Lenten Bucket List - a Challenge for Lent 2013

So, In just TWO more days, Ash Wednesday will be here and another season of Lent upon us.

When I taught Religious Education, I encouraged the students NOT to “give up” something for Lent. 

Yep. You heard me. Had more than one mother call me irritated because she used this as a way to get her kids to do what “she” wanted them to do. When I asked her what practical spiritual growth would come from giving up TV or sweets or whatever she had in mind for her child …I was greeted with silence.

Naturally, the kids didn’t tell their folks the rest of the story. You see young people- and most adults for that matter- don’t understand sacrifice as a spiritual benefit.

They give up sweets to lose weight for spring.

They give up TV.. or Facebook.. or video games… But what do they do with that time?

They give up cigarettes for health ( or to save money).

Some people use Lent as version 2.0 for their New Year’s resolutions.

One year I gave up caffeine. About a week into Lent, my family asked me to consider something else.

His 7^th grade year, our youngest son (child #6) gave up NOT doing his homework. He was so surprised at how his grades improved, that he continued “not” not doing his homework to this day- as a high school junior. Mom won’t argue against that Lenten sacrifice!

Point is, Lent is supposed to be a time for us to grow closer to God. When we fast, give alms and pray, we should do it with our mind on God. So, I would ask the religious ed children to consider something they could do – with their mind on God- that would help them be better people on Easter Sunday than they were on Ash Wednesday.

I gave them each an index card on which I had traced a cross with ashes from my family’s old palm branches. (and there was their lesson on WHERE we get the ashes and why) They were to keep the card somewhere where they would see it each morning first thing- as a reminder of their Lenten commitment, and see it each evening- to evaluate their progress during the day and pray for strength to continue/ recommit the next day.

For those who can sacrifice with the proper perspective and use it as an opportunity for spiritual growth- that is great. Others do better with a positive spiritual exercise.

With that in mind, here is a list of 40 ideas for Lent. Some are “give up,” some are “do this,” and you can certainly do many of them over the course of Lent, but each offers you an opportunity to do something positive to impact your spiritual life and to help you be a better person on Easter Sunday than you were on Ash Wednesday- which is the entire point of the Lenten experience!

Lenten Bucket List

1.       Pray for Benedict XVI and his successor. And your local priests and bishop. They really need the support!

2.       Set your alarm 10 minutes early. Read the Bible. Start with the Gospels.

3.       Do one crunch per word of the Hail Mary. Really think about the words. (borrowed from Lifeteen.com)

4.       As a family, pray a decade of the rosary each evening. Start with the Joyful mysteries and work your way through.

5.       Smoke? Use Lent as an opportunity to quit. If you smoke a pack a day, smoke one less cigarette every other day. Make a schedule and count them out. In the 7 minutes you would spend on that cigarette, consider the blessings in your life.

6.       Learn the Latin for the Hail Mary ( Ava Maria). Start using it to pray the rosary!

7.       Learn the Latin for the Our Father ( Pater Noster)

8.       Have a smart phone? Try a free Liturgy of the Hours app- all the grace, none of the ribbons!  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aycka.apps.MassReadings&hl=en

9.       Have a fancy coffee habit? Switch to a more basic brew and set aside the money you would have spent.  Give half to your parish and the other half to a great local charity… like HEARTBEAT…. Or THE HUMANE SOCIETY… Or SAMARITAN HOUSE… or any group you believe will use the money well. ( you could also calculate that amount ahead of time- and make the donation, so the money is already “gone”- giving you additional incentive to keep the commitment) As you drink you plain-er coffee, consider how blessed you are to have the option!

10.   Go through your closet and get rid of anything you have not worn in a year. Haul it over to the St Vincent DePaul Society on South Main Street. Be grateful for the blessing of decent clothes- and get a tax write off!

11.   Go through your linens. If they aren’t good enough for the SVdP, take them to the Humane Society, Angels for Animals or the Dog Warden. …and be grateful for the blessings of your animal companions!

12.   Attend a Mission or Lenten offering at a local Catholic parish. Go with a heart open to the message God has for you!

13.   ATTEND THE LIMA LIFE TEEN VARIETY SHOW ON SATURDAY MARCH 23, 2013. Seeing these amazing teens unafraid to share their faith will refresh your own faith. Oh- and you get dinner, too! Tickets available by calling 419-228-7635.

14.   No smart phone? Commit to praying at least ONE of the hours of the Divine Office each day. You can find the entire Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) online free at http://divineoffice.org/   - this has all the prayer hours. Bookmark it! It is an amazing feeling to know our prayers joint together in a chorus before the Lord!

15.   Read about the Saint of the Day. Another site to bookmark ( they also have an app)  https://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay/

16.   Visit someone you know who is in a nursing home. Don’t know anyone? Ask around…

17.   Know someone who is working hard to get through school? Remember those days? Give up something you needlessly spend $1 a day on- buy that student gas card.

18.   Visit a cemetery… go to the pauper section or babyland. ( ask at the office) Spend some time in prayer.

19.   Pick up a good spiritual read- you can find ideas at Ignatius.com …and you may get a bargain on Amazon.com

20.   Learn to make mission rosaries. The cord ones are simple and inexpensive. If you are interested, contact me and I’ll hook you up! Make a bunch and give them away… to foreign missions- or local ones. I drop off blessed batches at emergency rooms. If you make them all plastic, patients can use them in an MRI.  All black/plastic rosaries can go to the military- all knotted ones are best. (no noise).

21.   Commit – with someone you love- to a regular discussion of some Church teaching. Learn it well enough to teach someone else.

22.   Read 15 paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church each day. You won’t get through the whole thing, but it’s a start! It is not a difficult read, and you will learn a LOT about our Catholic faith!

23.   Get to a least one Friday Stations of the Cross at your parish…or get to Mass early and pray the devotion yourself. Try to find a Living Stations on Good Friday. Usually performed by youth, they are a beautiful variation on the traditional Stations.

24.   Put a paper and  pencil on your nightstand. Each day, write one blessing from that day. Keep the paper when Lent is over.

25.   Go to Confession…eEspecially if you haven’t gone in a while. If you can’t recall ‘how,’ tell the priest, he’ll be happy to help you through!! I promise!

26.   Instead of rushing out (or chitty-chatting) after Mass, spend a few minutes in prayer.

27.   Make a commitment to spend time in adoration. The chapel at St Rita’s is always open. Each parish has an adoration schedule- call and ask.

28.   Write a REAL letter to a friend. By hand. Mail it. In an envelope. With a stamp. Tell him/ her how much the relationship means to you. I promise- it will create a smile!

29.   Now write another.

30.   And one to your spouse.

31.   And your kids.

32.   If you feel the need to “give up” something like sweets, the key is to make a spiritual substitution. So, if you reach for a sweet, stop yourself and offer a prayer instead.

33.   If you decide to turn off the TV, you might substitute some family prayer, or even a game…or both!

34.   Several years ago- I still can’t believe they did this- my family got up 30 minutes early every Monday through Friday during Lent for Morning Prayer together. Some of them even continued after Lent!

35.   Try a prayer devotion that is new to you, like the Divine Mercy Chaplet or a novena.

36.   Sit in silence for 10 minutes. Let God speak to you.

37.   Give up Facebook. (but don’t forget to sign up for Blog updates!)

38.   Make a list of things you feel keep you from the spiritual life you wish you could have. Look at the list again, and rewrite it- telling yourself how the items on that list help you grow in your spiritual life.

39.   Don’t be fancy with your meatless meals! Does having shrimp really count as giving up meat on a Friday? Come on!  Go simple… Grilled cheese. Potato soup. Salad. Take the money you save on those meals and donate it to the soup kitchen.

40.   For the ladies… go simple on your hair and makeup. Wash, dry and brush- no curling/ straightening. Minimal makeup- only lipstick and mascara.  Spend the time you save in prayer. Let your natural beauty shine!

Non Habemus Papam... (well in a couple weeks, anyway)

Can you stand one more person offering a reflection on the resignation of BXVI?

As I was tossing around topics for a pre-Ash Wednesday post, I had a few good ideas.

Then Pope Benedict XVI dropped his bombshell. So far, this is my favorite Facebook comment:

“The winner of the best ‘What-I’m-giving-up-for-Lent’ EVER is…Pope Benedict!”

Well, I thought it was cute.

First, I laud Pope Benedict for his faithful service to the Lord through the Church and to God’s people. John Paul II was a tough act to follow- a Holy Father well- loved, eloquent, holy and kind… and the only Pope many Catholics (including myself) could really remember. 

Benedict XVI was elected on a Tuesday. I clearly recall this, because on Tuesdays we have Mass at 12:10 at St. John’s. The usual group began to straggle into the sacristy a little before noon. Then someone came in and said, “They announced white smoke- they elected a pope!” Well, we all looked around… and while I would like to say that we went ahead with Mass, praying fervently and offering up intentions for the new Holy Father…yeah. No. We cancelled Mass and high-tailed it home to watch the announcement live. 

The headlines the next day read : Papa Razzi …. The German Shepherd…. X-V-I, He’s our guy. 

So, now we revisit the process we saw in 2005, with a few modifications. No official mourning period being the biggest. Yet I am amazed by the sorrow everyone has been expressing- almost as if our beloved Papa Razzi has died.

There is a hidden blessing in the whole situation. With a handful of exceptions, each new Holy Father has been thrust into the arena without the guidance of the old. No training, no peaceful transition of power as we have in the change of presidents. Nope. He gets elected, they throw a set of vestments on him in the Room of Tears. Then they push him out onto the balcony announcing “Habemus Papam.” 

Yes, it is a sad time.... but what a blessing!!!

While Pope Benedict cannot name his successor, he may make recommendations. Our new Pope will have the Holy Father-emeritus to turn to as he sees fit, rather than being alone to navigate the Barque of Peter. I think that will be a comfort to the next successor of Peter.

Imagine- an advisor without an agenda!

Pray for the cardinal-electors as they prepare for the conclave. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide each of their hearts as they prepare to elect the next Vicar of Christ. Pray for our next Holy Father- whoever he may be- that he faithfully guide the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and bring the world closer to Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

  

Jesus Christ, the Cadillac, and the Banana- Not Necessarily in That Order

There is a restaurant here in town. Those of you who live here will know the one I am talking about... 50's theme, old records ( is that redundant?) and license plates hanging on the wall.... great food, too.

They also have some of the best ice-cream concoctions around. My favorite is the Brownie-Chocolate-Chocolate. But there are times I need a Cadillac.

"Ask for two spoons," the description reads, but when I need a Cadillac, you'd best keep your spoon away until I'm good and ready to share.

The Cadillac comes in a Styrofoam 32 ounce cup, and has vanilla ice cream, a banana, hot fudge, crushed M&M's, cookie crumbs, brownies, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

The only problem is, I don't like bananas- in my ice cream, at least. I like them just fine by themselves, but in my book, fruit and ice cream do not mix. So I order my Cadillac with the banana on the side, to enjoy the next morning.

One day I was having a bad day. Can't recall why- but it was a Cadillac day. So I hopped into the car and drove the six-tenths of a mile to the newest location...too close to my home. It was such a bad day I didn't even go inside, I opted for the drive through- which is a lesson in patience, because they cook everything to order. I got to the speaker and placed my order:

" I would like a Cadillac, no cherry. And please leave out the banana and give it to me separately."
"I'm sorry- what about the banana?"
"Leave it out and give it to me separately."
"Do you want it peeled?"
"No. Just leave the peel on it."
(hesitation) "OK. Please pull forward."

There were cars ahead of me, so I waited. And waited. And waited.

I paid. Then waited to pull to the next window. And waited a little longer. mouth watering, anticipating...it was worse then the ketchup commercial.

At last, I got to the 2nd window. The girl handed me my Cadillac, spoon and napkins. No banana. But you know? With the mood I was in, I didn't care. I wasn't going to fuss about it. And I went home.

I sat at the kitchen counter and dug in. The whipped cream, the fudge, the ice cream, the- my spoon thunked. Well, there's my banana, I thought. I carefully scraped the ice cream away from the sides.

Yep. The banana was in there.
Yep. It still had the peel.

There are times we feel we have effectively communicated our message to the intended recipient, only to discover later- somebody didn't follow instructions. Frustrating, isn't it? Since Adam and Eve,  God has given us messages loud and clear: Don't eat from the tree in the center of the garden.      That one didn't work out so well.

You will have no other Gods before me...do not murder...do not steal...do not commit adultery..     Yeah. We had problems with those, too.

God is perfect- the problem is not on his end. The problem is on our end. We took his simple instructions and made them difficult, twisted them to fit how we wanted to live. He had to come up with a better way to communicate his message to us- one that we, in our humanity could understand. So he sent Jesus Christ.

In Jesus Christ, God has communicated his message- his love for us- in a way to which we can relate.

"See? Do you see? THIS is how much I love you. I am willing to give up everything for you to come to me out of love."

Think about that when you see a manger this Advent and Christmas seasons: Almighty God, sleeping in a wooden feeding trough, lodging in a cave. And think about where the journey he began that first Christmas would lead him: hanging on the wood of the cross and buried in a cave.

All because we don't follow instructions very well. This Advent season, remember that the reason Christ came into the world was because of your sinfulness. Look over THIS LIST , then get to Confession. Use this Advent season to prepare your heart for the coming of our Lord.

I'm going to pick up a Cadillac.Just for the photo above, of course!

Sister Act

"I understand you would like to help with PSR. How do you feel about 6th graders?"

Most people would have hung up the phone right then, but not me. Nope. My reply was, " Well, Sister, if the Holy Spirit moved you to ask me that question, I must be the person for the job!" I immediately slapped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. The barn door had slammed.

Honestly, I didn't talk like that in 1995. To this day, I believe it was more the Holy Spirit forming MY words than those of Sister Mary Johnene Wellman. All I had wanted to do was run copies.

...and that was how I started teaching PSR ( Sunday school, for my non-Catholic readers).

Several months later, my husband came home and asked me what RCIA was. "It's the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Why?" " I guess I'm starting classes in the fall."

He wasn't even Catholic yet, and he knew: you don't say NO to a nun!

(Unless you are a priest. THEN you can say no to a nun!)

Sister Johnene was a formidable woman. She stood about 5'8" and was slender. She didn't wear a habit, and she always wore a skirt.  Even without the habit, she looked like a religious. There was just something about her. She had an easy smile, but when she was serious- you had better be, too. Her eyes positively shone with her love of the Lord she served for over 50 years.

She loved my kids ( that always gets bonus points in my book) and was just as excited as we were when #6... and then #7 made their appearances.  

She had no doubt in her mind: everyone should be Catholic. When I listen to Catholic Answers, Patrick Coffin ( the host ) will often say, "We know why we're Catholic. Do you know why you're not?" It is the kind of thing Sister would have said. She would randomly ask people, "Have you ever thought about joining the Catholic Church?"  It worked. One year, her RCIA class was one of the largest in the nation. ( So I'm told)

Not bad for little old Lima, OH.

Her time at St Charles must have been nice for her. She lived with the Sisters in Delphos, which was her home ( she was a graduate of Delphos St John). I was really blessed to be at St Charles when she was there, along with a group of great priests  who have helped me on my faith journey.

If I tried to go into detail about what an amazing woman she was and how many lives she touched we'd be here all day.

If you were blessed to know her- you know what I mean.
If you didn't- you missed out on a real gem.

I have never laughed so hard as I did at her funeral liturgy. It was at the motherhouse in Toledo. Fr. Ross. You really had to be there...but it was a great send off for a great lady and a beautiful bride of Christ.

Her birthday into eternal life was nine years ago today, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the patron of her order. Perfect.

Sister Johnene, I miss you still! Pray for me!

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception- Dec. 8

(La Purísima Inmaculada Concepción by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1678, now in Museo del Prado, Spain)

This is probably one of the most misunderstood celebrations in the Catholic Church- for both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

First- a quick explanation.... while the Immaculate Conception is USUALLY a holy day of obligation (meaning we are obligated to attend Mass- or a vigil- for the day), the obligation is waived if the holy day falls on a Saturday or a Monday. HOWEVER, since Our Lady, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, is patroness of the United states, it is still a hold day for those of us in America.

The confusion about exactly what we are celebrating stems from two things: the atrocious lack of decent catechesis from the mid 1960's on, although there are some good, faithful and educated catechists out here. Really- there are.  The other problem is the choice of the Gospel reading for the day: Luke 1:26-38... the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary.

You see, the Immaculate Conception does have something to do with that moment in scripture ( see The Visitation ) ... but not the way most people imagine.

The Immaculate Conception we are talking about is not the conception of Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is part of the Virgin Birth. The Immaculate Conception to which we refer is the conception of Mary in her mother's womb. (Count forward nine months and you will find the Church celebrates the birthday of Mary on September 8th)

Now, before my non-Catholic friends get bent out of shape, the Church teaches that Mary was conceived the good old-fashioned way: through the marital embrace of her parents. By tradition, we call them Anne and Joachim.

The difference between Mary's conception and ours is that at the moment of her conception, by the merits of Jesus Christ and through a singular act of grace, she was kept free of the stain of original sin.

In fact, Gabriel's greeting to Mary tells us there was, indeed, something very special about this young woman: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!. Full of grace.... if she was full of grace, there was no room for unsavory things- like sin.

Ah, you may say- but in Luke 1:47, Mary clearly says, "My spirit rejoices in God my savior." Mary needed a savior, so she could not have been sinless. Bam!

Step back for a moment and imagine.... You are walking through a dark woods and you fall into a deep pit filled with muck and slime and goo. I come along and pull you out. Did I save you? Yes.   Now imagine that right before you fall into the pit, I block your path and keep you from falling in. Did I save you? Yep, sure did.

...and that is what happened with Mary. The Lord saved Mary by preserving her from original sin.

And where is that in scripture? Well, we'll start by saying that nowhere in scripture does it say that everything about the Christian faith is contained in scripture. Nowhere. Even if it did, the canon of scripture was not even settled until the Council of Rome in 392, under Pope Damasus. So any reference to scripture contained in scripture can only refer to the Hebrew Scriptures. That is another topic for another day.

What is crucial here is nothing about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is contrary to scripture.

Some people will argue that there was no need for Mary to have been so created. Perhaps- though here is a story that illustrate why God may have chosen to do so.

               Once upon a time, a baker decided to show his gratitude to the Lord for the blessings he had been given. He talked it over with his wife, and they decided they would make an offering of loaves of bread. The baker took the bread to the temple, placed the loaves before the ark, then departed. The caretaker came by and found the bread. Furious, he gathered the loaves and took them to the rabbi, "Look! Someone has desecrated the ark!" The rabbi realized the bread was an offering, and the donor meant no harm. He told the caretaker to give the bread to the poor.
              The following week, the baker returned with fresh loaves, intending to replace the old ones. When he saw the first bread was gone, he was excited and ran home to tell his wife that the Lord had accepted their gift. Later, the caretaker came again, and again found the bread, and again was enraged. Again, he took the bread to the rabbi, who told him to give the bread to the poor.
               A week later, the caretaker had had enough. He hid, waiting for the mysterious bread delivery. When the baker entered, the caretaker jumped out and the baker dropped the loaves as the caretaker chased him from the temple. The rabbi- who witnessed what had happened- picked up the loaves with tears in his eyes, knowing the baker would never return again with bread...and that the families who had received the loaves would be hungry.

I heard this story in a homily many years ago. It had nothing to do with the context in which I use it here, but it makes a point.
           Why was the caretaker upset? The presence of the worldly, common bread was not appropriate before the ark. Why? The ark was the holiest place in the temple, it contained the Torah: the Word of God.

Looking back to the original ark- the Ark of the Covenant (check Exodus 25 for the details)- we can see that God demanded the finest materials: gold, silver, bronze... fabrics dyed violet, purple and scarlet- the most expensive dyes...spices, oils and gemstones. The materials had to be the best.... God would dwell there. And no one messed with the Ark, or else. ( warning: graphic content!)

(Some of you see where I am going here...)

Where was the first dwelling place of God Made Man, the Word of God made Flesh, Jesus Christ? The womb of Mary, his mother. It is only good and right and just that his first earthly dwelling be as perfect as possible.

As God, he did just that.

Now, some history behind the Immaculate Conception.....

There is evidence that Mary's pureness and holiness was celebrated as early as the 5th century,  however  the formal proclamation of the Immaculate Conception took place in 1856:

     We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at 

      the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in 

      virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all 

      stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be 

      believed by all the faithful.

                 —Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854

As with many formal declarations of the Church ( and other, more worldly institutions), they do not appear out of thin air. They are part of what is called the development of doctrine, an unfolding of the truths of the faith. Such declarations are meant to put in one place the belief of the Church, and usually correct errors that tend to creep into un-formalized teachings. (note the painting above was done nearly 200 years before the formal proclamation)   Martin Luther, who initiated the Protestant Reformation, said: "Mary is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin. God's grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil" (Luther's Works, American edition, vol. 43, p. 40, ed. H. Lehmann, Fortress, 1968)

In 1858 in Lourdes, France, a 14 year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous saw a vision of a beautiful woman. The woman told Bernadette, "I am the Immaculate Conception." Bernadette had no idea what this meant; it was not a term a peasant child would have heard.

In 1792, Bishop John Carrol (first bishop of the United States) placed our country under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC is the largest Catholic Church in the United States, the 8th largest religious structure in the world, and is well worth your time on a visit to DC...even if you are not Catholic.

So, if you stuck with me to this point- I hope you learned something...or at least found words that will help you explain this beautiful part of our Catholic faith.

Sign up to get new posts automatically, or bookmark this blog. If you have a topic you would like me to discuss, let me know....and feel free to comment below!

Yes, Virginia, There IS a St. Nicholas!

Many years ago (back in the 300's AD), in Myra- which is in present-day Turkey- there was a Bishop named Nicholas. Bishop Nicholas was known for his kindness to the people of the town, and the people loved him.

One of the most-often told stories about Bishop Nicholas goes as follows:

There was an old man in Myra who was widowed with three daughters. He was poor (as were most of the people of the town), and it made him sad to think his daughters might never marry- or worse, need to turn to unsavory occupations- simply because he had no money for dowries for them.

(As an aside, a dowry was money paid by the bride's family to the groom's family...the reason for it was that the husband's family was taking on an extra mouth to feed. It also provided for the items needed to set up house.)

Bishop Nicholas felt sorry for the old man and wanted to help, but either out of his own humility- or wanting to spare the old man the embarrassment - he came up with a solution. One night, he walked past the little family's house and threw a bag of gold coins in the window- which happened to land in one of the shoes placed below the window.The next morning, the man awoke and found the gold coins in the shoe- enough for a dowry for the the oldest daughter, who was soon married off.

Another set of coins appeared for the middle daughter, who married. Seeing a pattern, the old man decided to hide so he could learn just who the generous benefactor was. Bishop Nicholas saw him, however, and dropped the third bag down the chimney- where it landed in one of the stockings of the youngest daughter, who had washed them and hung them by the fire to dry.  The old man was able to live out his days in peace, knowing his daughters were married to good men.

Bishop Nicholas' love for his God and for his fellow man are still remembered to this day. This VERY day, in fact. Tonight, Christian children all over the world will leave out their shoes- or Christmas stockings- to see what Bishop Nicholas - who we know as Saint Nicholas- will leave for them on his feast day, December 6th.

Saint Nicholas... Sant Niklas...Sinterklaas....Santa Claus....

We still remember the generosity of the ancient Catholic Bishop who became Santa Claus.

Happy New Year!... Celebrating Advent

Just think- tomorrow is New Year's Eve! Where has the year gone?

Yes, the new year 2013 begins at sundown tomorrow.

No. I'm not missing a page on my calendar. December 2, 2012 is the First Sunday of Advent, it is the Christian Liturgical New Year!

One of the most difficult parts of being a Christian is being IN the world, and not OF the world. One year, I wanted to emphasize this to the religious education children by having a New Year's party on the First Sunday of Advent. Alas, I could find no New Year's party props- the retailers told me it was to early. They kinda made my point for me.

So, as you go about your holiday preparations, remember this: we are not in the Christmas season, despite what Elder Beerman, Macy's and Wal-Mart profess in their ads. Christmas season does not begin until sundown on December 24.

We are in Advent. And when you go to Mass this weekend and the three following, you will notice- there are no poinsettias, no trees. In fact- most churches will be rather bare....save some purple decorations.

Purple? Isn't purple the color for Lent?

Yep. It sure is. Purple is the color for Lent and Advent for the same reason: purple is the liturgical color that calls us to penitence. (That is why Father wears a purple stole when he hears confessions)

Advent is not Christmas- please don't confuse the two. If you do, you run the risk of missing out on the treasure of Advent. It is imperative that we as Christians never forget that the wood of the crib is inextricably tied to the wood of the cross. Advent is the time for us to recall why Jesus had to be born in the first place: to die on the cross...because of our sins. Your sins. My sins. He was born to die for us.

So, this Advent season, take advantage of the opportunities your parish gives you for reflection and repentance. Try to go to at least one or two events- your parish staff works hard to bring them to you. If your parish doesn't offer Advent opportunities, 1. Shame on them and 2. Check other local parishes. And stay tuned to this station... I hope I will be able to enrich the season for you!

Especially if you have young children, try not to decorate too much too soon. Take the opportunity to teach them- Christmas doesn't come until 12/24. Save the decorating for later in Advent. If you must put up the tree early ( as I do...but that's another story for another day...), make a point of not plugging it in this early. ( I was actually criticized by a member of our parish for not decorating the hall where we held classes. I told the woman that I would not decorate because we were through with classes before Christmas came, and didn't re-start until Christmas season was over. She thought I was a terrible person :-)  )

A good old-fashioned Advent Calendar ( preferably a religious one) is wonderful to help children anticipate the big day.

Go ahead and put out the creche (but leave baby Jesus out until Christmas Eve). It is a wonderful tradition to have the children put a piece of straw in the manger when they do some good or kind deed. I did this with the children in my religious ed program- we had strips of paper on which they wrote their kind actions and we placed them in the manger each week... then when the Baby Jesus was placed in the manger Christmas Eve, it was overflowing with the things we had done to prepare out hearts for him.

Because that is really what Advent is all about.  You see- the Mayans may or may not be right about the world ending 12/21/12... but the point is that Christ is coming. Soon. It may not be his second coming- it may be him taking us to our judgement.

We must live each day of our lives with our hearts ready.

Is yours?