7QTs on: The Second Greatest Story, Your Moms' Group Ideas, & Lent

1) I just finished listening to Father Michael Gaitley's Lighthouse Catholic Media talk entitled "The Second Greatest Story Ever Told", and I was deeply moved.  He weaves a riveting and majestic story about the connection between Pope Saint John Paul the Great, Saint Faustina, Poland, the suppression of Communism, Mary's sweet love for us, Jesus's deep longing for us, and God's incredible mercy.   Within this tale, he shares how all of these things affected and worked within his own life.  He's a gifted story teller, and I know your life will be blessed by listening to it.

2) Do you belong to a moms' group or a women's group?  I am especially interested in ideas for Catholic varieties of said groups.  I am helping start one at my parish, and while searching for ideas online, surprisingly, I found slim information on the subject.  In the past, I have been blessed by the support and camaraderie moms' groups offered me.  These days, a lot of people live far from their families and could really benefit from the assistance of a "second family."  I am hoping that I can eventually share my experiences with starting this moms' group and, in turn, help other Catholic moms who want to start something similar in their parish.  If you have ideas about your moms' group you wouldn't mind sharing, please tell me here.  Thank you so much!

3) I have started to think about Lent a little, as I guess I should, because Ash Wednesday is just around the corner on February 18th.  A couple of my favorite devotionals or meditational books for the Lenten season are The Little Way of Lent by Father Gary Castor and Pausing to Pray: Lenten Meditations for Busy People by the Marians.

4) For the little ones, I am thinking about participating in the Holy Heroes' Lenten Adventure again.  We usually try to do at least some of it.  The boys love watching the videos.  They're engaging, fun, and informative.  Also, they do a great job of showing how you can make sacrifices throughout Lent.

5) Instead of using the Holy Heroes' Lenten "roadmap" to count down the days of Lent, though, we might simplify things this year and use Lacy's Lenten Calendar (at Catholic Icing), because then we won't have to search for the clues with the Holy Heroes one.

6) Speaking of Lacy, I also LOVE this idea of having a Lenten Cross (similar to an Advent wreath).

7) Have you seen this video on evangelization from LifeTeen?  It's amusing!  It makes me think back to times when I was pretty lame and missed opportunities to share my faith and other times when I have been a little heavy-handed in doing so.  It's worth the 4 minutes to watch.


Thanks for hosting, Kelly!  For more Quick Takes, visit www.thisaintthelyceum.org !

A Little Mid-Advent Inspiration

So far, Advent hasn't been too great for me.

I have been very lukewarm about preparing for Christ's arrival.

I'm still not feeling quite at home in our new city, and we have been dealing with illness after illness, teething, and night wakings.  It's been exhausting.  I would say that although I have been complaining an awful lot to God, I have been neglecting my relationship with Him.

Thankfully, He is so generous and merciful--always ready for us to begin again.  He is always there, waiting for us to "put down our nets" and follow Him.  Now, finally, mid-way through Advent, I am ready.

Something that helped bring me here was a Lighthouse Catholic Media talk entitled "Love Hurts:  The Truth Behind Redemptive Suffering."  I listened to it once before, but yesterday, while ironing and folding laundry, I listened more carefully.

It was exactly what I needed to hear and ponder upon...

~~~

All of us suffer.
But our suffering doesn't have to bring misery.  In fact, as Christians, it should bring us joy.

I needed to be reminded of this.
I needed to be reminded that since we're going to suffer anyway, we might as well do something efficacious with it.
I also needed to be reminded of the reasons we do voluntary penance.

Advent is a time to detach ourselves from the fleeting aspects of this world and seek the eternal.
It is a time to go deeper.

In order to draw closer to God, I pray He will help me with the following:

Slow down my prayers and mean the words I am saying.
Go to Adoration and be with Jesus, even if it's just for five minutes.
Go to confession.
Be more generous in the love I give to others.
Remember why I'm alive.

~~~

I hope your Advent is going well, but if it isn't, there is still time for you to start again, too. God's blessings be upon you. May you truly experience the beauty and love of this season.

7 Quick Takes about "The Hour of Power", "Carefree Timelessness", and a great quote

--1--

432 months
I recently completed yet another revolution around the sun.  My younger son is small enough that his age is still communicated in months.  I thought it would be fun to enumerate my life in months, too.

--2--

"Hour of Power"
Drew Mariani from Relevant Radio usually prays the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the 3 o'clock hour.  I pick up my older son from school around that time, so I usually catch a bit of it.  Captivating.  It's such a good reminder to pray during that time, and it's uplifting to hear stories of the answered prayers.  I highly recommend tuning in to Drew's program either on the radio (stations & affiliates), the web, or the app.

--3--

Writing preferences
This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend a craft fair at our church.  I happened upon an artisan who was selling some lovely, fabric-covered notebooks.  I've since done some writing in the one I bought, and I realized how much I enjoy putting the pen to the paper.  I think the very act of scribbling may be more therapeutic for me than typing.  What do you prefer:  The keyboard or paper and pen?

--4--

Fair Trade
I've been thinking a lot lately about the people who make the stuff I buy.  Every once in a while, I wonder what I can do to contribute to a fair wage--ever since college when I was part of a group called the Sweatshop Action Coalition.  Unfortunately, coming away from that experience, I did not feel very empowered.  At that time, alternatives to buying items made in sweatshops or factories which used questionable work practices were slim.  Now, besides buying second-hand goods, there are many more options for purchasing "fair trade" items.  Catholic Relief Services offers an online list of retailers who sell fair trade products--clothing and beyond.  Perhaps you will find some Christmas gifs for your loved ones in these online shops!

--5-

"Carefree Timelessness"
On my drive home after meeting a friend for lunch, I caught a Matthew Kelly talk on the radio.  He touched on several themes; however, one idea stuck with me.  According to Kelly, people in thriving relationships engage in "carefree timelessness."  I thought about my fondest memories involving my husband, children, family and friends.  Many of these moments of carefree timelessness were spent on vacations, but just as many were activities that cost little to nothing.  For example, several of the activities that have strengthened our bonds include taking leisurely hikes through the woods or strolls around the neighborhood.

--6--

Suffering
I am currently listening to another Lighthouse Catholic Media talk--this time on the theme of suffering.  I am looking forward to listening a second time, while taking notes, because the speaker, Matthew Leonard, weaves inspirational scripture within his storytelling and explanation.  I plan on revisiting this talk, so I won't reveal too much, except that you have to listen to it just to hear the magnificent words his young daughter said to him during her own time of suffering.  Absolutely breathtaking.

--7--

Really Good Quote
While on the subject of suffering, I wanted to share with you a quote from Mother Assumpta Long.  I was blessed to be able to see her speak at the latest Behold Conference.  She said,

"Suffering will make you bitter or better."

Thank you, Mother Assumpta.

Today, Kelly from This Ain't the Lyceum, is hosting 7QT.  Head on over there for more Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes About "Contemporary Sainthood," "Losing Nothing of Ourselves," & Other Fantastic Ideas

--1--

"Contemporary Sainthood"
I just listened to a very inspiring Lighthouse Catholic Media talk entitled "Contemporary Sainthood" by Mark Hart. Although he is addressing an audience of teens, the message applies to anyone aged teen and above.  In the first talk (it's a double feature), Mark Hart contends that if we are constantly bitter, angry, or bored, it could be due to our lives not being in line with our call to be saints.  He shares ideas regarding how to "unleash" the power to becoming a saint, as well as a profound insight from Pope Benedict XVI that I want to remember always:

 "You were not designed for comfort; you were designed for greatness." 

--2--

We Lose Nothing of Ourselves
In my most recent post, I reflected on ideas for increasing simplicity, appreciating beauty, and finding truth.  I shared some thoughts on Jesus's call for us to give to others, without a calculation of whether or not we will get some type of return on our "investment":

"...we are called to love, help, and be kind even to those for whom it is difficult to love, help, and be kind.  This can be very difficult.  It requires a firm foundation in identity, a knowledge that we are loved immensely by God, maturity, humility, and the understanding that if our gift is not reciprocated or even if it is rejected, we have not lost anything of ourselves.  Nothing is lost when you attempt to give genuine love to others.  Love is multiplied no matter the response."

--3--

Not the Right Season
With having a toddler, I am not able to volunteer at my older son's elementary school during school hours.  I was able to do that quite often before my younger son was born, so it doesn't bother me too much.  However, when I do feel a tad bit guilty that I'm not willing to find a daytime sitter so I can help with lunch duty or room parties, I think of this helpful post from Kathryn at Team Whitaker.

--4--

"Listening Room"
I absolutely love the tone of this post from Nell of Whole Parenting Family.  Her idea of making it known to your child that you are listening to him or her is such a tender, yet firm approach to parenting a sensitive child.  I just love the idea of a "listening room," where he knows you have heard him, and he also learns to hopefully hear you.   The entire post is helpful, because it reinforces that you need to have a plan of what you will do when your child begins to melt down.  For me, a plan = less yelling.

--5--

"Little Moment Parenting"
Another blog post that I really appreciate is one by Bonnie Engstrom of A Knotted Life, in which she explains why she has decided to go from "Big Picture Parenting" to focusing more on the day-to-day opportunities. Very enlightening.

--6--

Skyview App
As part of my older son's scouting activities, we visited a nearby planetarium and learned interesting tidbits about the constellations, the stars, the planets and more.  With this newfound appreciation for outer space, I decided to download the free app, SkyView.  It's a lot of fun to hold my phone up to the night sky and find constellations, names of stars, planets, the international space station, and information about the moon.  It's a great app, and it's FREE!

--7--

Scarf Tying Tutorial
Some international co-workers of my husband visited the U.S. over the summer, and they brought a gift for me.  I was surprised and delighted; that was really thoughtful of them!  They gave me a scarf (for fashion, not warmth).  Well, it has some beautiful what-I-would-call fall colors, so I decided to give it a try on Sunday.  I figured I could find a nice how-to guide online regarding how to wear it, and I found this video, which I really liked.  Since there are only eight main examples, I didn't feel too overwhelmed, which was important to me since I'm a newbie.




Thanks for hosting, Jen!  For more Quick Takes, go to ConversionDiary.com!