Category: Events

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One Experience of the Mass

She stumbles in just as the little bells are rung in front, moving as quickly as she can while remaining silent but-for light footpatter. Rushing to the side of the pew, she genuflects just before the priest and altar server make it to the center aisle. Quickly unfastening her coat, she drops it to the seat, wincing as her phone thuds hard against the wood. A little noise, truly, and still before the opening prayer…

“In the name of the Father, and of the the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”

Nodding as she joins the, “Amen,” she can’t help but grin: technically, she was on time, and this church is starting to feel like home. The loud woman in front, the super-pious people in the rear, the man who knows the logistics of the day-to-day operations on one side adjacent the main aisle, the woman who knows the entire history of the parish on the other side and near the side aisle, the man who holds the door for everyone sitting in the rearmost seat… Despite this not being “her” church, she knows the daily attendees, misses them when they aren’t there, and simply feels as though she could belong here. For the first time in a long time, she feels at home.

Sitting for the reading, she picks up the missal, deftly flipping to the proper page to follow along. She still struggles with pacing her reading to match that of the lector, but having the words in front of her helps her to focus on them anyway. At least she can read and re-read the passage with the background of having it read to her; that’s better than piecing together the day’s agenda because the verbal words aren’t in and of themselves sufficient regardless of the skill of the reader.

The psalm is read. She matches the cadence, but the loud woman is also the fast woman who refuses to pause for the commas. Smiling both in acquiescence and loving annoyance, she draws herself nearer the pacing of the loudest, fastest responder. She can’t quite bring herself to match it as it doesn’t make musical sense and thus grates against her instincts, but she struggles in the attempt. By the final repetition, it’s almost passable as matching. The other congregants are somewhere between the two versions.

Standing for the Gospel, she listens closely to the acclamation; the change of liturgical season also changed the tune, and she hadn’t heard the one at this church location yet. It was different than all of the ones she was used to, so she focused intently as the initial call was made, then responded quietly as she tried to mimic it. The first time was close; the second response was spot on.

As the priest reads the Gospel, she holds fast to the little book in her hand, trying to look at the priest while focusing on the words. Her non-book hand grips the pew in front of her tightly. Slowly, she raises the missal and glances at it, tracing the verses through to the end quickly, then moving her eyes back to the reader, holding a mental image of the words in front of her to follow along. “The Gospel of the Lord.”

“Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.”

They sit, and the priest starts explaining the message from the readings. Sitting on the edge of her seat, she drinks it all in. This is her favorite homilist: he speaks plainly and meaningfully, his words have real-world relevance, and she trusts what he says. This unassuming middle-aged man who likely wouldn’t recognize her had a penchant for enthralling her. She sometimes even grabbed her phone to take notes, either to write down a quote or to remember to look more into a topic later.

Concluding, he shuffles back to his seat on the other side of the dais. After sitting for a moment, he stands, and the congregation stands with him. More prayers, and calls-and-responses later, the people in the pews find themselves on their knees. The host is consecrated as the bells ring jubilantly, transforming into the Body of Christ as the priest lifts it high above the altar. Hiding her face, she grinds her teeth but can’t stem the trickle of tears as Heaven and Earth are joined during the transubstantiation. The chalice with the water and wine is consecrated as the bells again ring, changing into the Precious Blood.

Standing for more prayers, she wipes her tear ducts as subtly as she can. It gets her every time.

They kneel again for the presentation of the transubstantiated Jesus. She pinches her eyes closed, all too aware of her unworthiness, until…

“Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world…”

Her eyes fly to the Eucharist, unworthy yet unwilling to refuse the invitation to behold him. Just as quickly, when the prayer is finished, she removes her gaze. “Oh Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” The priest consumes the Body and Blood, then distributes it, first to the altar server, then to the congregation. She wipes her eyes again as she steps into line. One by one, each receives the Body of Christ then filters back to their kneelers for silent prayer.

As the priest finishes the distribution, he returns to the altar, cleanses the receptacles, puts everything in its proper place, and returns to his seat. He sits for a few moments, then he stands. Concluding the celebration with a closing prayer, the priest wishes everyone a good day. The congregation recites the Prayer of Saint Michael, the angel leading God’s armies in the fight against the Devil. The priest exits.

She closes her eyes for an extended blink. Her lips curl into a warm grin, and she nods, knowing that she is properly armed to face the day.

Further Investigation

The Veil Removed is a short film (5.5 minutes) on YouTube well worth the watch. (It says it’s about 7 minutes, but the last minute and a half are credits.) It shows us what is actually happening at Mass as the host becomes the Eucharist, enhancing the experience for any believer.

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Lent! – Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Many recognize the practice of “giving something up for Lent” and use it as an opportunity to better themselves or their habits. Do you perhaps have an addiction to Oreo cookies or Doritos chips? Maybe you read a lot of drivel and it’s souring your life? Are your daily habits what they should be for you to be your ideal self, or is there one you want to subtract or add to get there?

If you want to start one habit this year to better yourself, Lent is the best opportunity: it’s an open invitation to unity with others by “offering up” something. The practice includes giving up a certain kind of food (the cliché being chocolate), quitting a bad habit (such as smoking or drinking), or starting a new habit (such as running every morning or praying every evening). This can be used any number of ways; the key thing is that whatever your Lenten practice is, it should draw you closer to God.

As a lay Catholic, I practice the Lenten preparation for Easter every year. Some years the habit sticks better than others. (I gave up cursing in three distinct Lenten seasons, for example.) Some years are more ambitious than others. (The first time I gave up my foul mouth I was in undergrad and surrounded by people who actively prodded me to not keep that practice; the third time, my circles were more supportive.) Some years are about adding things in (like a daily morning swim routine or a nightly walk). What I do changes every year, yet every year it’s something to bring me closer to God.

This practice is called the Lenten sacrifice. Many of us go to one end or the other of the intensity spectrum, either going all out because only the most difficult task will suffice or sliding by with the least amount of effort but it still counting. I have fallen prey to each of these practices generally as a result of thinking I have to prove my Catholic-ness. However, being the most hardcore isn’t the point, nor is checking some box on the list.

The word sacrifice is derived from two old Latin terms: “sacer” and “faciō.” Sacer means sacred or holy; faciō means to do or to make. Combined, it becomes sacrificō and has a literal translation of doing for the Holy One. Thus, a sacrifice doesn’t have to be tremendously strenuous, and a Lenten sacrifice isn’t about checking all the boxes. It’s simply doing something, big or small, to offer to God.

In that same vein, God doesn’t want us to suffer. He welcomes all of our offerings – whether they are painful trials and tribulations or inviting Him to spend an evening with us while we spend time with friends. Sacrifices can take many forms. As long as we are offering something to the Holy One, it constitutes a sacrifice. Every time we stumble, literally or figuratively, if we give that to God, it’s a sacrifice. Every time we smile or laugh, if we give that to God, it’s a sacrifice. Every time we bake a cake or watch movies with friends or spend time with family, if we give that to God, it’s a sacrifice.

See the theme here?

So long as we offer something to God, we are making a sacrifice. The reason this practice is so much at the forefront during Lent is because we are preparing for Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. As we continue through Lent, we draw nearer the day of the Resurrection, and as we draw nearer the day of the Resurrection, the more focused we should be on God. What better way to become more focused on God than to think of Him every time we do a specific thing that we are doing for Him?

This is also why we try to offer a Lenten sacrifice that affects us at least daily: it gives us a prime opportunity to frequently focus on Christ. It doesn’t have to be particularly onerous or dreadful or troublesome; it just has to be something that causes us to look to God. Maybe we look to God for strength in finishing a run while training for a marathon; maybe we focus on Him in thanksgiving for five minutes of peace during a hectic week. The result is the same: time spent walking with Christ. This is what the Lenten sacrifice is about.

Are you doing a Lenten sacrifice? How does it draw you nearer to the Holy One?

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Happy Ash Wednesday!

Is that a thing?

I’ve been wishing people a cheerful “Happy Ash Wednesday!” all day. I mean it, I feel it, and I truly want today to be a happy one, yet at the same time, every time I’ve said it, I’ve wondered if that’s a proper greeting for today. It simply seems out of place, perhaps even off. We’re kicking off the season of Lent, many of us fighting incessant tummy rumblings before it’s even socially acceptable to admit as much; what could possibly be happy about that?

Easter is it’s own (post-Lent) season; the question is, what reason is there to be happy about Lent?

Two words:
(1) Progress
(2) Mine

Progress

The concept is simple, but it requires some reading into the season to understand how it applies. Lent is a season of repentance, of turning away from sin (anything that takes us away from God), so that we may more clearly focus on God. We seek to better seek God in our lives; sometimes we do this by deleting negative attachments and/or adding God-focused habits. The goal of Lent is to choose God over worldly pleasures, comforts, and other temptations.

(That’s not to say that these things are bad; they might be quite good. For example, it is good to have a nice bed to sleep in that supports you so you can sleep well and better serve people come the new day. This bed certainly counts as a worldly comfort, but there’s nothing inherently sinful about it.)

Over the course of Lent, we should find ourselves nearing God. Now, that’s a necessarily relative term because we are all starting from different places, but it is simultaneously objective because we are only measuring against ourselves. Specifically, if I move ten paces, we can measure whether I ended up closer to or, alternatively, farther away from God. There is a key element missing here for us to take that leap.

We need to know where we are.

Lent is a time for self-assessment. We determine who we are and where we are on our journey of faith so we can figure out the next step to take us closer to God. Introspectively assessing ourselves enables us to move forward by allowing us to orient ourselves; in determining our current location, we can see a little more clearly how to get where we’re headed. Being able to see the path strengthens us to take it, even when the road isn’t easy.

Mine

Specific to Ash Wednesday (happy today!) is this particular word: mine. It’s not normally what I think of when I think of Ash Wednesday, and I’ll keep it brief because I recommend watching Father Mike Schmitz’s video for more information on this point.

On Ash Wednesday, we get ashes smeared on our foreheads in a very particular way. The ashes symbolize what we are – ashes and dust, creatures made by God. In the grand scheme of things, if we zoom out on time and assess the value of all of humanity over the course of eternity, that value is, approximately, nil. Nothing. In the grand scheme of things, we don’t really matter. Except: Jesus.

The ashes go on our forehead as a cross. This is Jesus claiming us as his own by marking us with the sign of the war He waged for our hearts on Calvary. That cross of ashes says two things: we are nothing, and yet God wants nothing more than our hearts. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you so much that He lived, died, and rose from the dead to claim you as His own knowing full well that you weren’t going to be perfect and knowing full well that He will love you through your imperfections. That is the message of today, and that is certainly worth celebrating.

Happy Ash Wednesday.

Further Investigation

  • Father Mike Schmitz offers a great video called The Significance of Ash Wednesday. In this touching video of less than eight minutes, he discusses the meaning of today’s celebration: we are ashes, yet Jesus loves us precisely as we are.
  • Ashes by Tom Conry is a classic Ash Wednesday hymn. I discovered some scathing articles about the song, but I interpret the song quite differently. (One article specifically discusses what a paltry offering the ashes of last year’s palms are, for example, but we’re not offering the palms: the “ashes” we’re offering are ourselves, for we are but ashes and to dust shall we return.) Worth a listen/sing.
  • A less controversial song for today is Ashes to Ashes by Dan Schutte which is also worth a listen/sing.
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Happy Mardi Gras!

Dancing and eating and partying and eating and drinking and more eating and reveling and even more eating… Maybe even catching some beads here and there….

How are you celebrating Fat Tuesday?

That’s the translation, French to English: mardi is Tuesday and gras is fat. Certainly one of the most descriptive names, although not one of the most inspiring. (One of the many reasons some New Orleanians prefer to use the term Carnival.) You might be thinking, What an odd name; why would anyone call a celebration a fat day?

Time for something decadent and delicious…

Quite plainly, it’s crunch time for fattening up in preparation for the Lenten season (otherwise simply known as Lent). During Lent, people prepare for Easter. This starts with fasting from all the pleasures in our lives that draw our attention away from God. The goal is to be laser-focused on God, His goodness, His mercy, and His love, by the time of the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil.

Part and parcel to that is not eating as much. Traditionally, the faithful fast throughout Lent as part of the practice of Lenten preparations for Easter. To prepare for the time of fasting, we eat up so we don’t wither away. Logistically, it makes sense… though the practice has clearly gotten a bit beyond that. Now Mardi Gras is celebrated as a holiday all its own, with specific foods and revelry (and debauchery, but that is easily avoided).

New Orleans is known for having the best Mardi Gras celebrations Stateside. People come from all over the world to party in the streets, catch the throws (beads, shoes, painted coconut shells), and generally laissez les bons temps rouler in whatever way that means to the reveler. I can vouch: the celebrations last for weeks, the city is crowded with tourists, school children get a vacation week, workers get time off (and use it to avoid touristy areas), and it’s the most relaxed chaos I could ever imagine. By now, the early afternoon of Mardi Gras day, all the parades are over and most locals are winding down with family festivities in their own homes. (Meanwhile, tourists are probably drinking up everything they can in the French Quarter from Bourbon Street to Café du Monde.)

Now, that’s the stuff! Mix it up!

(Sidenote: if you want pro tips on visiting The Big Easy, reach out to me. I know where the best po’ boys [local sandwiches] are, which spots are worth a visit in the French Quarter, the best snowball spots in the city, and how to prepare for an awesome time. If you’d like a tour guide, also feel free to touch base – I’d love the excuse to go back!)

The point is, today is a day for taking it all in to enable us to make it through the upcoming battles. (Lent is effectively the season set aside for us to wage a war with our demons so that we can focus on God, so it’s a battle. Charge!) In honor of the day, and in preparation for tomorrow, I’m cleaning out my fridge. I somewhat started early as I’ve been cleaning out my pantry for the last couple of weeks, but today the target is merely the fridge; I have a lot of leftovers from an event this weekend, and all of them are getting eaten today.

Crostini, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts and pineapple, and an amazing radicchio salad.
So… much… food…

I’m also using today as an excuse to reconnect with friends, including those who love the celebration, those who love to hide away from it, and those who have no idea that today is Mardi Gras. (Fun holidays like today make exceptional excuses to reach out to just about anybody.) It’s also been a relatively quiet day of introspection: how do I want to better myself, what goals am I pursuing and how can I pursue them better, and how can I make the most of this Lenten journey?

I’ll tell you more about my plans for Lent on Thursday. Today, I have a few more hours of revelry. (For me, it’s much more low key than attempting to navigate the streets of the French Quarter on a night like tonight.) I’m even thinking of stopping at a Dairy Queen for a Blizzard treat as the ultimate mid-winter indulgence. (After that wonderful salad, I may be too full even for such a treat. I would probably make room for a drive-thru daiquiri if I were in Metairie, though. Priorities!) Amidst everything else, I’m already making plans for the future.

Next year, I’m making a king cake.

How about you? How did you celebrate Mardi Gras today? What are you looking forward to this Lent? Where do you plan to be come Easter day? How are you going to springboard from today to get there?

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Over 100!

Whoot! We hit a milestone on Friday!

Time to celebrate an accomplishment … with another post!

In many respects, this feels like a belated birthday card. I knew the 100th post was coming, but I didn’t check until just now. The 100th post launched on Friday, and the entry with the title of 100th post is Minuscule Reminders. A solid post for the honor as it focuses on good humor and gratefulness from objectively negative experiences.

While there is still plenty of room for growth, 100 posts is a great start to this magnificent journey. Which goals and sub-goals on your dream list have you reached so far this year? How do you celebrate your milestones? Which next steps are you most looking forward to?

I look forward to sharing another 100 posts and learning more about this platform to better serve my readers and potential readers. I also look forward to more incredulous Paint drawings of subjects so ridiculously portrayed they might pass for abstract art. I am also hopeful regarding the late launch of a series I delayed as well as a few others that are brewing. Keep in touch! I expect new posts to continue to go up daily (excepting Sundays), and I hope to prepare posts in advance of launch dates so there’s a buffer in case of circumstances preventing my daily logging on. At this point, that may be a dream, but we shall see about making it reality.

Happy 104th post! How should we celebrate together?

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Primaries Voting Day

Today is the day for voting in the primary elections! Have you made your voice count yet?

I live in New Hampshire. Many people still call New Hampshire the “First in the Nation,” but Iowa currently has that title. (Well, there are many ways I could sideline the Iowa caucuses, but I’ll concede that their constituents voted first.) Still, my pretty-purple state has a decent lead on Super Tuesday, and I’m interested to see how much the nation reflects on what happens here today and into the wee hours of the morning as the votes are finally tallied.

There are many candidates running this year: thirty-three on the democratic ticket ballot and seventeen on the republican ticket ballot. Yes, you read that right: there are sixteen people contesting the incumbent from within in the party. Oh, and the other party decided to one-up the previous election’s high number of primary candidates for any party by doubling it. That’s a lot of contestants for a game show with a winner of one.

Are we feeling a little ridiculous yet?

New Hampshire rules permit a person only to vote in the primary of the party which they are affiliated with. Normally, that means that anyone affiliated with the Grand Old Party walking into the polls today would have been told thanks, but no thanks. Most states are holding primaries for both parties. This is why I highlight the urge to vote: everyone should get out and vote this primary season, regardless of party affiliation.

That includes people like me – the undeclared voter, otherwise known as the independent or unaffiliated voter. In New Hampshire, if you are not officially with a party, you get to walk in, declare a party, vote in that party’s primary, and (if you wish) re-un-declare as you walk out. It’s rather awesome: I got to pick the contest my vote might matter for. If you knew my history (consistently cheering on the underdog because decent humans tend to be in that category), that would be borderline laughable. Though I did canvass for a candidate who miraculously won once… Anyway, I figured the majority of the action would be with the blue ballots, so that was my party of choice for twenty minutes.

So many options! (Also notice the centennial celebration – top left.)

I did my research, so no, I didn’t just walk in, see the blue pile was smaller, and pick that one. Gimme a li’l credit, mmm’kay? Research is an important component because you should know what you’re getting yourself (and your countrymen) into. It’s a lot better to vote for someone because they have sound policy ideas and leadership skills than because they have a cute name and the cutest Wikipedia picture. Yes, that was a value judgement, and I hope others share it.

During my research, I identified where the candidates fell on issues that are important to me. Do you have non-negotiable issues? What top traits are you looking for in a candidate? What do you want your candidate to fight for if they make it into office? What do you believe in?

There are a number of quizzes you can take online for free to get you thinking about specific issues, how much those issues mean to you, and who you agree with most. Caution on how you use them: I have yet to find any that allow me to sort by my non-negotiables, so candidates I agree with on many things but not on the important thing rank highly. They are worth checking out, but they are better for seeking matching the balance of your values as opposed to a particular issue.

Armed with the facts, I voted. I invite you to do the same: do some soul searching, check out the issues, and assess where the candidates fall on the issues, then make your voice heard at the ballot box. Who are you supporting this election year? Why? Where do you want the country to go from here? Where are we aiming to land? What are we doing well, and what should we prioritize changing? What do you want tomorrow to look like?

Quite possibly my favorite thing about tomorrow is that there will be no more canvassers knocking at my door trying to convince me to vote for some candidate or other. Props to the volunteers for their efforts; I applaud people for standing up for what they believe in. Regardless, I’m looking forward to not debating political ideology on the front porch without a coat in the middle of winter.

Days like this – when there is frost on both sides of my windshield – are the days the canvassers decided it was most important to engage me in lengthy discussions.

I look forward to tomorrow. How about you?

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MM: Happy MLK Day!

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

– Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream speech (transcript)
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Pro-Women = Pro Life

Today, the March for Life 2020 kicked off in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tomorrow morning, Concord, NH will join at least five other cities (Chicago, IL; Casa Grande, AZ; Elkhart, IN; and Columbia, SC) in hosting local marches standing up for life.

What is the March for Life? Should I care?

Everyone should have an educated view about matters of life and death. The March for Life is quite literally about matters of life and death: who our society determines has a right to live, and who doesn’t.

Morbid, and important.

Have you evaluated the evidence and formed an opinion yet? I clearly have one, and I encourage you to independently research the data so you find whatever facts you need to reach a decision. Over the past decade or so, I formed an opinion, researched the topic, begrudgingly moved to the fence, researched further, and finally found myself standing firmly in the camp opposite where I started. Learn! The more you know, the more sound your decision will be!

What Topics Does the Pro-Life Movement Cover?

The pro-life movement is a counter to the culture of death; if something aims to take, restrict, or limit life, the pro-life movement runs counter to it. The March for Life stands for all issues of life. There are four main topics of the pro-life movement.

Abortion

The focus is often on the abortion segment of the mission: saving pre-born babies. Saving these babies is critical: there are zero rights prior to that of existence. Notably, women are denied all rights at a higher rate than men, even when still in the womb: girls are more likely to be aborted than boys across all cultural boundaries. Let’s not forget about the role of race, either: a black woman is more than twice as likely (about 2.7x as likely) to abort a child than a white woman.

“The Negro cannot win as long as he is willing to sacrifice the lives of his children for comfort and safety.” How can the “Dream” survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother.

– Dr. Alveda C. King,
(the first part quoting her uncle Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

This is a hot topic, but it isn’t the only topic.

Elder Abuse

Just as horrific – if not more so because it is less controversial – is the murdering of the elderly by nursing homes. Intentional neglect in nursing homes leads to the premature deaths of thousands every year. Some people believe that people who are unable to care for themselves have a duty to die. And this topic isn’t even referencing those considering euthanasia: this topic is squarely that someone who is supposed to be taking care of someone else doesn’t, instead neglecting them to the point of death, generally by malnutrition or dehydration. People are starving to death because someone else thinks they have a duty to die.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia – he painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. The practice is illegal in most countries.

– Oxford dictionary

I didn’t ask Oxford for its opinion; Oxford pointed out that it’s illegal in most countries of its own accord. Hey, look, red flag that you’re probably doing something wrong: the dictionary recognizes it’s so barbaric that they note the general illegality in the definition of the word itself.

Euthanasia at least gives the one dying a say in the matter – at least theoretically. This is probably why Americans favor its legality, because it appears to be about the freedom to choose to no longer live. However, this practice takes advantage of people in their weakest states, and in many cases takes advantage of people who lack legal capacity. (“Legal capacity” is the ability to make a binding decision. For example, if someone is experiencing severe dementia, that person is not capable of making decisions and thus lacks legal capacity.)

Capital Punishment

Then there’s the death penalty issue. Capital punishment is the murder of a criminal convicted of certain crimes. It isn’t always used when available; sometimes the guilty party instead receives a life sentence to prison without the opportunity for parole. In 2019, there were 22 people executed in the United States, and statistically one of them was innocent of the crime he was convicted of.

Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman

That’s the theme for this year’s national March for Life: Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman. Looking at the data, this is incredibly true. From abortion to early termination of life, women are the most likely targets of the culture of death.

Abortion

The people most hurt by abortion is the women who endure them. However, while the mothers are likely to experience emotional side effects, the fathers also experience loss including the same PTSD, depression, and various disorders that the mothers face.

A reminder and plea to all pro-lifers: any woman considering abortion is suffering. She is likely feeling cornered, abandoned, maligned, scared, and worried. She faces despair. We are called to be hope to the hopeless. Know that she needs help, and we are called to act as God’s hands and feet in providing the help she needs, providing the love she needs. Remember always to love her through her fear.

Elder Abuse and Euthanasia

How does elder abuse and euthanasia disproportionately kill women?

Women have longer life spans than men, and generally speaking, the older one gets, the more likely that person is to experience disability, debilitating disease, and/or terminal illness. Some jurisdictions require just such a pre-requisite before permitting the use of euthanasia, rendering women enabled to commit suicide when they are at their weakest and loneliest states.

Building into this loneliness, the older a person gets, the more likely that person is to suffer from neglect. Husbands die before wives, leaving women to the care of the other people in her life. Children and grandchildren often build lives away from them, leaving them to the care of nursing home staff.

Summary

I strongly encourage everyone to investigate these issues. They are literally questions of life and death, and as such they are absolutely worth our time and energy. I am proudly pro-life. The people who are enduring hardships – whether in crisis pregnancies or being abused in nursing homes – should be treated with the love, care, compassion, and respect that we are called to show to all humans. I hope to see you on the March!

First they came for the forgotten,
And I did not speak out
Because I was not forgotten.

Then they came for the elderly,
And I did not speak out
Because I was not elderly.

Then they came for the unborn,
And I did not speak out
Because I was already born.

Then they came for me,
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

– Consequent Ideas adaptation of a poem by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller
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Have You Chalked Your Door?

Chalked Door Epiphany Home Blessing
*Gasp!* I wrote on the wall!

This tradition of writing on the wall signifies an open invitation to Jesus to be a daily guest in our homes and in our hearts as we go about our busy lives. The chalk will fade over time; may the meaning of the message to sink into our hearts, bearing fruit in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Have you heard of this Epiphany tradition?

It was news to me when I saw the home blessing kits at the rear of the chapel yesterday morning. Brows furrowed, grin mildly contorted toward a smirk, I picked up one of the bags with a small piece of chalk and a paper folded up inside. “This is interesting,” I thought, quickly followed by, “if I don’t use it, I can bring it back tomorrow.”

Would this little bag pique your interest?

I had no clue as to what I was taking with me. It wasn’t a book or a pamphlet, wasn’t a rosary or a prayer card, so I was slightly confused and almost not trusting of it. It was out of the ordinary, so it was as though I needed to justify my curiosity in it.

Curiosity well spent.

I enjoy actively participating in the Faith. Even more so, I thoroughly enjoy learning interesting information while I’m actively participating. There’s a childlike giddiness that comes from growing in the Faith. Throw in a hint of apparent rebellion and I totally want in. These little kits were perfect to satisfy just such a hunger.

Arriving back in my room, I put the little kit down and walked away to get work done. A couple of hours later, I hit a natural pause. Looking up, I again felt my face contort into a playful grin as I caught sight of it. Walking over, I opened the bag, read the little note, fetched a step-stool, and chalked my door.

Chalk Up Your Life

What is this exciting tradition, you ask? What do those letters and numbers mean? Why would I write anything on the wall?

First of all, writing on the wall is mutinously fun. It’s seriously exhilarating. At one point, I giggled like a schoolgirl getting away with a prank. Then my adult self kicked in and I thought, “How am I going to fix this?” My logical brain retorted, “Wipe it off with a damp cloth.” And I chuckled triumphantly to myself as though I’d discovered the biggest discovery ever to be discovered by a discoverer.

My reactions to this whole tradition are childlike silliness and fun. Will you join me in the fun?

You may want to know the symbolism before committing to anything. I get that. In fact, I applaud that. Go you. Check it out:

  • + = ✞ = the Cross
  • 2020 = the year
  • CMB represents two things:
    the three wise men: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar
    – and –
    Christus mansionem benedicat: may Christ bless this house
This is how I picture the wise men: swaddled in cloaks and beards.

While marking the doorway, speak the following:

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling place among us.
It is Christ who enlightens our hearts and homes with His love.
May all who enter this home find Christ’s light and love.
May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year.
Amen.

After marking the door, there’s a prayer to offer. This can be done silently or aloud:

Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of Your presence.
Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of Your love, and grant that we may manifest Your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch.
May we grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of you.
Guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus Christ, now and forever.
Amen.

Epiphany Chalked Door Rectory Blessing
I think I need to add more crosses to my inscription…

Have you ever done this before? Did you just discover this discovery and want to try it out? Do you have any other Epiphany traditions?

Benedic Christus nos!

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Welcome to 2020!

Happy New Year!

I hope you kicked off 2020 in your favorite way and are looking forward to everything the new decade has in store!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.

– Edith Lovejoy Pierce, In This Our Day

What are you most looking forward to this year? I wrote out my hopes and dreams as part of a self-reflection and forward-thinking project, complete with timelines of when I want to do them by. Last year included learning more about the virtues so I can try to live by them better, journaling, increasing my courage, re-learning French, and taking a hand-to-hand self-defense class. Some goals were met, though I still have room to grow.

This year includes learning to fence, learning to ballroom dance, joining a sailing club, finishing writing (rough draft) a series of novels I’ve been working on, and visiting Dublin.

My first reaction to writing that last sentence: that’s a tall order. Look at all that stuff! How can I expect to get all that done while also doing the normal things in life: working, balancing a budget, blossoming my relationships, and working toward other, more logical long-term goals?

But the point of this list isn’t to bog myself down. A hopes and dreams list is a tool to encourage us to rise up to meet our challenges. Yes, there are other things I need to do daily, and there’s only so much time in a day, but if I crowd out time wastes, I can do great things. And so can you!

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

– Les Brown, Live Your Dreams

Our time on Earth is finite; time is the limiting reagent of the reaction of our lives. It stands to reason, then, that our highest priorities should get the most time from us. But what are our priorities? Without knowing our priorities, we can’t prioritize them. Making a dream list demands that we pause to think about what our priorities are. A dream list helps us focus on our priorities and reach for our dreams with purpose and gusto.

So, I may not complete all of my goals for 2020, but if 2019 is any indication, just having the list for reference helps me move in a positive direction. I reference it when I’m unsure which actions to take: reminding myself of what I want helps me to get there because I can make my decisions to further my goals.

Do you have a dream list? What are your priorities? What do you hope to accomplish this year and how are you going to meet those goals?