catholic family faith

Advice to a High School Senior...

There's more life beyond the now, today.  More ups.  More downs.  New friends and old friends.  Even some not-so-nice people.  More crazy times.  And calm times.  Anticipation.  And remembering. 

Savor every moment.  In the hard times, take a deep breath and look for a better time, and end to the difficulty.  Celebrate the good times with every molecule of your self. 

Cherish friendships, especially those with kindred spirits, people who like the things you like.  (You will meet more people who like what you like!)

And no matter what you are facing, know that you are not alone!

Back to School Supplies...Don't Forget Jesus!

This is the time of year when families are busy getting all the stuff that the students in their households need for going back to school.  New clothes & shoes (that fit), pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks, folders, binders, backpacks, lunch boxes...the list really could go on and on.  With all these back to school supplies, don't forget the most important supply of all...

Jesus!

While students need certain items to get a good start to the school year, the one most basic and essential need is a student's connection to Jesus! 

New clothes and shoes can help students feel good about how they look on the first day of school.  Jesus can help students feel good about who they are every moment of every day of their lives.

Pencils, pens, crayons, and markers can help students write and draw and express themselves.  Jesus can help students realize all the unique and creative gifts that they can use to be who God created them to be.

Notebooks, folders, and binders can help students hold together their papers and stay organized.  Jesus can help students hold together their feelings and emotions and de-stress so that they can better focus on what is important.

Backpacks and lunch boxes can help students carry around all their stuff.  Jesus can help students carry around all the love that God and their families have for them.

So don't let the students in your household start the new school year without their most important supply...Jesus!

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 30, 2009

First Reading:  Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8

Psalm 15:2-3,3-4,4-5

Second Reading:  James 1:17-18,21b-22,27

Gospel:  Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

 

In today’s Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus seems to contradict the command given by Moses in the first reading from Deuteronomy.  Moses tells the Israelites that they must follow the commands of the Lord without adding to it or subtracting from it.  Then when the Pharisees confront Jesus with not following the commands of Moses, Jesus calls them hypocrites.  This is all very confusing!

 

When children are young, they need to be told what to do.  Parents teach their kids how to behave and get along in society by giving them instructions on what to do or not to do in given situations.  In the same way, under Moses, because the Israelites were still learning how to live as children of God, they needed to be told what to do.

 

As children grow, however, they begin to behave not just because of what their parents taught them, but because they see the purpose behind the reasons for their actions.  When Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites, he did so because they were still acting like children, doing what they were told to do without really thinking about the purpose behind their actions.  While they were following the Law of Moses, they were overlooking the real truth of purity.  While they practiced the purity rituals, their hearts and minds were impure.

 

At some point in their lives, parents need to help their children understand the reasons for actions so that they can maintain a balance between what they do and what they believe.

 

Faith Chat Question:  

Why do you do what you do?  Do you blindly do as your told, or do you do what you do with conviction and belief?

Faith Response:  Together, talk about some of the things that we do as Catholic Christians.  Consider especially some of the actions of our Eucharistic Liturgy, the Mass.  Discuss why we do those things.  If you’re not sure why we do what we do, research the actions to find out more about them.

Pray:  Jesus, you want us to be responsible for what we do.  Help us to understand what we do so that our actions reflect what we believe in our hearts.  Amen.

 

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 23, 2009

In the Old Testament reading, Joshua asks the tribes of Israel to make a choice:  Will you serve the Lord or will you serve other gods?  In the Gospel, Jesus poses a similar question to his disciples:  Do you want to leave?

God created each human person with free will.  While God created us to love God, we have the choice to follow God or go our own way.

By their examples and choices, parents can help their children learn about Jesus, but ultimately, it is an individual's choice whether or not to follow Jesus.  It is sometimes not an easy process of discerning and choosing which path to follow.  Parents may get frustrated with their children as they go through this process of searching for what they believe and how they will express their belief.  It may be difficult for parents as they see their children turning away from the faith in which they were raised.

Just as God is patient with each person, parents need to be patient and supportive of their children as they search their hearts for what they truly believe.  Just as God always loves us and welcomes us back from our wayward paths, parents should continually express their love for their children and welcome them with understanding and forgiveness.

Faith Chat Question:  To whom do you go when you are looking for meaning or seeking answers to life's questions?

Faith Response:  Have each family member write on a slip of paper a decision that they have to make or a question that they have about their faith.  Then invite each person to share, if they choose, what they wrote on their paper.  Discuss options for their decisions or thoughts pertaining to their faith question.  Put the slips of paper in a container on your prayer/kitchen table. Keep those decisions and questions and one another in prayer through the week.

Prayer:  Jesus, Bread of Life, you have the words of everlasting life.  Help us to be comfortable turning to you and to one another as we search for answers to our questions.  Amen.

 

 

Start of School

Notebooks, folders, binders, pencils, markers, crayons, backpacks, clothes, shoes, socks...  The list could go on and on.  School supplies.  Stores are at the height of back-to-school sales.  Seeing these sales can cause excitement and anxiety for both parents and students.  It's exciting to get new clothes, new supplies, but it can be kind of scary to start a new school year.  A new grade, a new building, a new school district, a new teacher, a new schedule, the first day ever...  Wondering what to expect:  Will people like me?  Do I have everything I need?  Will I know where I need to go?  What if I have to go to the bathroom during the day?  So many questions...so many anxieties. 

As a parent, you are likely concerned for your child.  You want your child to have a good experience of school, especially the first day.  Check out this link at FamilyEducation.com for some suggestions for battling the Back-to-School Butterflies:  http://school.familyeducation.com/back-to-school/63651.html.

What do you like to do to ease your child's transition into school?  What ideas do you want to try this year?

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 16, 2009

Today's readings offer us invitations:  To Wisdom's banquet and to eat the Bread of Life.  While we may never fully grasp the meaning of the mysteries involved in attending the Heavenly Banquet and feasting on the Bread of Life, we are always trying to better understand these mysteries.

 

Family members often have the opportunity to help one another better understand the mystery of Jesus' presence in our world and in our lives.  Through encouraging words and meaningful conversations about faith, family members can together grow in their knowledge and understanding of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

Faith Chat Question:  Jesus promises us that if we eat his flesh and drink his blood we will have eternal life.  What is hard to believe about this?  What difficulties do you have in living your faith?  How is living your faith easy?

Faith Response:  At the end of each day this week, whether at your evening meal or at bed time, discuss together how you recognized Jesus present with you through the day.

Prayer:  Jesus, Bread of Life, you promised us that you would always be with us if we just believe in you.  Help us to better understand the mystery of your presence.  Amen.

Rainy Day Activities

It's a rainy day in West Michigan.  We had a great thunderstorm this morning.  I love thunderstorms on lazy Saturday mornings.  There's just something about being at home, together with family, during a storm.

One of parents' challenges can be keeping their kids busy on rainy days.  I'm sure you have some activities that you do with your kids on rainy days so you could likely add to the following list.

• Watch TV or movies together, snuggle together as you watch
• Play computer or video games together, WII or XBox or whatever you might have
• Play cards, a good ol' fashioned game of Fish, Rummy, Crazy Eights, or War can bring out grunts of frustration and squeals of laughter
• Play board games
• Read books together in the same room or read stories aloud
• Read stories from the Bible
• Turn on some music and dance
• Color either in color books or create your own pictures
• Color pictures of what God might look like
• Paint
• Create sculptures with playdough
• Bake some brownies or cookies
• Look through family photos
• Clean out closets and drawers
• Paint/color windows with Crayola window crayons or paint
• Write stories - each person adds a sentence or section to a collectively written story
• Clean out junk drawers
• Pray a Rosary or other devotional
• Sit, talk, and just enjoy the rain
• If it's warm and not thundering, go outside and play in the rain

You can keep a plastic bin of crayons, paints, pencils, paper, cards, dice, and other fun things to pull out on a rainy day.

What does your family enjoy doing on rainy days?

For more rainy day activities, check out these websites:

Top 10 Rainy Day Activities from FamilyEducation.com - http://fun.familyeducation.com/slideshow/indoor-games/61356.html?detoured=1

Rainy Day Activities from FamilyFun.com - http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/spring-rainy-day-activities-ms/

Boredom Busters - http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/bored.htm

Family Fitness - http://familyfitness.about.com/od/waystoplay/tp/rainy_day_activities.htm

EEK's Rainy Day Activities - http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/cool/rainyday.htm

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 9, 2009

Parents and guardians strive to make sure that their children have the physical necessities of life, including shelter, clothing and food.  They work to provide shelter and clothing.  They prepare food to feed their children.

Just as they care for the physical needs of their children, Christian parents also care for the spiritual needs of their children.  Some of the ways parents help nurture their children's spirituality are

• Praying together at meals, bed time, or other times through the day;
• Readings stories from a Children's Bible;
• Sharing personal faith stories about how they have experienced God;
• Participating in Mass and the Sacraments.

God gave the Israelites manna in the desert to feed their physical hunger, then Jesus came as the Bread of Life to feed our spiritual hunger.  As they provide for the physical and spiritual needs of their children, Christian parents reflect God to their children.

Faith Chat Question:  How does your faith in Jesus nourish and strengthen you to live a good life?

Faith Response:  Talk about ways to nurture your family life.  Create a Spiritual Nutrition Plan for your family.  As you would include fruits and vegetables in a plan for physical nutrition, consider what "food" your family might need in your plan for spiritual nourishment.  Your Spiritual Nutrition Plan might include more regular prayer, more and better communication, or anything else your family might need to grow closer to one another and to Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  Jesus, Bread of Life, may our faith in you nourish and strengthen us.  Amen.

Summer Slow-down?

So you may notice that I haven't posted anything since the beginning of July.  Isn't summer supposed to be a time to slow down?  Not for me...at least not this year.

At the end of June my mother-in-law passed away.  God bless and keep her.  Then our parish geared up for Vacation Bible School, which was a blast.  At the same time as VBS, my daughter was in a play, The Reluctant Dragon; she was Dragon.  So I was taking her and picking her up from rehearsals and then she had weekend performances.  Today is the first day in what feels like a long time that I've had time to clean our house (I've just been wiping things down the areas that were the grossest) and now to sit down and catch up with emails and Facebook friends and Catholic Family Faith.

Is your summer this busy?

It is inevitable that families will be busy.  Schedules get exponentially busier as the number of people involved increases.  I have vague memories of my husband and I, before kids, walking through Meijer just to pass the time.  We didn't buy anything, we just walked and talked.  Schedules also get busier when the web of contact increases.  When our kids were young, before they started school, we were busy with work and church activities, but we still seemed to have time to relax with our kids at the end of each day.  As the kids got busier in school with sports, music, theater, and friends, our schedules became more and more scattered.  I'm sure you're story is similar.

Yes, it is inevitable that families will be busy.

What's ironic at this moment is that this week I am co-facilitating a session on Managing Household Life.  I've read books, discussed time management and organizational methods, listened to "experts" on balancing family life, yet our family is still, at times, crazy busy.

As I've reflected on the irony of this situation, I've realized that the busy-ness isn't going to go away.  What matters the most is how I deal with the busy-ness.  Do I let it overwhelm ne and drive me to frustration?  Or do I go with the flow, adapt to the situation at hand, and truly enjoy those moments when I can sit down and relax, even if it is brief? 

After all, even in the midst of the busy-ness, we can still be with our family members.  Whether they are running on a field and we are sitting on the sidelines, or we are racing through a drive-thru for dinner on our way to the next activity, we can cherish those moments of just being together. 

When we give God thanks for being able to do all of the things we can do, appreciate our family's health and abilities, and enjoy just being together even if it is going from one activity to the next, God will fill us with peace and joy.  We can experience God in our busy-ness by giving thanks for being able to do all that we can do.

So the next time you start feeling overwhelmed with your family's crazy busy schedule, take a deep breath, look each of your kids and your spouse in the eye, tell them you love them, and say a prayer of thanks to God.