candle lit

Remember this post about praying in a candle lit church with my teenage sons?  I got a chance to do it again!  This is simply one of the best things!  Their high school's team made it to the final game of the state championship.  The big game was last Saturday, so Friday evening found us attempting to locate proper spirit clothing for them to wear to the game.  (Thank you to the wonderful parents of their friend who took them.)  Since we were in the area, I asked them if they wanted to stop at the church and light a candle.  (We seem to mostly do this for football games that we want decided in our favor.)

One son strenuously objected, so I continued on my way.  Gotta pick your battles, you know.  We stopped at the Walgreen's down the street to pick up some items and then I headed the car towards home.  "Aren't we going to light a candle?" the objecting teen asked.  These are opportunities you can't pass up, so I made a U-Turn and headed back to the church.  We bought the candle, lit it, and the objector offered a prayer....out loud!

Not wanting to end there, I invited them to sit down in  the pews in the dark and just soak up the peace.  It was a moment that lasted only a few minutes, but God must know what He has to work with.  We approached the tabernacle, and we talked about that for a minute or two.  And then we headed home.

Their team did not win, but as my husband said, "God did His part....the offense did not."  They had plenty of breaks that they did not capitalize on. 

Maybe this excuses the fact that our Advent wreath finally has candles, but has not been lit.  I'm thinking now, I might as well just save those candles for next year!  And they are objecting heavily to going to confession for Advent, since they just went last month for catechism, and I will probably not force that issue.

advent and other random thoughts

Or alternately titled "seven not-so-quick takes"

1.  The wonderful liturgical season of Advent.  Possibly my favorite.  It stands in contrast to the fever pitch that the rest of society reaches at this time of the year.  It has been a good one, so far, for me.  I have done a little bit of my Christmas shopping already.  (this is a first!)  Taking advantage of some of the early sales and not creating more pressure for myself at the last minute.  One thing I have tried to do is to read one of the readings from the daily Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours.  (There's a free app for that.)  There are two readings each day after the Psalms.  One is from scripture and the other is usually a homily or some writing from a saint or someone significant in the early church.  Today's was kind of "out there", but some are really good.  There is such a wealth of unread treasure in our church.

2.  Speaking of church...Thursday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  A holy day.  I took my boys with me to 6:30 Mass.  It wasn't really a huge sacrifice...we left the house a little later than we usually do when they catch the bus.  We did the same for All Saint's Day and they made it to school before the tardy bell rang.  I guess the new translation runs a little longer, because this time we didn't make it.  They were 8 or so minutes late.  Not to worry....religious observance is an excused absence.  So I went in with them to check them in.  I said something to this effect to the Assistant Principal who was standing there (I used to work with her long ago).  She had some comment like "good try".  Kind of uncalled for, I thought, and they marked the kids as "unexcused".  They both called my attention to it, and I just told them I would research it further.

I found a copy of the student handbook when I got to school, and sure enough...  So I emailed someone in the office of Census and Attendance for clarification.  He told me to email him my children's names and he would take care of it..

3.   I can check their grades and attendance record on line.  The greatest thing ever.  There's a free app for that, too.

4.  I had an observation on Monday(by my principal).  He's a pretty laid-back kind of guy, so I wasn't really too stressed.  I had him come when I have fifth grade.  Oh my!  I had two that claimed they had headaches and they didn't do anything.  My student with autism was in full autistic mode.  Another one took his shoes off and then decided in the middle of my math lesson that his desk needed to be 409'd.  It was a circus.  But it is over.  As he left,my principal said, "Well, THAT was interesting."  Oh well.  Laugh.  Cry.  It is what it is and it's why I cling dearly to the brink of sanity.  He did say that I "handled it well." 

5.  Our parish has an annual Christmas concert called "Lessons and Carols".  Scripture readings alternating with Christmas songs.  I go every year...usually the guys stay  home and watch football.  I have been toying with the idea of becoming a lector at Mass.  It's been a thought for a long time - even before I was asked to be a Eucharistic Minister.  Some of the people who read...oh my...I try to be charitable, but sometimes I just want to scream, "It's 'expiate" not 'expedite"!     But I am reluctant to volunteer...you know...what if I suck at it?  So earlier in the week, I had the idea of reading for Lessons and Carols.  It could be a kind of trial run.  But then I figured that readers had already been selected.  Today on FB, our parish's music director was lamenting the fact that he had picked the "wrong" weekend.  Our local university football team is playing in a bowl game in New Orleans and the Saints play on Sunday, and some of the readers wouldn't be back in time.  So I offered to read.  :-)  Cool how God arranges things sometimes. 

6.  My kids are going to New Orleans this weekend with a friend (one of their wrapping buddies)  to watch the football team from their school play for the State Championship.  The house where they are staying is right by the French Quarter.  They were excited.

7; I prayed for my car the other night.  (I got the idea from one of our Bible Studies.)  The 4-wheel-drive on my vehicle seems to be going out.  Sometimes it gets stuck in 4WD, but always the next time I start it, it is back to normal.  Last week, one day, it was stuck in 4WD all day.   So after I dropped off my young 'en at the football game, I stopped in at the church just for a minute.  "Lord, if you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate it if you could get the stupid thing out of 4 wheel drive."  I went back out, got in the car and guess what???  It was out of 4WD!  I love how God is there in even the little details of our lives.

mental health day

It's been quite a while since I've had a real "mental health day".  But today was such a day.  My youngest had a haircut appointment at 3:00, and this year the only way I can swing hair appointments is to take off of work.  Last time I just took half a day.  Today, I figured it was a good excuse to skip the whole darn day.

I got dressed and made my lunch just like I was going to work.  Is that dishonest?  It was MY mental health day and I wanted to do what I wanted to do.  Alone.  Us introverts recharge by being alone. 

I took the kids to the bus stop as I do every morning.  At 6:10, it is still dark (except for a couple of weeks after the time change).  A few mornings we have gotten there and the bus was waiting.   Not sure if it was waiting or if we just arrived at the same time.  Today from a street over, we saw flashing lights where the bus stop is.  Our buses are pretty flashy in the darkness.  But alas, it was a fire truck. Just stopped in the street.  I waited a minute and then crossed in front of it (trying to get out of the way)  It blew its horn at me!  Sheesh.

I started off my morning with Mass.  There is no better way.  This little church is not too far from my house, and I try to hit daily Mass there once a week...usually on Tuesdays, when my parish doesn't have Mass.  I like this picture that shows the light coming from within this gloomy morning.

After that, I passed by my school.  I had to drop off some lemons and check on paperwork that I had only half-way filled out.  Have I mentioned that we have lemons?

Lots and lots of lemons.  We have "squeezed and freezed" at least 30 cups of lemon juice.  Probably more.

After a brief visit at school (I am NOT here...you never saw me...) I went to the nearby church.  It is open during the day and a wonderful spot for me to spend some time with Jesus.  This is my before-school stop and usually I just visit with Him in the tabernacle, but on Tuesdays they have Adoration.  I spent a good while there - probably close to an hour.  It was nice to be able to take my time and not rush.

I took the pictures "on the down-low", using my zoom and without a flash.  I didn't want to disturb the other "adorers".  It occurred to me that Jesus first had to endure the cross before he could be present to us under the appearance of bread in the monstrance.  One such an ugly reality, and the other so beautiful.  Our lives parallel that in some ways.  We endure...in hopes of that eternal beauty.

After this, I moved on to walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill.  Normally, I don't work out on Tuesdays, but I'd left my water bottle there yesterday, and figured that "something was better than nothing" in the world of work-outs.  I really don't enjoy working out all that much, but I do feel better when I do.  I come in, do my time and leave.

It was a dismal fall day.  Misty off-and-on rain.  Gray skies.  Cold.  Wind.

I went across town to deposit a check and to do a little shopping.  I bought 4 advent candles.  Yeah, I know I'm a little late, but I have not been able to find them this year.  I may be the only one in my family who has missed them.

For the first time, I have a house that is decorate-able, so I looked at Christmas decor.  Oh my!  It costs some $$ to look good.  I guess I'll have to work up to decorating very slowly.  Or just appreciate other people's decorating that much more!

All in all it was quite peaceful and enjoyable.

I picked up my younger after school to take him for his hair-cut.  For some reason, his brother rode the bus home.  While I was sitting at the hair place, my phone rang.  He was home, but had lost his key and it was cold.  I told him to jump the fence into the back yard and the dog would probably keep him from freezing to death.  His brother had a complicated solution that involved going through the attic and assumed that a door would be unlocked.

So being a problem solver and a critical thinker, he came up with this.  Step on the chair.  To the top of the government trash can (that just happened to be in the backyard, because they cleaned last weekend).  To the top of the kitty litter bucket (we had filled it with acorns).  A jump to grab hold of the railing.  Pull yourself up.  Step over the railing and into the unlocked balcony door.

He demonstrated.  Ah...to be young and strong again.  Upper body strength and all of that.  Oh well.  Sometimes I'd just settle for being able to walk and cough at the same time.  But I digress....

All in all, a pretty decent day.  I think it went much better than the observation I had yesterday.  I'll have to cover that in another post.

it's a wrap

Last night, there were 4 teenage boys at my house.  All attend the same high school, and two had just watched their team win the semi-final game of the state play-offs.

I was in my room, and they were between the XBox upstairs and the television downstairs.  At about 11:30, I got up to check on them, turn off the lights, lock the doors, etc.  The TV was blaring, but there was not another sound in the house.  The absence of 4 teenage boys is a deafening sound.

I checked bedrooms, balcony, backyard, garage...not a trace.  Looked down the street...listened in the quiet neighborhood.  Nothing.  Called their cell phones.  Nothing.  So - not wanting to tell two other parents that I had lost their children - I got into my mom-mobile to search the streets.

A few blocks over, I saw toilet paper fluttering from the trees.  Hmmm......Not a very professional job, I must say.  And the mess...they left a roll in the street.  And bits and pieces like a bread crumb trail.

They saw me as I left, and so they arrived home before I did (and called me when they did).  They knew they were caught.  And truth be told, I was more upset that they had left without saying anything than the actual TP'ing.  Of course, if they would have said they were leaving, I would have surely told them, "no". 

So at nearly midnight, I was following them in my car while they picked up most of the mess that they had made....the scraps of paper and half used rolls in the street.  I think they were having the time of their lives.  I have been hearing rumblings of such a plan for quite a while, and last night, all the pieces fell into place for them to put it into action.  One of my offspring called it a "Celebration Wrap" in honor of their team winning a place in the State Championship game next weekend.

This is where the Mom Manual falls short.  On the one-hand, a fairly harmless rite of passage.   On the other hand, in this day and age of crazy people, not the best late night activity.  Am I a slacker mom if I don't get horribly upset about this?  Or are my children beginning a life of criminal activity with this (I have some mom friends who's children would n.e.v.e.r do such a thing!)

And then tonight, I snapped this picture of 3 of the 4.  My oldest has discovered his talents as a bar-b-q chef.  They thawed the steaks, seasoned them, and cooked them on the grill.  Medium rare.  And then sat down at the table like normal people to eat their one-course man meal.

Not sure what the attraction is with the white hat (that I used to wear in high school, I think).  But he can bar-b-q some mean steaks.

lost in translation?

I confess, I am a liturgical geek.  So here are my musings, as such...

Thursday, at Thanksgiving Mass, I knew that would be the last time I would hear that particular translation of the Mass.  No big fanfare.

Friday morning, we replaced the missalettes at our parish, as we do every so often, usually coinciding with a change in liturgical seasons.  But this time was special.  This time, there were pew cards, too!  The Ladies' Altar Society was in charge of changing the missalettes (and I showed up, along with a Boy Scout and his family because none of the ladies can lift the full boxes once the old missalettes are packed up).  But our pastor had charged our sacristan with putting the pew cards in the pews.  He guarded that duty with great care!  After the ladies had all left, he and I chatted for a bit.  I offered to help him with the cards - he suffers with arthritis and various other ailments - but he declined.  I was stepping into my car, about to leave him to his task, when he reconsidered, "Would you mind helping me?"  Not at all. 

I was ready for Mass on Saturday evening a full hour ahead of time.  I wanted to be there for the unveiling of this new translation, for sure!  History in the making!  You could feel the excitement!

The "pew cards" contain a condensed version of the new translation of the Mass, so that you are not stuck flipping through the missalette.  This is the first real change in about 40 years.  "Translation Sunday", our cantor called it.  I thought he had the best line of the evening when he was reviewing some of the musical changes with us..."The words to the Great Amen have not changed...it's still 'amen.'"  Well, thank goodness for small favors, I suppose.

It was a little overwhelming with both new music and the new translation.  Even though Father reminded everyone before he began Mass that "and also with you" would now be "and with your spirit," 20 seconds later, when he said "Peace be with you," the replies were about 50/50  "and also with you/ and with your spirit."  It is just so automatic for most of us. By the end of the Mass, you were thinking about every word before you spoke it...."Amen is still amen?  The Our Father...it didn't change, did it?  Lord hear our prayer?...still good?"  This morning, at the end of Mass, Father said to "Go in Peace," and some people questioningly mumbled, "Thanks be to God." 

Our good monsignor, who has really down-played the whole new translation thing, said that he hadn't been this nervous for his first Mass.  But all, in all, it went pretty well for a first time, and it will get better each week.   I put a shout-out on my facebook page to all my Catholic friends and family "on leave" from the church.  Come back now, and you will be as lost as everyone else!  Really, a limited-time opportunity.

I like the new sound of the prayers.  Like a well seasoned dish, rather than a plain piece of bread.  They have made it even more beautiful!

Because I am a liturgical geek, I noticed a couple of months ago, that our pastor had tweaked ever so slightly the part of Mass where he said "This is the Lamb of God...."  He began to end it with the same ending as the new translation.  Last night, I realized why...the server clears the Missal from the altar during the Sign of Peace, so our priest says that part from memory.  All he needed to do last night was to add the beginning.

I noticed another something and that was as he prepared the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer.  From atop the chalice (?) he took a cloth (the corporal?) and unfolded it, spreading it on the altar before beginning his prayer.  Not sure if that was a universal change, or just an option he decided to exercise.

 And...last but not least our altar servers had new albs after a gazillion years of the old ones!! 

Happy New Year to my Catholic friends!  May your Advent find you waiting at the door of your heart...ready to open with the Lord knocks!

prayer

Oh, the variety we have for prayers.  Sometimes it is almost overwhelming.

The way I pray is something that I've been thinking about...perhaps praying about...in my quiet times the past week or two.

Earlier this year, I think it was around Lent or Easter, I remember telling my confessor that prayer had become a lot less structured for me.  For several years I had prayed Morning Prayer and/or Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, but at this point, it had just become something to "get through", something to check off of the "to-do" list.  He had told me that it was fine for prayer to take on a less-structured form, but to "keep listening" because it might well be that I would find myself looking for more structured again in the future. 

And sure enough....I'm there.  There is just SO much - like 2000 years worth - of prayers to choose from.  There is the Rosary and Scripture.  The Divine Mercy Chaplet.  And the Liturgy of the Hours.  Prayers from various Saints that speak to the soul.  It's an endless all-you-can-pray buffet.

To add in to my thoughts, I ran across something a few weeks ago... The Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People.  Before I read it I thought to myself, "well, I ought to have at least 3 or 4 of these down."  Uh, not.  Briefly, they are:  the morning offering, 15 minutes of silent prayer, 15 minutes of spiritual reading, daily Mass, praying the Angelus at noon, the Rosary, and an examination of conscience every night.  I can claim about 2 of those - Mass and silent prayer - on a nearly daily basis.  Sometimes during my time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I fit in some spiritual reading or part of the Rosary.  (Does anyone else seem to be able to only finish 3/5 of the Rosary?) And almost always before I leave, I say an Act of Contrition.

And so my quest continues for something with more structure.  I had kind of hoped to start it along with the beginning of Advent.  Tomorrow evening begins the new Liturgical year.  All of us American Catholics will be met with a different translation of the prayers we say at Mass and our parish will roll out beautiful new albs for our altar servers (the old ones had definitely seen better days).  It's a time for new things.

So, just kind of wondering, what does your prayer look like?

thanksgiving

The other morning, before school, I was doing some reflecting.  In his homily that morning, the good priest had mentioned that one of his favorite penances to give is for the penitent to spend time thinking of the ways that God shows His great love to them.  Ways that the Kingdom of God is present in our lives.  Surely I've gotten some variation of that a time or two, and it seemed like a good starting place for mediation that particular morning.

Eucharist literally means thanksgiving.  And since all that we are and have comes from and through God...here is what came to mind that morning.... 

The ways God shows His great love to me:

(very creative title, right?)

In his forgiveness.

(I guess the mention of this being a favorite penance had forgiveness right there on the top of my head.)

In the Eucharist.

In the people he gives to me as family.

In the coolness of the morning.

In the beauty of my house.

In the quiet stillness of this church.

In the patience and kindness of the people whom I work with.

In the students that he sends me to teach.  All of them sent for a reason.

 In the trials He sends that lead me to Him.

In His dying and rising to save me.

In the small moments He sends when things go just about right.

In the wonderful priests He has sent to our parish.

In His word, when whatever question I had is beautifully answered.

In those who suffer with surrender.

We have much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope your day is wonderful!