Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Advent #GIVEAWAY and Interview With #aromaRosary Inventor, Chantal Howard

By

UPDATE: Comments were turned off by accident but are now ON. Feel free to enter! So sorry for any inconvenience!–Lisa

Guadalupe Rosary Bracelet

Beloved Readers, we have an exciting and unusual giveaway: an Our Lady of Guadalupe rosary bracelet that diffuses essential oils, as you pray!!! Talk about awesome!

TO ENTER, please tell us in the comments why you would like to win!

The popular Our Lady of Guadalupe aromaRosary Bracelet will be awarded on December 12th, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, so enter right away!

And start praying the Novena to Our Lady, which starts today (December 4th)!

 

Now, meet aromaRosary’s inventor, Chantal Howard! 

Welcome, Chantal! Please give us just a few glimpses into your world so that we can get to know you a bit more personally.

I am a Byzantine Catholic by birth, giving me a great love for icons, chant, and the Divine Liturgy. I am an oblate of the Community of St. John and, therefore, identify myself as Eucharistic, Marian, Seeker of Truth, and devotee of all things truly Catholic. I have a charismatic side, a traditional Latin-loving, veil-wearing side. Above all, I want to live a life of prayer, holiness, and heroic virtue. The New Evangelization is knit into who I am.

Rosa Mystica Rosary Bracelet

Chantal HowardI have been married for nearly 15 years to the man of my Jane-Austin-like dreams.  I can truthfully say Peter and I are a work in progress.  But I rejoice in the Mercy of God that is helping us to put lofty ideas of love into practice with greater gratitude and tenderness. I love that I get to share life with a man of such conviction, passion, and fidelity – to me, to Our Lady, and to Our Lord.

My five children are the pure light of my life. We homeschool.  I admit, though, that our homeschool has been interdependent with much family collaboration and even part-time school going opportunities to help round out our family dynamic, allowing for me to be as active in work as I am.  This is the nature of the “School of the Family,” as it has developed for us. The desire to nurture them in health, in mind, in spirit, and in creativity and joy is foundational and much of that I can give to them, but I also realize that I am not fully sufficient alone.  I laugh when I hear the not so popular expression, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and yet can we really deny the fact?  So, we had better choose our villages carefully.  In our case, our family is our village, and so we have recently relocated to Northern Idaho to be near all my siblings and my mother so that we can foster our kids in the context of family, faith, farming, good food, and adventure.

Tell us about the nature of your work.

Victory Heirloom aromaRosary

My Grandaddy began the entrepreneurial streak in our family as an inventor. My mom and dad firmed it up by building a family business. I grew up helping to answer phone calls, strategize marketing plans and work in the field. As my mom homeschooled me, this practical work in business became second nature. Since then, I have not ceased drumming up new ventures. Ministry, writing, dōTERRA, and my family have offered platforms to launch entrepreneurial dreams in more directions than I ever imagined – Catholicpreneur style. In addition, as a young person I was a highly competitive gymnast and high-level athlete, in several arenas.  This promoted a lifestyle of fitness and wholesomeness that has been a steady undercurrent in my life. Together, these life experiences have brought me to where I am today as a “natural solution coach.” I help families find health and happiness through an essential oil-inspired wellness lifestyle, without New Age overtones.

Where did your passion for the rosary begin, and why do you see it as such an important mission to bring to the world?

As a young person my parents rested all their hope of us remaining a faithful family on the prayer of the Holy Rosary. Through their inspiration, we began early chanting the rosary in a Byzantine style, and I have never turned back from loving the rosary and wanting to bring it to life as—not just a prayer but—an experience that helps us traverse from our earthly dimension to the spiritual plain of contemplation.  (You can check out the audio CD in the Byzantine style that we produced as a family, here.)

How did your passion for essential oils and the rosary together take shape?

The Rosary is a gift that has been given to all of humanity to heal our wounded nature.  It offers us a way to ascend to the heights of our calling as children of God by tethering our fidgeting hands, our wandering minds, and our wayward souls to the life of Christ. In light of my work coaching so many people who are wounded physically and emotionally, the support of essential oils tied to the rosary struck me as a natural bridge.

A few years ago, Immaculée Ilibagiza spoke to my heart, as she shared her story of suffering and triumph through the power of the rosary with 30,000 other individuals. It just so happened that she was the keynote speaker at a large, global essential oil summit I was attending. As she shared, I marveled at her passion and unhindered dedication to sharing the rosary with the world.  Here, in one moment, two of my greatest loves in life were colliding before my eyes—essential oils and the rosary! As I drove across the county, I reflected on my personal visit with Immaculee, her powerful gesture of throwing her rosary to someone in the crowd, and all I had just learned about the movement of essential oils in health care. My heart overflowed with inspiration and the desire to bring to our hurting world the solace and rich blessings of essential oils and the rosary. Thus this effort was born.

Describe an aromaRosary.

Every aromaRosary is hand-crafted to hold and diffuse essential oils, to expand the prayer experience.  Using natural stones and lava rock and other ceramic, metal, or wood beads, we have designed rosaries that can withstand the intensity of therapeutic grade essential oils that have been chosen carefully to reflect the mysteries of the rosary.  These blends are symbolic and calming, to help promote an atmosphere of prayer.  Together with fingering the beads, chanting the prayers, and smelling the aromas of sanctity, we can more fully engage our senses and focus our prayers.

Unpack for us briefly the four essential oil bends you have chosen.

We use four unique blends. The Joyful Blend is comprised of frankincense and other oils that help create an aroma reminiscent of the Nativity.  The Luminous Blend is a blend of citrus oils that reflect the light and miraculous nature of the Luminous mysteries. The Sorrowful Blend is woody and earthy, with Myrrh and other wood oils that are an aromatic encounter with the cross and the mysteries of Christ’s suffering.  The Glorious Blend offers floral notes and Easteresque aromas that are gentle, soft, and Marian.

Do you have resources that would help others to learn about aromaRosary and your work as a coach and speaker?

Please visit us at aromaRosary.com. We’re having our Advent sale, right now!  I would welcome your comments, your reviews, your support of our efforts, and of course I would love to work with you. I offer coaching and essential oil training.  We have a dynamic Catholic team of essential oils coaches throughout the country and we want you to be a part of what we are doing to heal families and evangelize in the process.

aromaRosary-2.jpg

Thank you, Chantal!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment below about why you’d like to win the Guadalupe aromaRosary Bracelet! A random drawing will take place on the evening of Wednesday, December 12th.

NOTE: you must have access to a mailing address in the United States, to win!

 

What is Advent, anyway?

By

The season of Advent begins this Sunday, December 2nd.  For some of our readers, especially RCIA candidates, the meaning and traditions of this Season may be a brand new experience. For others, you may not fully realize the meaning behind the beautiful things we do at this time of year.  I have provided here a “mini Advent lesson.”  Hopefully, you can find 10 minutes of “quiet time” to review the information and gain the most from this Season.

LESSON ON THE SEASON OF ADVENT

At this time, we are “waiting for the Messiah” and “preparing Him room” in our hearts.

We are to be open to what He wants to change in us in order to for us to become more of who we are intended to be.

This first link is a beautiful, five-minute video short that most effectively ushers in the sentiments and meaning of Advent.

Advent come…we wait

This second link gives you a fairly complete look at the meaning and practices during this season.

http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Advent.htm

 

Wishing you and your families a very blessed Advent Season!

 

Peggy

 

Advent Tips: Manage Time, Reduce Stress, and Have a Happier, Healthier Christmas

By

(Note: The following article is based on my recent appearance on Relevant Radio.)

How are we supposed to enjoy Advent, when we’re more rushed and more stressed than ever before in the history of humanity?

Or are we?

Author and popular podcaster Gretchen Rubin shared an excerpt from Little House in the Ozarks, a collection of articles Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote for regional newspapers and magazines in the 1920s while living on a farm in rural Missouri:

“We are so overwhelmed with things these days that our lives are all, more or less, cluttered. I believe it is this, rather than a shortness of time, that gives us that feeling of hurry and almost of helplessness. Everyone is hurrying and usually just a little late. Notice the faces of the people who rush past on the streets or on our country roads! They nearly all have a strained, harassed look, and anyone you meet will tell you there is no time for anything anymore.” —Laura Ingalls Wilder

It sure does seem like managing stress has always been needed! So, let’s consult a couple of experts. I’ll be drawing from Time Management: A Catholic Perspective, by Marshall J. Cook and from a wonderful webinar by Allison Ricciardi, owner of TheRaphaelRemedy.com (tips on stress, using natural remedies—especially essential oils) and Chantal Howard, the owner and creator of AromaRosaries.

Tip #1: Time management isn’t always about a lack of time.

Sometimes we are averse to tasks and they create stress for us because they’re not getting done.

  • Think about them differently (positive reframing)
    1. Instead of “all that decorating” that has to be done, let’s set out to reveal beauty to our families. We’re all a little broken-hearted over someone we love who has left the Church; let’s let God speak through beauty and touch their hearts in unexpected ways.
    2. Instead of procrastinating and griping about all the housework on that to-do list, let’s thank God for a house to clean, clothes to wash, and loved ones to serve!
  • Break the avoidance/overwhelm cycle and schedule the tasks we usually avoid–and stick to the schedule!
  • Science tells us that small rewards to celebrate progress actually impact our brains, boosting creativity and refreshing our minds! So go ahead and buy flowers for yourself, read a few chapters of a good book, or meet a friend for coffee. It’s good for your brain!

Tip #2: When you make time for a task, you don’t actually create more time. You take it from something else.

MAKE TIME: Simplifying as much as you possibly can, to allow for the added activities and tasks of Advent

  • No, you DON’T have to buy them all gifts. (Hear my story in this radio interview!)
  • Ask each person in your family what one thing really makes it feel like Christmas for them, and make sure to do those things.
  • Paring down the card list is just smart. Don’t be a slave to that list you’ve been accumulating for years. Cut it down and save both money and time.
  • Speaking of money, setting a budget and working within it can really brighten your spirits. It’s empowering to take control. Build in a little margin for that special “find” or the person you forgot to put on your list, but stay as close to your budget as possible.
  • SWAP some habitual activities (social media, phone, web surfing) for activities that hold greater value (prayer, time with family, trips outdoors, celebrations, crafting, decorating)
  • Delegate tasks as much as possible (sometimes hire help, if needed). Your family can work as a team, your little ones can learn, and you can be building something a little less perfect than if you did it yourself–but a lot more fun: a happy Christmas that everyone contributed to!
  • Multitask in fun ways. Rather than stressing out and staying up late, plan a time to listen to music or watch a Christmas movie while you bake, write a few cards, or decorate the tree.

Tip #3: Waiting can be a good thing:

  • If you’re stressing out in traffic jams, post-office lines, doctor’s offices–TURN THE WAIT INTO A REST.
    • Stress can restrict our breathing, so–while you wait–let some of that good air God created flow in–and out, and then…
    • Let your mind delve into a beautiful memory (the face of someone you love, a time you felt really happy and peaceful, a scent that lifts your spirits).
    • Face up to what is stressing you out! Picture it vividly–is it a clock spinning its arms wildly, screaming that you’re late?–then imagine it being captured in a translucent bubble and release it–letting it float away.

Tip #4: Self-Care, so Everyone is Feeling Good on Christmas Day

  • Stay hydrated for healthy body systems
  • Eating early and fasting late: a great rule for weight and energy control
  • Vitamin D: even in small daily doses, D is great for mood regulation and weight loss
  • Get outside! Spending time outdoors provides short-term benefits by relieving mental fatigue and long-term benefits by improving your overall health
  • Grazing with small snacks throughout the day is healthier than 3 squares plus snacks
  • Rest when you’re weary (NAPS are a great idea at any age and can do you a world of good)
  • Limit TV and go to bed on time–just do it!
  • Schedule the hard stuff. Plan to do the most challenging tasks during your peak energy/focus hours. This is very individual, so take a good look at your planner and rearrange it to fit your natural rhythms, as much as possible.
  • Oils work wonders!
    • lemon or other citrus oils support metabolism and help detox the body
    • lavender is calming, healing, and helps reduce inflammation and infection
    • frankincense, which is used in churches, enhances meditation, relaxation, builds immunity, refreshes the skin
    • diffuse oils to clear out pathogens in the home
      • cinnamon leaf
      • clove
      • lemon, grapefruit, wild orange
      • tea tree (melaleuca)
      • oregano
      • sage
      • rosemary
      • thyme
      • eucalyptus
      • frankincense
  • (For tons more information on boosting health and wellbeing with essential oils, from a Catholic perspective, see TheRaphaelRemedy.com)

Tip #5: For More of That Wonderful Christmas Spirit

  • What is your best quiet time? Schedule morning or evening prayer, daily throughout Advent (and hopefully beyond)
  • JUST 5-10 minutes of reading, daily (choose a cool Catholic book). Here are some hearty recommendations:
  • In the CAR, your spirit will go far: Prayer CDs, beautiful music, the Rosary–use your travel time for reveling in the beauty and wonder of the season.

Bonus Tip: Here’s a Super-Cool Catholic Gift Idea–Rosaries that diffuse essential oils!!!

These AromaRosary gifts are beneficial to your health and your spiritual life, and the owners are faithful Catholics who support beautiful ministries with their business!

AromaRosaries:

  • Crafted to Diffuse Essential Oils
  • Solid Bronze Metal Crucifix and Center
  • 4 Sample Oils with Every Rosary
  • Every Rosary Blesses a Ministry

Have a blessed and beautiful Advent!

[Stock images from Pixabay.com]

Seven Ways to Observe Advent with Children

By

Photo by Stefan Schweihofer (2018) via Pixabay, CCO Creative Commons

Perhaps you too have had the experience of preparing for Christmas, only to realize that amongst the candy-making, the letter-writing, the present-purchasing, the tree-trimming, and more, you never got around to spiritual preparation, even though you really meant to this year.

If you would like to add a more reflective or penitential note to your family’s Advent observance, check out the seven ideas below to get you started.  Choose one (or two), gather what you will need, and start a new family tradition!

Jesse tree

The idea:

Recall salvation history.  Use ornaments decorated with symbols to represent the events and stories leading up to the birth of Jesus and hang them on a tree of some kind (the tree is so named after Jesse, father of King David–see Isaiah 11:1).

What you will need:   

  • You can order a kit.  Check out Etsy for some beautiful ones.
  • You can do it yourself…you need something to be the tree, something to make ornaments, and a Bible or knowledge of Bible stories.  I use a book that has reproducible ornaments.  Each year I photocopy one set of ornaments for each child.  I cut out a large Christmas tree shape from wrapping paper and tape it on the wall.  Each day (when all goes well), the kids color their ornaments while I read to them the passage from the Bible corresponding to the symbol they are coloring.  They then cut out their ornaments and tape them on the tree.
  • The tree can also be a bare branch set into a mason jar full of stones or sand, and the ornaments can be hung on it with loops of ribbon.

Advent stockings: good works

The idea:

The family does a spiritual or corporal work of mercy (or other charitable act) each day of advent.  For example, we might give away a piece of clothing; pray for an end to abortion; pray for our priests; call someone who might be lonely, etc.

You need:

  • Slips of paper listing the good works you will do (see the end of this post for ideas).
  • Something to put them in.  I have mini stockings with numbers on them, which we hang up.  Every evening I put a slip of paper in the next day’s stocking, choosing the activity based on what can fit into our family calendar.  But you could easily do the same with numbered envelopes or, if you are really adventurous, just put them all in a mason jar and see what you pull out!

Making soft Baby Jesus’ Bed

The idea:

Family members make sacrifices and do good acts throughout Advent.  For each one, they lay a piece of straw or hay in an empty manger, trying to get the bed as soft as possible before Baby Jesus will be born on Christmas morning.

You need:

  • Raffia, hay, straw, grass, or strips of yellow construction paper.
  • Some sort of manger.
  • Baby Jesus statue.
  • I bought one similar to this for our family.

Advent wreath

The idea:

Four candles represent the four Sundays of Advent.  Three are purple to represent penance; the fourth is pink for Gaudete Sunday (the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  Gaudete means “joy,” and the priest will wear rose-colored vestments).  On the first Sunday of Advent, light the purple candle that is diagonal from the pink one.  Say a prayer of longing for Our Savior.  Every evening light this candle, accompanied by a prayer, and each successive Sunday light an additional candle.

You need:

  • An advent wreath/candle holder
  • Candles

Salvation history candle

The idea:

Similar to a Jesse tree but for the artistic.  You will draw on a large candle (about 2 feet tall) the scenes from salvation history, starting with Adam and Eve at the top and Baby Jesus at the bottom.  You will burn the candle throughout Advent.

You need:

  • A church-style large candle, 51% beeswax, about 2’ tall.  Can be found at stjudeshop.com
  • Drawing implements

Planned read-alouds

The idea:

Read advent and nativity books during Advent: either one story per day in a book of collected Advent stories or separate books.

You need:

  • A book with a collection of 22-28 Advent stories (here is the one we have); or
  • 22-28 picture books that are Advent-related, about saints whose feast day falls in Advent, or about salvation history.  If you choose this option, you might want to wrap them in wrapping paper and number them, opening up one on each day.

Piece-by-piece nativity set

The idea:

Rather than give a little piece of candy in an Advent calendar, each day brings another object or person to add to the nativity scene, starting with the stable/cave and ending with Baby Jesus.

You need:

  • You can buy a set online that has the requisite number of pieces; or
  • You can make one yourself out of felt, bringing out one piece each day; or
  • Your children make their own paper nativity set, coloring a piece every day using free printables online.

____________________

Resources:

Here is a list of good works you might use for your family’s Advent stockings.

  • Do something nice for someone in secret today.
  • Look around your room.  Is there anything you can give away to the poor?
  • Do an extra chore today.
  • Try hard to be cheerful in everything you do today.
  • Draw a picture of the nativity.
  • Read about a saint today.
  • Pray for your priest today.  Could you offer up a sacrifice for the Church today?
  • Pray for an end to abortion today and give away something to moms in need.
  • Pray for the deceased today.  Could you make a sacrifice for the souls in purgatory?
  • Pray for persecuted Christians today and learn about a country where they do not have freedom of religion.
  • Pray for people who do not know Jesus.  Is there something you could do extra as an offering for them?
  • Pray for your family today.  What can you do to help your family be more like the Holy Family?
  • Pray a Rosary today.
  • Pray the Chaplet of Divine mercy.
  • Do an examination of conscience tonight, and if possible, schedule Confession sometime soon.
  • Take a meal to someone in need.
  • Make a card to send to someone who lives far away.
  • Call or invite someone over who might be lonely.
  • Read the Nativity story from the Bible.
  • Make ornaments to send to the nursing home.
  • Do something for someone else that you normally don’t want to do (such as offer to play a game you know he likes).
  • Eat all of your food with a good attitude (even if you don’t like it) and be grateful you have it.
  • Sing a song to baby Jesus or make up a poem for Him.
  • Act out the nativity or part of the salvation story or do a puppet show.
  • Give money to the poor.  You may do an extra chore and give away any money you earn.
  • Bake something and give away half.
  • Write or draw a thank-you card for someone.
  • Make a gift for your priest or staff at your parish church.
  • Give away food to the food pantry.
  • Give away a piece of warm clothing.
  • Work on memorizing a Bible verse.
  • Go to morning Mass.
  • Give up something you like to do or eat today and offer it up as a prayer for someone in need.
  • Wrap up something you have and give it to someone.

 

Copyright 2018 Amanda Woodiel.  This post first appeared at www.inaplaceofgrace.com.

Fasting 101: My Experience Over the Last Six Weeks

By

A reader, referring back to a post from a couple of months ago, asked me if I had actually done anything to implement a weekday fast so that Sunday could be a feast day without being gluttonous.

And, wonder of wonders, I have!

So often the noble percolates in my head, and it takes months (maybe even years!) to materialize in my everyday life. But this time, thanks to several different threads coming together and by God’s grace, I have actually implemented a weekday fasting schedule.

Most days I fast from dinner until dinner. This is called intermittent fasting. (If you want to learn more about intermittent and extended fasting from a medical, physiological point of view, read The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung.)  Several years ago, my trim chiropractor mentioned that this is how he eats, and I thought he was completely nuts. In truth, it is really not so radical (humans have been fasting and feasting since time immemorial) or so difficult (I found that anticipation of how hard it will be is way worse than the reality).

I have been fasting now for over six weeks. I don’t fast on Sundays or on feast days.  The first big feast day since I began this practice was the Feast of the Assumption, and it really felt like a feast! After breakfast, I took the kids to a local bakery and relished a pecan sticky bun. For lunch, I put sugar in my coffee. And for dinner I ate take-out pizza. It was awesome, and it was awesome without being gluttonous. It felt like true feasting.

So how do I feel while fasting?

Mostly I feel great. The hunger comes occasionally, but as I had read, it comes in waves. If you make it through the wave of hunger, the feeling goes away and stays away for a couple of hours. So for me it’s about an hour of feeling hunger around lunchtime, and then I am fine until dinner, and even then, I don’t feel that hungry. I have done two 44-hour fasts, and those were only marginally more difficult than my usual routine.

I have felt far less lethargic than I have in a long time and have more energy than usual. I even tackled cleaning our basement (a cellar-style storage space), which is a project I have ignored for over a decade.

Overall, I have simply enjoyed food more than ever. The daily meal tastes so good and is such a delight; I feel like I have re-discovered the joy of food. It feels like the way God probably designed food to be consumed: I feel hungry when I eat, and I’m not just shoving it into my body because I want it or because it’s there or because I am feeling a negative emotion.

I should also mention that there have been surprising practical benefits. I find I have about an extra four hours per week (the time that would have been spent preparing and eating my own breakfasts and lunches throughout the week). I am spending less money. While I wouldn’t say these would personally be reasons enough to motivate me to fast, they have been pleasant advantages.

There is a spiritual side of fasting too. One of the main reasons why I fast is because I felt that food had power over me in a way that it shouldn’t.  I was cranky when I didn’t eat.  I thought about how to reward myself with food.  I turned to food when sad or stressed.  I ate too much of certain foods just because I wanted to.  Intuitively, I knew that that part of my life was not properly ordered.  If you are in a similar situation, you might enjoy taking a little food attachment quiz I created when I was deep in exploring my own disordered attachment to food.

Jesus presumed we would be fasting. “When you fast,” He said (see Matthew 6:16). I know so little about the power of fasting, as I am so new to it. But I can say that it has already induced some sense of detachment from the things of the world.  Like all Christian spiritual practices, such as prayer and alms-giving, fasting molds the soul into the way of holiness.

Fasting also has always been a way of showing remorse for our own sins and a way to make reparation for the sins of others. I am tempted to think that because I am doing it for my physical and spiritual health, it cannot also be “applied” as a prayer. Nonsense! Think of the Holy Mass, when we pray “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all his holy church.” If the Mass itself can be said for God’s glory as well as for ourselves as well as for the entire church, well, then so can our small acts of fasting.  Offer your sacrifice to God for His glory, your own good, and the good of the whole world.

If you feel out of control regarding food, want to re-discover a spiritual practice that has been around for thousands of years, and/or desire to create a rhythm in your family life that accords with the liturgical year, I encourage you to try fasting! It is changing my life.

__________________

Copyright Amanda Woodiel (2018).

May is Filled with Feasts

By

May is filled with great Feast Days!  What a great catechetical opportunity we have to celebrate Feast with our students or at least communicate to parents how they, as families, can celebrate them.

Here are a few key Feast in May:

St. Joseph the Worker – May 1st – St. Joseph is a model for all Christians.  Here are a few good links about St. Joseph…  Saints for Kids- good background info and ideas for the family   Here is a St. Joseph the worker Chore Chart for younger kids. Finally, the Litany of St. Joseph is very special encouraged for all to pray.

Month of Mary where Catholics throughout the world honor Mary during this month with various prayers and devotions (May Crowning, more frequent recitation of the Holy Rosary, special prayer to Mary each day, etc.).  Here are 9 ways to celebrate the Month of Mary Or How to Plan a May Crowning gives some ideas among other sites. Two significant Marian Feast days in May are Our Lady of Fatima, May 13th and May 31st, The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Traditional Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord this year is on May 10th (this feast has been transferred to the Sunday before Pentecost in most dioceses).  This is a great time to talk about Novenas because of the 9 days between the Ascension of Our Lord and eve of Pentecost. Ideas Here and Here 

Pentecost – Although this Solemnity is 50 days after Easter and not always in May (but often is), this year it is May 20th.  Celebrate this important day which is the Birthday of the Church.  Here are a few simple celebration ideas. Pentecost Activities and Prayers. A few other ideas on celebrating Pentecost.

3 Apostles are celebrated this month – Saints Philip and James on May 3rd and St. Matthias on May 14th.  The Apostles were chosen by Jesus as the first bishops to go out and proclaim and witness the Gospel.

 

Often Religious Education Programs have ended sometime in April and many of the great saints and liturgical celebrations of May are not able to be celebrated or reflected upon.  If you do have faith formation sessions, don’t miss the opportunity to share about these Feasts.  At the very least give ideas to parents to celebrate these special days of May!

 

How have you celebrated these Feasts at your parish or in your own home?

 

 

A Beautiful Prayer to Bring Your Heart to Jesus in the Manger

By

Gerard van Honthorst: Adoration of the Shepherds (1622)

 

It is deeply touching that the saints live in the certainty of God’s particular, personal, and tender love for each of us. A dear friend shared this prayer, today, and I have it posted in my office.

Behold the dear Infant Jesus, and adore Him fervently. Contemplate His poverty, and humility, in imitation of His most holy Mother and of Saint Joseph. Repose near Him as sweetly as you can, He will not fail to love your heart, void as you find it of tenderness and feeling. Nothing will be wanting to you since you will be in the presence of that holy Infant. Abide there, and learn of  Him how meek and humble He is, how simple and amiable. See how lovingly He has written your name in the depth of His Divine Heart, which beats on that couch of straw from the impassioned zeal it has for our advancement and heaves not one single sigh unto His Father in which you have not a part, nor a single movement of His spirit except for your happiness.        –Saint Francis de Sales

A very blessed and holy Advent and Christmas to you and yours!

In Jesus through Mary,

Lisa Mladinich

Owner, AmazingCatechists.com

The “Truth” About the War on Christmas

By

A dear family member sent me the following video and asked, “What do you think?”

https://mic.com/articles/186563/a-jesuit-priest-reveals-the-big-problem-with-the-so-called-war-on-christmas#.dXpO3ld3t

In the video, posted at a progressive, liberal website called Mic, Rev. Kevin O’Brien, dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, expresses the opinion that Jesus would not care if we wished each other a Merry Christmas, at all. He claims that Jesus would prefer we lived out the message of the Gospel. 

Interesting topic.  Here’s my take:

Father O’Brien conflates our concern for the commercialization of Christmas with what he claims is a generally-accepted rule of thumb: that the greeting, “Merry Christmas,” is considered a litmus test for whether we are authentically Christian. It’s a fallacy, right out of the gate. There are two completely separate issues going on, here.

First, no reasonable person thinks that if we say “Merry Christmas” it proves our Christianity. In recent generations here in the United States, those happy words have been casually and good-naturedly appropriated and used as a seasonal greeting by people across all faith boundaries. This claim that Christians pat themselves on the back for saying it and then sit back, satisfied that they have proved their authenticity, is not credible.

Second, there is something quite concerning about today’s intense cultural pressure to bury the real meaning of this holy season. That’s what this is really all about.

At this point in our history as a nation, corporations now routinely prohibit their sales staffs from saying Merry Christmas to customers. The idea, ostensibly, is to avoid offending people of other faith traditions; yet, the whole reason for the huge upswing in sales for these same companies is this particular Christian tradition, which is sacred to billions of people around the world. The fact that people of other traditions join in the fun is beside the point. If this were a Muslim tradition and wealthy corporate barons tried to erase the real meaning by prohibiting certain words from being said in public, the cries of tyranny would be deafening.

This suppression of two harmless words that have long expressed kind wishes to all–while reaping profits that keep many of these businesses afloat the rest of the year–is “cultural appropriation” at its worst, something progressives claim to despise.

Those who attempt to bully employees out of acknowledging the meaning of the season are not acting in a true spirit of tolerance and acceptance–quite the opposite. They are trying to erase it.

Why? I believe it’s because Christianity has always been a thorn in the side of those in power. Christians historically are willing to suffer rather than succumb to indoctrination, and our society is full of indoctrination on all sorts of issues: social, moral, and political. The school system sees to the indoctrination of the young, joined by the media, higher academia, and other powerful social influencers.

So my response to those who would forbid anyone from saying something as kind and heartfelt as “Merry Christmas” is this: Stop appropriating our traditions, which are sacred, purely for your own profit, and posturing and pretending that to acknowledge what is sacred to Christians is inherently offensive. Even if only a tiny remnant is celebrating Christmas out of love for Jesus, it is still our sacred tradition, a tradition that shines a unifying, healing, and eternal light into the darkness of our fallen world.

Regarding wishing people a Merry Christmas and the possible risk of offending our Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, or other brothers and sisters, here’s what I do, everywhere I go:

I pay for my items, thank the store employee with a smile, and then ask, “Do you celebrate Christmas?” If they say, “Yes,” I wish them a merry Christmas. If they say (as the girl at the bakery counter said, this morning), “I celebrate Hanukkah,” I say, “Well have a very happy Hanukkah!”

This accomplishes two things (at least): It tells my fellow traveler that I am Christian and take the season seriously, but it also says that I respect the other faith traditions and the sacredness of those celebrations, beliefs, and customs. This moment of human warmth and connection can be that “encounter” that Pope Francis wants for us, in a very small way. Yet, those small encounters can be used by God to sow His holy peace among us, and that is huge.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, devoted to the Little Way of St. Therese of Lisieux, reminded her followers to do “little things with great love.” The little things matter. God can work miracles of grace through every tiny act of love.

Of course our faith is about living the message of the Gospel, not just saying something Christian (as some sort of phony proof of our authenticity). That is just beyond obvious. But the phenomenon of censorship and denial that has been called, in recent years, “the war on Christmas,” is something we should all be concerned about, whatever our beliefs. Nobody’s faith tradition should be stripped of its identity for any reason, least of all politics or profit. So we actually do defend the rights of other faith traditions when we stand up for our own, in a spirit of mutual love and respect.

If Christmas is in your heart, share it kindly.

May God bless you with his holy peace, providing all that you need to fully become the person you are meant to be, whatever your traditions, beliefs, and customs. Amen.

VIDEO: My Visit With Doug Keck on EWTN Bookmark

By

My new book for parents, catechists, and Catholic school teachers, helps adults and children learn their faith together!

It was an honor to be interviewed by Doug Keck, on EWTN’s BookMark, on location at the Catholic Marketing Network Tradeshow.

In this episode, Doug featured me and three other members of the Catholic Writers’ Guild, talented Catholic writers with a true heart for the Church: Joe Wetterling, A.J. Cattapan, and Cathy Gilmore.

My interview starts at about the 5 1/2 minute mark, FYI.

Email me directly, if you’d like to gift a bundle of discounted copies of my book to your catechists, faculty, or homeschool network!

Blessings of Advent

Lisa Mladinich

lisa@mladinich.com

Three Secrets That Lead to Advent Joy, Not Exhaustion

By

Advent comes from the Latin word, “adventus,” which means “coming.” Jesus is coming, we know, and there is much to do! But life can be intensely stressful, noisy, and draining, especially when we are caught up in the material demands of the Christmas season.

Lenten Vestments (Catholic Company) [Click for ordering information]

In the race for the perfect gifts, decorations, foods, and cards, we can easily forget something central to our faith: that the richness and depth of the color purple that adorns our Advent liturgies is a reminder to us to atone for sin and open our hearts in more trust, more purity, and more love to the Infant Jesus. It is He who comes into the world and into our hearts to save us (John 3:16). Being ready for him takes an attentive and humble heart.

Here are three easy ways to weed out unnecessary distractions and plant our hearts firmly in Advent:

1. Give away your stuff:

Many charities will come right to your house or apartment building, pick up your boxes and bags full of giveaways, and leave you a tax-receipt, making it extremely easy to clear out closets, book cases, and cupboards–to bless someone else with your plentiful belongings. Gently-used clothing, housewares, books, toys, costumes, knickknacks, artwork, crafting supplies, unused office supplies, and almost anything else that is still in good condition can touch the lives of others less fortunate, while the charity truck gives us the clutter-free environment we long for.

It is a spiritual truth that we have to clean out our hearts to receive Jesus more fully (more on that, soon). Let’s clean out our homes and unburden ourselves from the guilt and stress of useless clutter. Just as Jesus can transform a heart open to his love, He can transform our homes into sanctuaries of of peace and simplicity.

2. Pop the question:

Wikipedia Commons (Public Domain) [click for more about this Christian symbol]

What are your family’s favorite Advent and Christmas traditions? If you’ve never asked them, you’ll be amazed at the answers. While you’ve been slaving to duplicate every household display, every traditional recipe, and chase down the perfect Christmas cards, surprises, and gatherings, your family has been secretly waiting for just one or two moments to arrive.

Each person has a touchstone, a particular event or practice that says, “Christmas joy” more than anything else. For me, it’s caroling and decorating our tree. For our daughter, it’s Christmas brunch and opening presents with Grandma. For my husband, it’s a Christmas Eve celebration with old friends. Knowing that these are the most important touchstones for my family helps me to discard anything that simply adds to our busyness and stress. It simplifies our lives and takes away that feeling of having to “do it all” before it’s too late. It also minimizes the let-down after Christmas–that feeling that you worked yourself to death for an experience that faded within hours.

3. Prepare spiritually:

  • Get to confession more regularly!

Oh, joy, right? I’m laughing because Reconciliation is the sacrament that people avoid like the plague, when it is precisely the pathway to joy that we all need. When we leave our little sins unconfessed, we become comfortable with them, and they weaken us spiritually, making it easier to commit more serious sins. We also block the graces that Jesus longs to pour into our hearts in Holy Communion.

C. S. Lewis wrote, in a collection of his essays called, The Weight of Glory, that the sins we cling to are the “dead places” in our hearts. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If we block the Lord of Life from entering certain areas of our lives, then those are dead places.

If we want our lives healed, if we want to grow in virtue, if we crave joy and intimacy with God, it’s critical that we get to confession. The Holy Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine, and His power to heal us is infinite; however, Jesus is a gentleman and never forces himself into our hearts, so we must prepare–and make room for him in the inn, so to speak. It is only then that He can pour the graces needed to free us from attachment to sin, heal us from the wounds of our past, and bring us into lives of great freedom and fulfillment.

You see a priest in the confessional and hear the words of absolution from another human being, and that may seem awkward and embarrassing, but what is really happening is an astonishingly beautiful encounter: it is Jesus who forgives, absolves, and heals through the words and actions of the priest. Do not miss this precious and life-changing encounter with God!

Here are some resources for making a solid examination of conscience before confessing your sins:

The Sacrament of New Beginnings, of Freedom! (includes a wonderful short video)

The Ten Commandments (article from Our Sunday Visitor about the “yes” behind every “no” in God’s laws)

 

  • Choose a meditation for the four weeks of Advent:

(HINT: I love all of these but usually only try to do one at a time)

  • The St. Andrew Christmas Novena
    • This traditional prayer honors the first Apostle called by Jesus, St. Andrew. Pray this short prayer 15 times daily throughout Advent for a special intention (many graces will follow):Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
  • Simply “hold” the Baby Jesus to your heart. 
    • One year I was stressed and distracted and had no “Christmas spirit” at all, so I asked Jesus for help. A vivid and tender image came to me of the Infant Jesus in the manger, and I bent to gather the sweet Child into my arms. From that moment on, just the thought of cradling the Baby against my shoulder and holding him close brought me to a quiet, reverent, and joyful place in the privacy of my heart. Christmas Eve mass and Christmas day were extraordinarily meaningful, that year.
  • Pray with the children in your life, every day. 

God, when I think about Jesus coming to earth, I realize the he must love each of us very much. Jesus is God and can do anything he wants to, but he chose to become a helpless baby born to poor parents, to teach us that love is what makes us rich. Remind us that when his mother laid him in a manger that animals eat out of, Jesus was already teaching the world that he would one day become our spiritual food. Amen.

UPDATE: Here’s the prayer I shared on Relevant Radio’s Morning Air show, today:

Also from Week 20: Christmas, from my new book, Heads Bowed: Prayers for Catholic School Days:

Holy Spirit, you brought Jesus to earth through your divine power. Thank you for giving us the best Christmas gift of all. Our Lord Jesus is a gift beyond price. Inspire us, O Lord, to love the Baby Jesus and carry him in our hearts at all times. When we fail, give us the grace to return to Jesus and confess our sins, since he always loves us, no matter what. Praise be to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Stained Glass Advent Calendar (Catholic Company)

Have a very peaceful, beautiful, and holy Advent!