Raise the B.A.R. this Lent? Here's a challenge for you

Thanks to my son who sold his iPhone to me at Christmas, (hey, nothing is free when raising kids especially as they get older) I have found a new past time; listening to podcasts...all Catholic ones, too.  I know that there are other great ones out there, but right now I am concentrating on Catholic information fruitful and helpful to me as a writer and blogger.

Here are a few that are my favorites:

Catholic Vitamins with Deacon Tom and Dee Fox.  They have a great banter together and their guests are very interesting and Justin Stroh's "The new evangelation" segments are powerful!

Another favorite podcast is Among Women with Pat Gohn.  She is a compassionate and passionate Catholic mom whose spirituality comes through so genuine and orthodox in her words and writing.  She sets up her segments with saints, prayers, and interesting guests as well. 

This special podcast #92 from March 17th is about reading the Bible and Pat is talking about raising the bar during this Lenten season.  Raising the BAR you ask?  What does this mean?  Here, let me explain and then you may want to be a regular subscriber to Among Women.

Raising the BAR means spending an extra 3 hours during this Lenten season with the Bible, in adoration, and praying the rosary.  Spend three hours sometime during this season at Church reading the Bible in Adoration and praying the Rosary giving Jesus 3 hours of our time as He did during His passion.  This is an easy and concrete assignment that can be divided up into one-hour segments at a time during the season when your responsibilities are taken care of and you can concentrate on Jesus and His passion for this short time.

Pat suggests four questions to ask yourself to help get the most out of the reading the Bible:

What does the passage say?

What does it mean?  What does the author saying?

Is it true?  Our believing is questioned and we must be secure in this.

So what?  What difference does it make to this time and place and to me?

See how fruitful our good Catholic Media users are...and if you listen until the end, you might even hear your very own Pillarclimber with her favorite Bible verse!

Today's Afternoon prayer: Beautiful

Psalm 118(119) 97-104

Lord, how I love your law!
I ponder it all day long.

Your teachings have made me wise,
far above my enemies:
your law is mine for ever.

I am wiser than all my teachers,
because I ponder your teachings.
I am wiser than the elders
because I have followed your precepts.

I have kept my feet away from evil paths
to obey your commendments.
I have not fallen away from your decrees,
for you have given me a law to live by.

Sweet to the taste are your promises,
sweeter than honey in my mouth.
Your precepts have given me wisdom
and I hate the path of deception.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the
Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be,
World without end. Amen.

Armed with the justice which is the power of God,
let us prove ourselves with great patience.


A true sacrifice is a broken spirit.
- A contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse.

Oremus
Do not withdraw your grace from us, Lord:
by it alone we can give ourselves wholly to your service
and obtain your help in our every need.
Through Christ our Lord.

AMEN


It's not easy being me sometimes, but knowing and loving God's law is who I am.

Lenten blessings,
Ebeth

Mystic Monk Coffee

We are waiting for our next shipment of Mystic Monk coffee.  I don't know why I had not thought of advertising for them before.

The coffees I ordered this time were: Breakfast blend, Cowboy blend (for my Texan knight), Midnight Vigils Blend (for both of us), and Mystic Monk Blend...for me!

The monks are located in Wyoming and they live a life in silence, praying for the world, for the Church, and for us!  There are times when I can't sleep, but when I think about these men praying for us, it is a soothing thought.

You can read about them here and I hope you decide to support them through their coffee, mugs, rosaries, and medals.

Thanks and Lenten blessings!

Sunday Snippets: Catholic blogging carnival

Here we are again, Sunday and hosting the Sunday Snippets is RAnn over at "This that and the other thing"  Please take a moment to check it out.

Blessings!

Redeemed and forgiven: Little ol' me?

Tonight my two daughters and I attended the last night of the parish mission.  To be honest, the priest made a big mistake in offending me last Sunday with 2 inappropriate jokes during the homily, which served as the introduction to his mission for the week.  Honestly, I don't think he meant to, but after asking several friends, it was obvious I wasn't the only one that felt a bit turned off at this initial meeting.  If it weren't for my dear middle child saying to me as she got into the car for school, "Are we going to the mission tonight?"  I had planned on not attending, but now I had to say with a smile, "Yes!"  She smiled back and said, "Great, love you Mom!"   Grrrr.

So, she and I went, it was OK, nothing to write home about.  Quietly driving home on Monday night, my daughter said, "Well, what did you think, Mom?  I didn't really get much out of the talk, did you?"  What do I say?  It can't be a negative thing, she's 16 and searching for nuggets as my friend Jan calls them.  I don't want to influence her in any way negatively, so I just nodded and changed the subject...lame, I know.

Anyway, we didn't attend the Tuesday or Wednesday evening sessions since I was having my first routine colonoscopy on Wednesday and...well, I was busy those nights.  All is good and I am encouraging all to have one, especially if there is a history of colorectal cancer in your family.

My daughter wanted to go again tonight, this time I made her sister attend with us.  Not expecting anything, the Church was dark and the priest was explaining how the session was going to go with the stations of the cross and candles and music, and meditation.  It was nice, except for some lady who came in bitterly late carrying a noisy paper bag, sitting down in the pew in front of us and proceeding to whisper/whistle a private rosary for all those around her to hear.  I motioned the girls to scoot along with me to the other end of the pew...to no avail...still heard the whistling rosary.  Then to boot, a lady with her granddaughter talked throughout the entire session behind us.  There was absolutely no escape...

...except for one fleeting moment......

At one point we were listening to an old 'piece of music' but endearing and the words 'through your holy cross, you have redeemed the world"  I realized clearly that I was personally redeemed because Jesus came to redeem the world and I was part of the world, so that meant that I was redeemed.  Silly, huh?

Well, for that one fleeting moment during this week of disappointment, offense, fear and discomfort, on the 4th day I took on the emotion of thanksgiving for being redeemed by our God.  The world's absolutely worst crime ever, the brutal, heinous killing of the Son of Man and being forgiven for it by Him.

So, being redeemed comes with a price.  Forgiveness, the ability to acknowledge that the gift of redemption, which is eternal must be followed by forgiveness.

What's a couple of ill-chosen jokes during Mass in light of eternal redemption and forgiveness.  I'm working on it.

Sunday Snippets of Catholicity

Thanks to RAnn, who hosts our Catholic Carnival each week, I miss the Catholic Carnivals...lots of work, but so fun to host once it's up.  ANYWAY, here's the link to our snippet.  Enjoy!

Feast of St. Joseph and a big THANK YOU

Oh Good St. Joseph, pray for us, our families, our parents, our children, our society with so much anti-family messages. 

Pray especially, dear St. Joseph for all the men in our world, for the strengthening desire to father those in their care and those around them in need of fatherly care when no man is present in their lives.

St. Joseph, thank you for your amazing example during your life on earth.  Thank you for caring so deeply for Mary and her Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank you, heavenly Father for the gift of fatherhood in St. Joseph, my late father-in-law, and his son, my knight.  Thank you for my own earthly father, who has taught my two brothers and myself lessons that we brought to our own parenting as mothers and fathers.

It is my solemn prayer that all men would take their role as fathers very seriously and with a loving touch.  They hold a young child's character in their hands.  The future of our society is in their debt or ruined without their attention.

Mass Manners: PREPARATION

Celebrating Mass together is the most important activity we do in our lives, and yet it is the most misunderstood and under-appreciated. From the moment we wake up we have a list of things that fill our calendars and day planners, leaving the Mass barely surviving on Sunday mornings. When we finally get there, we are burdened with thoughts of all the activities and responsibilities waiting for us outside the Church doors. Yet sitting together with those next to us, we are called to be the Church, the body of Christ. Not one meeting, not one ballgame comes close to what we do as we gather as God’s people at Mass.
To quote Dr. Scott Hahn from his book, The Lamb’s Supper, the Mass as Heaven on Earth,”

To go to Mass is to go to heaven, where “God Himself…will wipe away every tear” (Rev 21:3-4). Yet heaven is even more than that. Heaven is where we place ourselves under judgment, where we see ourselves in the clear morning light of eternal day…

To go to Mass is to renew our covenant with God, as at a marriage feast – for the Mass is the marriage supper of the Lamb. As in a marriage, we take vows, we pledge ourselves, we assume a new identity. We are changed forever.

To go to Mass is to receive the fullness of grace, the very lift of the Trinity. No power in heaven or on earth can give us more than we receive in the Mass, for we receive God into ourselves.”

Mass is a Prayer
The Mass is a prayer in itself not just the priest standing up at the altar praying, we are praying as well with our bodies, minds, and hearts. It is truly a gift of us in prayer offered in the Mass. Not only are we bringing our time, talent (the choir, ushers, Eucharistic ministers, lectors), and tithing, we bring our troubles, sins, and thanksgiving to the altar. So we must be prepared for this time.

Preparation
Preparation is key and there are some small things families and individuals can do to accomplish this. Nearly everything we do needs some kind of preparation, attending Mass is no different. Each day the readings are different with a different message. For this reason alone preparation is key for full participation to be possible, and it’s easier than ever with online information available in every form from email alerts, to iPhone apps, we have the readings at our fingertips. Even those not online can find the readings in magazines; a couple of offerings are “The Word Among Us” and “Magnificat”. Not only do these monthly periodicals provide the readings for each day, they also contain meditations, lives of saints, and prayers to use as added spirituality growth.

Attending Mass with a little advanced preparation can avoid being distracted. A distracted person can be distracting in itself.

It is a celebration, not a Play
As mentioned in the beginning of this article, the Mass is the most important activity we do in our lives, and it is a celebration bringing all the angels and saints, Church fathers, martyrs and the Blessed Trinity together with us for this celebration. It is hard to believe that this actually happens that all the blessed join us in reality, so we need to have the grace of faith to embrace this aspect of the Mass celebration. We are not alone during this time hence we are closest to heaven than any other time in our earthly lives. The Mass order is the same each time and where ever one attends. This doesn’t change, only the readings change and the message. The Mass is called a Celebration and the priest is called the celebrant and we are co-celebrants in the Mass. Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper during the celebration of Passover,

Mass manners are imperative for all and for a renewed appreciation of this sacrificial celebration. This column will discuss the many aspects of how manners can help with the appreciation and respect the Mass deserves with tips on how small changes can make a big difference along the way.


See you at Mass!

St Patrick's Day, Hooray!!

I am an Irish Catholic! 

My mother is an Irish Catholic and from railroad people to boot!  Every year on St. Paddy's day, I fix all the foods that she was raised with including my grandmother's fudge cake.  This year, one of my cousins found out that our ancestors came from the County Limerick region of Ireland and presented us all with a picture of one of our grandparents!  This is SO cool, ya think?

Anyway, here is a picture of my great-great grandfather, Matthew Dewey.  Funny, the more I look at him, the more I see my older brother, Mike, mustache and all!

Me, the sandwich kid between 2 boys above

Mike and his wife of 28 years, Lori and me.

40-days Lenten Challenge for our marriages by Heidi Hess Saxton

Heidi is really covering all the bases with her 40-days Challenge and I am enjoying it.  Here is an exerpt from her "Day 7" post.  

The lovely part of marriage is that there is always someone nearby to distract you when you are stressed-out, overwhelmed, or otherwise in need of a little fun. The question is: are you still that person for your spouse?


Do you provide for him diversion, solace, and understanding?

Do you let him retreat into his “man cave” for a time when he seems to need it – even if it means riding herd on the kids for a bit longer until he catches his second wind?

When he seems “stuck” in his work mode, do you help him gain perspective with a pleasant diversion, enticing aroma, or timely kiss or shoulder rub? Or do you roll your eyes as if to say, “Here we go again!”

Honest, now: When your husband gets stuck in “work” mode, how often do you listen halfheartedly without ever taking your eyes off the computer screen?

“A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life” (Sirach 26:2).

Today’s challenge: Think of something you liked to do when you were dating, and (if possible) re-create a similar experience! (Don’t forget to turn off the computer and make sure all electronics and other distractions are set on “mute” or “off”!)

Today’s prayer: Lord, I want to be a safe place for those I love. Show me where I need to adjust my priorities, so I have ample time for the people who need me in real life!

Catholic Media Promotion Day!! March 15th......TOMORROW!!!!

Chime in with your favorite blogs, podcasts, websites, TV, and radio!!! 

On March 15, 2011, everyone with a blog, podcast, or Facebook page should list their favorite 3 blogs, 3 podcasts, 3 other media, 3 random Catholic things online, and their own projects.


Then, post the link to your list here on March 15th.

Lastly, on March 15th, go to iTunes and leave at least 3 positive written reviews for various Cath...olic podcasts and 3 positive written reviews for Catholic mobile applications.See More


Want to promote your favorite Catholic media (and your own stuff, too) on SiriusXM Satellite Radio? Record yourself talking about your favorite Catholic blogs, radio, podcasts, tv, etc. in MP3 format. Keep it under 2 minutes. Mail it to greg@rosaryarmy.com or call the RA feedback line (still active) at 206-984-1899. Your recording could play on "The Catholics Next Door" on Tuesday - Catholic Media Promotion Day!

My favorites???

Podcasts:    Among Women,  Catholic Vitamins, and The Catholics Nextdoor

Blogs:   PhatCatholic,   Catholic Fire,   Catholicmom.com

Publications:  The Word Among Us,   Magnificat,   Our Sunday Visitor

SmartPhone Apps:   Universalis,   Catholic TV,

Websites:   Catholic Lane,  CatholicMom.com, 

Just for starters

Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Blogger Carnival

Please check out RAnn's place for the Sunday Cartholic Carnival.  You may find something helpful in your Lenten journey this year, or perhaps some nugget of one sort or another for all the other days of your life!

The 40 Day Challenge: Could your marriage use some Lenten blessings!??

Heidi, from her blog, Extraordinary moms network, has started a very neat 40-day walk for us to join in on for Lent.  It's from Fulton Sheen's book, "Love, Marriage, and children".  Each day she is going to post something to meditate on and an activity to do for your spouse and marriage.  I'm always up for a challenge and my knight knows it!

For starters, paste this prayer to your bathroom mirror and pray it every day to yourself and your spouse!





Father,

I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

~Charles de Foucald

Some thoughts about Lent 2011

Driving along in town to pick up our daughter in the new Catholic high school I got to thinking about Ash Wednesday and what it means to be repentant.  The ancients would put on sack cloths, roll around in ashes and walk through town to prove that they are a sorry sinner.  Since doing that in modern times would cause more serious result, what can I do this year that would be different and more in keeping with my personal relationship with God.  I surprised myself one afternoon while driving home with carpool students in the car. I always ask them 2 questions after they're settled in and we are on the road home, "What was the best thing that happened and what was the worse thing that happened to you today."  I give them the choice of which question they want first, but they have to have an answer for both.  One day I asked the kids what they were doing for Lent?  They all said what they were giving up, candy, chocolate, soda, etc, then I said, "OK that's your physical sacrifice, what about your spiritual sacrifice?  What are you going to do to help get closer to Jesus?  I don't remember the specifics, but they were not surprised or taken back by my question, they knew what I was talking about and knew they needed to do something spiritually during Lent as well.  Nice.

In the past, I dreaded Lent, especially right after Christmas thinking about this dark season of sin and  penance, it certainly was not a fun time to look forward to. During advent we are waiting, preparing a place in our lives for Jesus, appreciating the amazing gift of the incarnation to redeem the world.  It's a miracle, a gift, the promised answer to prayers of old!  During Lent, the time is spent as a time of examination, reevaluation, and sin.  Pain, sorrow, torture and death consume the readings and the Friday stations of the cross are times of great sadness and remorse.  Definitely, Christmas is more fun and pleasurable to live through!

OK, so here we are again with Lent upon us and there is no getting away from it.  Absolutely, anyone can get through it without fasting, surely there are those who do not pay any attention to this solemn time of year, but what do they gain? Without a time of looking inward into our deepest of deep selves and working out some problem areas that we don't think we need to change any other time of the year, we would not make any progress with our relationship with God!  If we didn't stop to ask that question that made Mayor Koch, of NYC famous: "How am I doing?" we wouldn't have to look inward for an answer.

So in recent years, I have come to welcome this season as a good time, as I stop to roll up my sleeves in the face of my sinful ways. Each year is a new opportunity; I may still be working on the same issues, though, but still taking time to chisel away a small part of the ways that hurt our Lord and stain my soul.  Each year a smaller part of what makes me build walls melts away in prayer and mortification.  Each year, I get a chance to tell God I am so sorry and I want to change.  Each year, I get a chance to do this all over again, but each year I am that much closer to God. 

What am I going to do different this year?  Meditation seems to be the buzz word along with the Divine Mercy chaplet and the Jesus prayer.  Making time for Jesus in these prayers and quiet time along with the mantra, "Eat to live, not live to eat." No snacking and drinking nothing but water...save on cup of coffee in the morning only. Physical and spiritual fasting, check!

How about you?  Care to share??  I'm interested!!

Serving at Mass and WHAT TO WEAR!!????!!!!

What if you were asked to serve as an usher or a server at someone's wedding or special event on a Tuesday morning.  How would you dress?  What if the event was on a Sunday morning?  Would you dress any different?

What if you were asked to be a Eucharistic minister for a Tuesday morning Mass.  What would you wear?  What if the Mass was on Sunday morning, would you dress any different?

What are you expected to wear to a wedding, I know it depends on where and what time the event begins, but still don't you want to appear respectful of the purpose of the gathering?  Then change the whole deal by having you as part of the event in some way or another.  The dress code changes doesn't it?

The Mass is the MOST IMPORTANT event that we do as people of God.

Is daily Mass any different in it's purpose and meaning than Sunday morning Mass?

This morning two Eucharistic ministers, knowing that they were serving, showed up in Mickey Mouse sweatshirt and workout sweats.  REALLY?  How reverent did these individuals take what they were doing?  What were they touching, administering, saying??  You show up in sweats to serve the body and blood of Jesus Christ?  Our God and creator??  The Alpha and Omega of the Universe???

Would these two people make an extra effort to look proper if it were a funeral or a wedding?

A Homily mixed with catechesis today...WOW!

Sad to say that there are Catholics that don't believe in the real presence, but they attend Mass every week.  They receive the Eucharist and say all the prayers, but still don't believe that what they are receiving, praying, and saying "Amen" to is the actual body and blood of Christ Jesus!

As a "cradle Catholic" I know that it is voluntary to further my faith education and before I decided to study for my Master Catechist certification I did very little religion-based reading.  Life is as it is and along the way attending Mass each week just got to a point where it was a robotic activity that I did because I was expected to be at Mass each week because I am a Catholic. Lucky me, I never lost touch with the Eucharist, though and felt it was something that I needed to get me through my life.  But this is not so perhaps for some who have lost touch with their faith and the reason for attending Mass.

The homily today was superb.  Fr. taught us about the Eucharist, the real presence, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  God's love for us enough to be incarnate and die for us in order for us to get to Heaven.  That others outside the Church should think we are crazy, but we aren't.  He explained the Eucharistic prayers, the out-stretched hands and the power transferred from God through the priest to the gifts of bread and wine.

He said he could go on for hours, but he didn't.  It was just enough to hopefully catch the attention of some that needed to hear his message.  It is the real thing, Christ's flesh and blood that we partake each time we attend Mass and receive communion.

A gift like no other and frankly, those who do not accept this truth well, they are the crazy ones.

Papal Report: March Intentions/Strong Families Essential for Future/Orthodox Leader

Benedict XVI is dedicating the month of March to pray for Latin America, so that the nations of the continent become more just and peaceful.
The Apostleship of Prayer announced the intentions chosen by the Pope for this month. His general intention is: "That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and progress in justice and peace."

The Pontiff's apostolic intention for March is: "That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to those in many regions of the world who are persecuted and discriminated against because of the Gospel."

__________________________________

Cardinal: Strong Families Essential for the Future



Urges Proclamation of Gospel of Love

MADRID, Spain, MARCH 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Future generations depend "decisively" on strong Christian families, says Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela.

The archbishop of Madrid affirmed this during his opening address at the 97th plenary assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, of which he is president.

Referring to the upcoming World Youth Day in August, which will take place in his city, the prelate spoke about the two topics of "vital importance for young people of today."

He highlighted "the necessary collaboration between family, parish and school in the education of children and young people in the faith; and the question of the truth of human love, as a key element of the maturation of young people as persons."

Experience shows that "the mission of the school is seriously dulled and even made impossible when it does not have the collaboration of parents and of a family life in accord with the natural and divine law," the cardinal noted.

The state, he stressed, "cannot replace, and not even make up for, the role proper to those two basic institutions for the development of the person."

For this reason, Cardinal Rouco stressed the need of a synergy between the family, school and parish, as from this synergy "depends in good measure the fruit of the evangelizing action of the Church for the benefit of the youngest and, in the last analysis, of the whole society."

Decisive truth

In regard to the question of human love, he reported this plenary assembly will consider a draft document on this topic prepared by the Episcopal Sub-commission for the Family and the Defense of Life.

Ignorance of the truth of love, the prelate said, "is causing much suffering and breaking many lives."

He continued, "The Church, our families, schools and parishes, with the very special encouragement of the pastors, must help young people to avoid ignorance of such a decisive truth for their lives and palliate the negative influence of an environment marked by so many disorienting forces and currents."

"The emotional and individualist reduction of love, prevailing in present-day public culture, has led to a critical situation that makes education for love and for marriage very difficult," the cardinal affirmed.

For this reason, he concluded, "to proclaim the Gospel of marriage and of the family is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful aspects of the new evangelization and of youth."

"Its urgency, moreover, is evident," Cardinal Rouco said. "We are urged by the painful situation alluded to, but we are urged, above all, by the love of Christ and of young people."
________________________________________

Orthodox Leader Calls for Alliance With Catholics


MOSCOW, MARCH 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev is emphasizing the need to ally with Catholics and Protestants to support common Christian values.

The chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relations noted that

"today there is a bad need for a 'strategic alliance' between Orthodox believers and Catholics, members of the ancient eastern Churches, traditional Protestants, that is to say all those who defend true Christian values -- the family, children's upbringing, indissolubility of marriage, the value of human life from inception until death,"

Interfax reported Monday.

He noted that these values are being

"totally reviewed, and we must oppose this."

"Otherwise," the Orthodox leader said, "both Russia and the Christian civilization in general will over [not so much] time lose their 'salt,' lose their image and remain just a subject of study for historians and archeologists."

As a solution to these problems, he underlined an initiative by Patriarch Kirill that aims to fight abortion, support families with many children, help orphans and pass new legislation to protect families and youth.




My personal note:  If we don't all get together for this, who will?