A disasterous attempt at holiness

          I haven’t meant to take a break from blogging for Holy Week.  I have tried to write but the words just would not come.  That, coupled with the busy schedule we have had with lots of company visiting from out of town, and my blog has been quiet for nearly a week.  

          But, now here we are approaching the most holy time of year, the Easter Triduum, and I cannot help but take a few minutes to reflect on it all.  I am certainly no theologian so my reflections are probably not very deep but here they are anyway--

Last year, I tried to commemorate Holy Thursday with a Seder supper for the first time.  I carefully studied the traditional list of foods and made some substitutions so my children would be more willing to eat everything.  I made the food, all the while envisioning a dinner with deep meaning that would make lifelong memories and maybe become a new tradition.  I printed out the appropriate prayers and set the table with great anticipation.  It all looked lovely and would have had deep meaning, if not for the upturned noses and bad attitudes displayed by my children.  They were not in the mood for anything new and were out of sorts that evening.  I had little patience for their lack of enthusiasm.  In the end, only a few of the kids were allowed to chose to stick around to participate.  I am pretty sure they got next to nothing out of the experience since it had been preceded by an argument and a lecture.  Definitely not one of my best parenting moments. 

Our sad attempt at a Seder supper

But I think in many ways, it illustrates what Jesus’ passion was like for those present.  His apostles and many disciples had spent years following Him and preparing for the moment it would be revealed to all that He was the Messiah.   They had great expectation for the glory they would experience as Christ’s closest followers and even had conversations about which of them would be viewed as the greatest.  They didn’t want to even hear of Christ’s coming suffering or of the persecution He would experience.   

Though the clues were all there and Jesus did all He could to let them know the reality of His mission, they were slightly clueless as the First Triduum approached.  They didn’t stay awake to support Him in His hour of agony.  Instead they slept soundly, stuck in their own limited perspectives and their own distorted expectations.   When He was arrested and taken to His death, they ran away despite promises to the contrary.  In the end, only a few of them stuck around to be near Christ in His passion.  They missed the chance to experience up close the beauty of His self-sacrifice on the cross.  They missed the chance to be right there next to Jesus as He truly fulfilled His mission to save us all from something so much bigger than the persecution of the Romans.  The gates of Heaven were opened but where were our early Church fathers at that moment?  Hiding in plain sight just a part of the crowd or maybe cowering in fear where no one would find them?  Definitely not one of their best apostolic moments.

Like the apostles, I have spent my life trying to learn what it really means to be holy and trying to really put God at the center of my life.  But, still I find myself, way too often, caught up in my own expectations and putting all my energy into fulfilling my own agenda.  It is the struggle of humanity to put ourselves aside so that Jesus can dwell within us and work through us.  It is not easy to decrease so that He can increase.

St. Peter and his friends knew that struggle.  They experienced Jesus’ passion as sinners on the sidelines- just like me.  They needed, and benefitted from, Jesus’ sacrifice because they were weak and small and imperfect- just like me.  Jesus knew their weaknesses.  He knew they would fail Him and abandon Him.  He never stopped loving them though.

This Holy Week, I pray I will be as grateful for Christ’s undying love as the apostles were.  And I pray I will be as committed to trying to live out Jesus' love and mercy as the apostles were too- even in my weaknesses and imperfections.

I pray you have a Happy and Holy Triduum! 

P.S.-- This year, in place of a Seder supper, we are trying another new tradition- a Holy Thursday tea, the idea for which I found here at Shower of Roses.

Wanted: Special Easter traditions

        A friend recently asked me if my family had any special devotions or traditions for Easter.  I was surprised as I thought about it, that none came to mind.  We have lots of special devotions for Lent.  We have, always in the past, acknowledged Holy Week with a few devotions and activities, but not consistent ones year after year.  We have lots of traditions for every other holiday and celebration throughout the year, but Easter?  The most holy day of the year, the greatest celebration we, as Christians, ever participate in?  Nothing really.

        Our Easter always starts with Mass, of course, (the children all dress in their special Easter outfits), and with Easter baskets overflowing with candy and treats, and an Easter egg hunt all over the house.  But that is all.  No special devotions, no special Easter prayers, no special traditions unique to our family.  Nothing that sets the holiday apart as more sacred and more significant than any other holiday.  I have just never been able to figure out a tradition or devotion quite special and significant enough.  

        So, I'm wondering, what do other strong, Catholic families do to celebrate Easter and make it holy and special and sacred?   I would love to have my wonderful readers and faithful companions in the blogging world (and real life) share with me their ideas and traditions.


        Please leave a comment and share with me all about your family's Easter traditions.....

A new tradition for Shrove Tuesday

From a wonderful family friend we learned of the tradition of burying the Alleluia during Lent.  I had never heard of such a thing but this year we are excited to participate in the tradition ourselves.  Here are our Alleluia’s made lovingly out of construction paper and glitter:

 Tonight before bed we will all hide our beautiful alleluias somewhere in the house, so they will not be seen during the Lenten season.  The idea is to put away the Alleluia's we have made in the same way Alleluia is "put away" liturgically during the Lenten season. Then, when finally Easter is here and we can celebrate the Resurrection, we will pull out our Alleluias and display them prominently for all to see, just as we will again proclaim “Alleluia” joyfully in our Church!

I love this idea!  Thank you so much Mrs. C. for sharing this beautiful tradition with us!

A birthday at our house- time for more balloons!

Happy birthday to my 7 year old!

            In our house we have a special little tradition….on your birthday, the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning is a bunch of brightly colored balloons.    I firmly believe no one should start their birthday off in a room without festive birthday balloons! 

We started this tradition when our oldest was two years old.  On her second birthday, she awoke to two balloons tied to the end of her bed.  She was so excited that day to see two big balloons, just for her!  Every birthday since, the number of balloons has increased by one.  Her siblings have had birthday balloons from the very start- beginning with their very first birthdays. 

This morning it was my youngest son who awoke to a big bunch of bright birthday balloons on his bed.  Seven colorful balloons greeted him to remind him that today is his special day.  After breakfast, he posed with his seven balloons for the official birthday picture.  This latest picture will join the others of him, one from every year with the corresponding number of balloons, to mark off the passing of time and the joy of growing older, wiser and taller with each additional balloon.  

Our birthday balloon tradition actually had its roots in my childhood.  I remember only one birthday, my fourth, waking up to balloons over my bed but that early morning festivity and the cheerful feeling it filled me with made for such a special day that I had to make it a yearly tradition for my children.  

 The pictures of each of them with their birthday balloons has made the tradition that much more special for me too!  Looking back at all the pictures and the changes in their little smiling faces is such a beautiful way to commemorate their birthdays and the growth and maturity each year brings.

Happy Birthday to my big seven year old, may your 7 balloons be only the beginning of the magic and joy of the day!!!!!!!

Date night for Tim and his girls

The girls' dresses all laid out and ready for the dance....

            Tonight my wonderful husband is going out on a date.  He will dance the night away and feast on special treats, and I will not be with him.  

He will be spending the evening with three very beautiful young ladies who adore him as much as I do and I am not one bit upset about it.  It is the annual Father-Daughter dance at our church and, as they have for the past four or five years, my little girls will dress in their best party dresses and be taken out and treated like princesses by their daddy.   It is one of our favorite traditions for Valentine’s Day.  

It said on the flyer that the organizers passed out after Masses the past few weekends:

            “We began hosting the Father-Daughter Valentine dance with the goal of creating a ministry to emphasize the importance of father-daughter relationships.  The hope is that fathers (and father figures) can help to set a dating standard by showing their daughters how they should expect to be treated on a date.  That mission is being accomplished in addition to having lots of fun!”

            How awesome is that?!?!?!?   And it is so true.  I tell my girls all the time that they should pray God will send them husbands who will treat them as well as their father treats me.  I hold Tim up as an example all the time and tell my girls they should settle for nothing less than a man who will honor them and respect them and love them completely.  I can think of no better way to encourage that, than to let them be the object of that honor and respect and love as their daddy’s date for the Valentine dance.   Of course, since we have three girls they have to share daddy at the dance……. but I am pretty sure they understand that on a date with a real suitor someday (in thirty years or so), they alone should be treated with honor and respect.

            My girls are all still (way) too young to really be thinking about dating or how a man should treat them or what to look for in a husband but it is never too early to set a standard and give a positive example of what a Christ-centered relationship looks and feels like.   

            So my girls and my husband will all set off this evening for a night of fun together that will hopefully remind our daughters of their beauty and dignity as the princesses (daughters of the one true King of all heaven and earth) they are.  

            And me?  I will be just fine at home, with my own dates.  My two charming boys and I will be having a party of our own complete with ice cream sundaes and games. After all, the girls and daddy should not have all the fun!   

"The Wreath Game"

            We have a lot of special Advent and Christmas traditions.  Most of them, Tim and I thought about and planned, thinking about the true meaning of the season and ways we could prepare for and celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

     One of my children’s favorite traditions this time of year, however, did not arise from calculated forethought.  Somehow, all on their own, they decided several years ago it would be fun to count wreaths.  They watched out the windows of the car as I drove around during December and started noticing all the festive decorations around town.  I do not know why it was the wreaths they decided to focus their efforts on but as I said, somehow a tradition was born.  It is known affectionately as "The Wreath Game" around my house.

one....

This is probably the fourth year of wreath counting, and so far, it is off to a great start.  The tallies, marked on pieces of scrap paper retrieved from the floor of the minivan, are rising quickly.  “I have seen 24,” one child will shout and the others will chime in with their latest numbers.  I must remind them repeatedly that our wreath counting is just for fun, not a competition.  Yet, they seem to be trying to top each other’s numbers constantly.  We have, thankfully, had no real fights over wreath numbers though there have been a few claims that have been disputed.  “You did not see seven more wreaths in the last two minutes!”  So far, we have been able to handle all disputes peacefully, mostly by my reminding them again, that wreath counting is for fun and not a competition.  

two....

 Anyway,  this morning alone, as we drove to math class and back, the children saw upwards of 140 wreaths adorning the doors and windows of our friends and neighbors houses.  We took the long way around two different neighborhoods to give them an opportunity to look for even more wreaths.    It is such a silly meaningless little thing, but they all get into it and enjoy it every year.  From the 13 year old to the 2 year old (who cannot really count at all) it is fun for all.  I’m hoping that people will keep their wreaths up long enough that the 2 year old will start counting properly any day now and maybe by next year she’ll be ready for adding and subtracting, maybe multiplying and dividing, maybe algebraic equations …. 

three....