eyes that just watch all that’s going on. This week, I am feeling a whole lot better so I’m getting back into the swing of things around the house. I got rid of 4 black garbage bags of outgrown clothes of my daughter and mine. She’s growing bigger and I don’t anticipate having any more babies so I’m getting rid of maternity clothes.
Today, when the baby went down for a nap, I got the other three outside to get our garden started. We planted some carrots, lettuce and zinnias. I’m using the lasagna gardening method. It’s awesome! I feel so empowered that I can layer things slowly when the time is available. And I don’t feel like I’m weeding only for them to reappear a few weeks later. The layers of cardboard, leaves and such have really eliminated a lot of weeds.
As we finished planting, it began to rain. I didn’t realize that the next three days have a chance of thunderstorms. Hoping that it doesn’t wash away all the seeds. It made me think of how the water is to remind us of our baptismal promises. It has been neat to recognize the importance of water in salvation history. The waters came down in the Flood for 40 days and nights and afterwards God made his covenant with Noah. The Israelites passed through the Red Sea before entering the wilderness on a journey that would last 40 years. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist before entering the desert for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. It is so neat to see how God’s plan unfolded over the course of history.
Temptation, Forgiveness and Renewal
27 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
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I gave up Facebook for Lent. I turned off the mobile notifications and email notifications. Avoiding Facebook has turned out to be the easy part. The temptation is how to fill up that free time. It should be filled with prayer and Bible study. But it is very tempting to fill it with movies, music and other web-surfing. Fighting these little temptations helps to exercise self-restraint, build self-control and eventually perfect self-mastery. Bigger temptations will be down the road. I’m thankful for the season of Lent and the preparation for battles to come.
Forgiveness is another area of focus that is appropriate for Lent. In this process of converting to Catholicism, I have found old grudges and areas of unforgiveness have literally vanished. Even after being done wrong since then, I couldn’t hold onto a new grudge. The funny thing is that I’m not really sure when this change occurred. It snuck up on me. I suspect that it has something to do with letting go of pride in thinking that I have it all figured out. The Lord’s Prayer is a powerful reminder of the importance of forgiveness. Also, the examination of conscience eliminates any illusions that I am in any less need of forgiveness.
One of the suggested penances is to pray for someone you don’t like and that doesn’t like you. Pray for blessings upon their lives. After 40 days of prayer for someone, it would be hard to continue disliking them. People that hold onto these grudges think that by doing so, they are punishing the other person. Not so, it hurts you more than anyone. And I know. I’ve been there and am so thankful to be free from that vicious cycle. This simple practice of prayer could bring about a renewal in our lives.
Another area of renewal is in our homes. The suggestion of clearing out clutter to benefit charities has been on my mind the past few days. I had saved all the little girl clothes just in case I and the ultrasound technician was wrong about our baby being a boy. This week, I’m going to go through all her old clothes. I’ll save a few outfits for her to keep. I’ll save some of the nicer things just in case my cousin and his wife have a little girl in August. The rest will go to the thrift store.
Kids and Lent
25 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Lent
While my husband and I will be confirmed at Easter Vigil this year, our two oldest boys won’t receive First Communion until next year. So this year, I wanted to keep Lent pretty simple for them. I explained the season and gave them a choice to eliminate candy or reduce TV time. They chose to give up TV time.
I was surfing some blogs and found a long post about all that Lent is about. The links to other resources are so helpful. I signed the boys up for the Lenten Adventure series through Holy Heroes. It includes activity pages, coloring pages, videos and audio series. The boys loved the idea about the Bean jar. For every sacrifice that the boys make, they put a bean in a jar in anticipation of Easter morning when they turn into jelly beans. My second child is super excited about it.
I think it is quite important to show the children how to deprive themselves of what they desire and what they can have. Our lives can easily be consumed with satisfying ourselves. It sadly creates an idol out of ourselves. The purpose to Lent to me is to get out of our ruts and make sure that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is solely the recipient of our worship and adoration.
Almsgiving
24 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Lent
Lent is a three-fold journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Almsgiving can be money, time or talents. There are many worthwhile charities and causes. When the children are older, I hope to be more active in ministries like the food pantry and such. One ministry that is very beneficial to me at the moment is Divine Office.
The process of fasting and eating more simply and inexpensively should free some money in our budgets to allocate to the ministry (ies) as the Lord leads.
I am very impressed with Catholic Relief Services. They meet practical needs in an efficient, intelligent manner. After watching the video on HIV relief, I am confident any donation will be used responsibly and effectively.
More ideas:
Donate time to Habitat for Humanity
Knit hats, blankats and prayer shawls
Sew baby items for families in need
Clear out clutter to donate to a thrift store that supports a ministry or organize a yard sale for a family in need
Visit shut-ins and nursing home residents
Cook meals for a new parent or a family in mourning or battling illness.
Add your own ideas for following Christ’s example of ministering to the sick, poor and forgotten.
More than big toe deep
23 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
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We started lent yesterday. My husband, two oldest boys and I have our plan together for what we will each give up and what good will be added. I love how it is representative of the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert which was needed to purge their sins and also of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness. I just love how the Catholic faith makes the Bible come alive in our daily lives.
I like this explanation from A Holy Experience. “one needs to be dispossessed of the possessions that possess — before one can be possessed of God.” How true! So much in our lives compete for our attention. It’s easy to neglect the important things.
I listened to the story of another convert to Catholicism. He had taken the gospel to Eastern Europe. He had participated twice in 40 day fasts. His denomination had a lot of songs about God being a river. One night, while praying, God spoke to him saying that he was not a river. He was an ocean. And this man was only big toe deep. If a man of that spiritual accomplishment was only big toe deep, am I even on the beach?
I hope that this season of lent will get us more than big toe deep. It’s a little scary but I want His current to pull me in deep. I have to let go of control and go where He leads. I have to acknowledge that the ocean is not something that I can be in and still control my direction. His current will carry me where He desires.
Blessings to all on this Lenten journey.
