Jesus in Disguise

On Saturday I had the pleasure of hearing John Wood, author of Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission speak.  I read his book earlier in the summer and it was life changing! So when the opportunity for me to hear him in person presented itself I was beyond thrilled. I highlighted the heck out of the book and often find myself going back to it for my morsels of convictions when I find myself falling short or struggling with worldly temptations. I keep it right next to my life manual, the bible.

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During his talk he brought up the fact that we all come in contact with difficult people in our lives. Think back over the past month. Did you come in contact with a difficult person, an ornery neighbor, frustrated parent, or a toddler throwing a full on Oscar award winning tantrum? I know I have, on more than one occasion. He then quoted Mother Teresa…..

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Each one of them is Jesus in Disguise.  Then he went on to ask, how should you treat those people? You could laugh at them when they throw their tantrums, you could mock them, or ignore them? But they are Jesus in disguise, how would you treat Jesus? Would you treat him kindly, compassionately, with patience and love? I know I would. That was a real ‘aha moment’ for me. I have always considered the poor, sick, and elderly to be Jesus in disguise but my 3 year old? It is brilliant!

When I came home that evening and my 3 year old was throwing an Oscar award winning tantrum I knelt down and looked in her big blue eyes and spoke to her in a calm voice with patience. Granted she didn’t listen the first 3 times. But the 4th time I did not yell or lose my head, I maintained composure and compassion and guess what? She listened. A sense of Grace came over me and I found myself welcoming my next encounter with Jesus in disguise.

But what about those days, weeks, or months when you are plagued with difficult people, tantrums, and constantly giving? Those days you are tempted to just lose it and say what about me?

Remember this….

 “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Pope Benedict XVI

99999999999999999999999999Interested in reading more on this topic: Haley Stewart wrote a fabulous article, You were Made for Greatness, Not Comfort

Have you come in contact with a difficult person recently? How did you handle it? Do you have a toddler? Where have you seen Jesus in Disguise?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Mass more Engaging for Kids!

Why is it that we prepare our children more to go see a movie than we do to go to Mass?

I mean, imagine how excited the children would be come Sunday morning if all they saw all week were commercials on the upcoming readings? What if McDonald’s Happy Meal toys coincided with the reading that week?

I think we forget that children just don’t wake up one morning and they are suddenly interested in a toy, television shows, and/or movie. There is a lot of research, time, and energy that goes into creating the perfect commercials and toys to help boost sales and audience attendance, your child’s attendance.

What if, as parents we put in the same amount, or even a fraction of the amount, of time and energy that the big advertising companies do? What if we did our homework prior to Sunday’s readings and found ways to engage the children in the Mass? I realize this might sound like a daunting task but it need not be thanks to the help of the following resources…..

The Catholic Toolbox

Catholic Mass Activities (parts of Mass, what we do during Mass, etc.)

There are so many fun ways to teach kids about the Catholic Mass. This collection of Catholic Mass activities should help you plan your next lesson about the mass or help prepare students for school or parishes masses throughout the year.

 

Catholic Kids offers a weekly Mass Bulletin for kids…I highly recommend printing these off!

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Sadlier Religion

This site has Sunday reading reflections, discussion questions that coincide, and proclaiming faith activities for the primary grades.

Here is one example:

Gospel Luke 12:13-21 Gospel Reflection

As so often happens, Jesus tells a parable because someone has asked him a question. A man wants him to settle a squabble about an inheritance, but Jesus will have no part of it.

Concern about money prevents people from focusing on the reign of God. The parable of the rich farmer shows how foolish it is to keep piling up possessions. Right when the greedy man is gorging himself on food and drink, he dies. Death prevents any chance of reform.

Discussion Questions for Gospel

How important is making money? Jesus knows that we all need enough to live on. Each person’s need will be a little bit different. Each family’s needs will be a little bit different. But Jesus warns here against piling up money and ignoring what really makes us rich? Love of God and love of others……click here to continue reading.

Living Faith Kids

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Living Faith Kids features daily devotions based on the daily Scripture readings from the Catholic Mass. Each quarterly issue helps children 8-12 develop the habit of daily prayer and build their relationship with Jesus and the Church. Living Faith Kids is the daily Scripture-based prayer companion for Catholic children and an invaluable resource for parishes, families and schools.

Church Bags

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Before Mass begins and during the quiet moments of reflection during Mass each of my kiddos have a church bag with resources they can view quietly. (Children will be children and asking them to remain still and silent throughout the Mass is not always a realistic request. I have yet to meet a toddler who will do so, lol!)

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Each of their church bags consist of age appropriate books, figurines, and prayer cards.  To keep their bags fresh I recommend changing out the contents every few weeks. (above is an image of the items found in our 3 yrs. old bag and below is an image of the items found in our Kindergartener’s bag)

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(And lastly, below is an image of the items found in our 2nd graders bag…minus her Rosary which she had on her when I took this pic)

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Then culminate your Sunday with a catholic cuisine inspiration….one that coincides with what your child learned in Mass…

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Who knows, after you share all the amazing things revealed during Mass just maybe your child will be waking up Sunday mornings with the same enthusiasm that they had for the latest feature film release?

Do you know of any additional great catholic site that I should add to my list? Or perhaps you have a routine that works for you and your kiddos? Please share…

Is society controlling your life?

After getting the kiddos situation in the kitchen with an art project this morning I set off for the family room to fold clothes. Exciting I know!  While folding I turned on the TV and quickly found myself being pulled into a talk show. The topic was unconventional marriages.  The host was interviewing a traditional Orthodox Jewish marriage.  First I found it ironic that the topic was unconventional marriages and the couple was in a traditional marriage. My second thought was, when did the traditional marriage become unconventional? Then I listen further and found myself mesmerized by the tradition, romance, and respect that this couple shared.

They explained that when they dated there was no physical contact. Their religion teaches that physical touch is powerful and very holy and should be reserved for husband and wife. They further explained that when you have physical touch you lose the object or purpose of dating, to get to know each other on a psychological level. If physical touch is present the focus is broken and lust can take over mimicking an artificial bond.  The question that then begs to be asked, how do you know you have the physical chemistry? They so eloquently expressed how the love and intimacy builds and from that romance and the physical components naturally follow.  It sounded so beautiful! Who would not want such a deep, meaningful, spiritual, and magical moment on their wedding day! Why does society tell us that this is the exception to the norm, why did the audience find this couples story to be so absurd?

 

Society, the media, social media, reality television, etc. tells us that the norm is premarital sex, birth control, and multiple sexual partners. That you have every right to experiment and get what you need physically, after all it is biological. Man or Woman, you need to be in control of your sexuality. Women specifically need to practice responsible sexual behavior and take control over their sexual health. Women should be on some form of birth control. Birth control has practically become an accessory for life for most women. Shoot, after asking what class are you taking, and what time do you get up in the morning, the next question going around college dorms is what birth control are you on? But by engaging in premarital sex and taking birth control women are depriving themselves of the natural biological means for selecting a mate.

When women take a hormonal contraceptive, they interfere with their biology and risk producing a hormonal imbalance that might make them more attracted to men with similar chemical makeup. If you were on the pill when you met your mate, you might, therefore, feel less attracted to him when you stop taking it—or worse, you may have greater trouble getting pregnant. Needless to say, either of these scenarios could cause problems within the relationship.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/29/using-birth-control-pills-alters-womens-mate-preferences.aspx

According to neuropsychologist Dr. Tim Jennings: “When you have premarital sex, your reward circuitry is bonded to them now (like when a mother gives birth to a baby and nurses the baby the hormone Oxytocin is released and produces the bonding experience…same hormone is released during sex) , and it will be much deeper and hurtful. Oftentimes, in breakups of people who’ve been sexually active, they can’t tolerate the sense of emptiness, so they rush into another relationship. The neuro circuits did not have time to reset, and so they’re impaired in their ability to bond with the next person, and they may become sexually active with them. This is just a repetitive cycle, and there are real impairments in bonding going on.   http://www.conquerseries.com/2013/01/10/how-premarital-sex-rewires-the-brain/

Thus, when you add the biological and hormonal imbalance of a contraceptive with premarital sex the results can be devastating. We officially rob ourselves of all that is beautiful and magical in this world. We rob ourselves of true love, a true biological and emotional connection to a mate, a lifelong partner. Why is society encouraging our young adolescents to get on birth control and ultimately destroy what God so perfectly created?

And then to take it a step further. For those who are fortunate to still remain married after all that hormonal imbalance, and are able to bear children, society then takes ahold and dictates yet another magical component of life, the gift of life!  Through innuendoes and stumble implications in society, a family should constitute 1-3 children. Anything else is absurd. After all children are an inconvenience, they cost money, and you should be happy with what you have…to have more is just irresponsible. So a step must be made to make certain no more children enter the marriage. Having the male get a vasectomy seems to be the preferred method. Shoot, it is practically a rite of passage these days. Men joke around about it and it has most recently been tokened as the March Madness procedure. If you are still questioning societies influence on the topic perhaps this will make it clearer, vasectomies are covered by insurance; and a reversal can cost thousands of dollars. What anyone fails to discuss is the emotional and physical strain it can have on a marriage. Every woman I have spoken with whose husband has had a vasectomy have expressed that they were not 100% comfortable with their decision. To add insult to injury, most of those men had a vasectomy when their youngest child was under a year old. Thus mom was still dealing with her own hormonal imbalances from child-birth.

I lost trust in my husband’s decisions for the family, but all the while I never expressed my heartache because the vasectomy changed my husband in many ways as well. He became very focused on his work, his career advancement and the money that he could make under the guise of “providing” for the family. He continued to seek his own will and not that of God in his decisions, and I felt afraid of the control that he had over me. In hindsight, taking away someone’s fertility against their will is one of the most controlling things that anyone can do. http://onemoresoul.com/contraception-abortion/testimonials-contraception-abortion/a-womans-story-of-her-husbands-vasectomy-reversal.html

 

In conclusion, what kills me is that I am in my 30s and it has taken me this long to realize the truth and the control society has if you allow it. How the beauty of the miraculous has been lost, we have replaced it with synthetics. My wish is that all young ladies understand the effects that birth control has on you and that premarital sex doesn’t make you an adult, self-control does! Addressing the religious component of our sexuality doesn’t always come across clearly to adolescents but scientific proof might.

Perhaps if we share the truth with younger generations the rate of divorces and infertility will be less. There would be less synthetic hormones streaming through female bodies and less synthetic love from premarital sex. They can base their mate selection on pure biological and psychological connect as God intended. 

 

This article was featured on One More Soul , Bloggy Moms, and Catholic Bloggers Link-up Blitz

St. Nicholas Activities for Kids

So it is the first week of Advent and like many other families we are finding ourselves becoming quickly overwhelmed.  It seems like the month of December, though not the shortest month of the year, flies by the fastest due to the numerous events, festivities, gatherings, etc. I am finding myself checking off Christmas traditions, such as decorating the tree, the house, getting out our Elf on the shelf and moving it to a new location every morning, seeing Santa, seeing lights, etc.  like items on a “to do” list, as opposed to quality family time together making memories to be treasured.

So, in an effort to slow down and truly get back to the real meaning of Christmas I am simplifying by minimizing the commercial or more secular festivities and focusing more on tradition Christmas. This means we will be focusing our attention on the Feast of St. Nicholas and the birth of Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, I am not forbidding anything, but rather trying to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas more.  So, this past week in an effort to refocus our attention this Christmas season we have been preparing for the Feast of St. Nicholas. 

Here are a few of the fun activities we are doing in preparations for the Feast of St. Nicholas.

Watching Veggie Tales Saint Nicholas A Story of Joyful Giving which is currently on Netflix.

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St. Nicholas Center  has a great story about the Real Santa that I read to the kiddos while they worked on the numerous kid friendly activities I found on St. Nicholas’ Center for Kids, including their St. Nicholas Puzzles….

Click here for puzzles to print off for your children.

Click here for more puzzle options.

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While our toddler and preschooler worked on their puzzles our first grader worked on a crossword puzzle and then started making a St. Nicholas ornament out of beads from her craft bin. 

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Then all three kiddos helped put together a fun St. Nicholas memory game. The older two helped cut out the memory squares and all three helped glue them onto cardstock.

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Another activity our preschooler really enjoyed was The Ship Game, where he had to circle all the items in the picture that began with the letter “s”.

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I have printed out St. Nicholas’ for the children to color and cut out.

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Our St. Nicholas Tradition…

When I was a child my brother, sister, and I would sit our shoes outside our bedroom doors the Eve of St. Nicholas Day and in the morning we would rush over to the shoes to see what St. Nicholas had left us.  We would often find an orange, apple, candy, and other small trinkets of interests for children (cool pencils, stickers, etc.).

Now that I am a mother I am finding so much joy in continuing these traditions with my own children. I have everything ready for St. Nicholas Eve, apples, oranges, chocolate coins, and cute St. Nicholas pillow ornaments that the children can color and then hang on the tree.

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I am so enjoying sharing the story of Saint Nicholas and all these fun activities with my children and am looking forward to St. Nicholas Eve!

Here are some additional interesting links I came across:

Checkout this new tradition, instead of a shoe why not a shoe bag for St. Nicholas day that you can have embroidered?

St. Nicholas Chocolate Coin Printable

St. Nicholas Day Spice Cookies

St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes

Does your family celebrate St. Nicholas day? If so how do you celebrate?

40 Days for Life

At first the baby didn’t seem aware of the cannula (a straw-shaped instrument attached to the end of the suction tube)…It gently probed the baby’s side…the next movement was the sudden jerk of a tiny foot as the baby started kicking, as if trying to move away from the probing invader. As the cannula pressed in the baby began struggling to turn and twist away. The tiny body violently twisting…being wrung like a dish cloth, twirled and squeezed…then the little body began disappearing…the last thing visible was the tiny, perfectly formed backbone…and then it was gone.

These words are taken from the book, unPLANNED that tells the dramatic true story of a former Planned Parenthood leader’s eye-opening journey across the life line. You might be asking yourself why I have decided to address this topic today. It is because today marks the first of 40 Days for Life.

With abortion being the leading cause of death in the US there is a desperate need for transformation…which is where forty days comes into play. For forty days you are asked to…call upon the community to unite in prayer and fasting to end abortion. To conduct peaceful forty-day-long prayer vigils outside abortion clinics and to be a witness to the harm being done there, and offering hope and compassion to all who enter. (Taken from the book, unPLANNED)

 

Why this is such a passionate topic for me….

Okay, I guess it is time to get personal. During my freshmen year of college I was asked to write two papers, one from the perspective of a pro-life woman and the other from the perspective of a pro-choice woman. This was one of the most difficult assignments I had, and probably ever will, receive in my lifetime. That assignment, in particular the latter paper, though terribly difficult to write since I was raised pro-life and firmly believe in pro-life actually opened my eyes to the fear that can cloud ones judgment. I had to put myself in the place of a woman who was dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and suddenly I realized that fear and shame played such strong roles in their outlook. The fear of not being able to have a child alone, the fear of going through with an abortion, the fear of what other people will think, the fear of not accomplishing your dreams and goals, the fear of what life holds with a child by your side…the shame that you have brought this upon yourself, that you have had an abortion, etc. I also realized that this woman, no matter what her decision was going to be judged by some people; I say some because there are people out there who are kind and compassionate and realize that God shall pass judgment one day, not us.

Fast-forward to the present and I find myself labeling those women who have found themselves pregnant at a young age, who have to make difficult decisions, and who have chose life, I call those women BRAVE! It is no easy task to bring a child into this world out-of-wedlock, underage, etc. and I commend those women and I praise them for if it were not for them I would not have some of the most precious individuals in my life today. So I extend my gratitude to those brave women and I wish I could give each of you a warm embrace as the tears are beginning to stream down face. I am including a very touching song by Casting Crowns, Just Another Birthday that focuses on this topic….

I also have a practice I would like all to share with me for those women who have undergone an abortion, COMPASSION. I have spoken with a few women who have experienced an abortion and not once has one been glad she followed through with it. Even though they were young and they had so much potential for a bright future, career, etc. it wasn’t worth a life. In fact they regret what they have done…they always wonder what if…what if they had their baby…would it be a boy…a girl…maybe that child would have grown into the individual who would one day cure cancer. The heartache, burden, and pain those women carry for the rest of their lives are something no one should have to endure. 

So please join me in 40 Days for Life and pray and fast for all the innocent victims and victims of abortion. In honor of 40 Days for Life I am altering the background of this blog to a blue to represent the hope, peace, compassion, and fortitude for life.

The following link has printable devotions for each of the 40 days. http://40daysforlife.com/getinvolved.cfm

 

Also, if you or someone you know is facing an unplanned pregnancy in the Toledo area please direct them to Heartbeat of Toledo . If you are not in this area please seek help from a local church or other community affiliate center but not a Planned Parenthood who needs to meet abortion quotas.

If you have had an abortion here are a few sites that might help provide solace, http://hopeafterabortion.com/, http://www.afterabortion.com/, and http://www.experienceproject.com/groups/Had-An-Abortion/366.

 

40 Days for Life is not about being right, wrong, or indifferent, it is about Life…will you join me?

Pentecost Activities for Children

Pentecost is this coming Sunday, May 27, 2012.  Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season.

The Story of Pentecost

Pentecost commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles. After Jesus rose on Easter, he appeared to the apostles over the next 40 days, teaching them the significance of what had happened to Him. They listened, but didn’t really understand, so Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, who would enlighten them and give them everything they would need to carry the Good News to people all over the world.

Then Jesus ascended into heaven, and the apostles were more confused than ever!

They gathered in an upper room with the mother of Jesus to pray. Ten days later they heard a loud noise, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them in tongues of fire. When that happened, they received spiritual gifts that transformed their lives and gave them the power to touch the lives of other people.

They ran into the streets and began to tell people about Jesus. Each person in the crowd understood the apostles in his or her own language. Thousands became believers that day.

Today we celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the Church.

Source: http://www.osv.com/OSV4MeNav/ChurchSeasons/PentecostTheHolySpirit/tabid/8386/Default.aspx

Prayer 

Father of light, from whom every good gift comes, send Your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind, and by the flame of Your wisdom open the horizons of our minds. Loosen our tongues to sing Your praise in words beyond the power of speech, for without Your Spirit man could never raise his voice in words of peace or announce the truth that Jesus is Lord, who lives with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

One of the most important lessons a mother/ parent can teach their children is how to listen to the Holy Spirit.  A great way to encourage your children to listen is to engage in a conversation after mass.  Ask your children what message they heard in the readings, in the music, in the homily that seemed to speak to their souls. Then help them to recognize that that is how the Holy Spirit works in their lives.

 

Here are some additional activities that you can share with your children:

 

 

http://www.sermons4kids.com/pentecost_jumble.htm

Read this story and have your child color the coloring page that accompanies it http://littlelambsministry.freeservers.com/storyholyspiritcomes.htm

Crafts:

http://catholicblogger1.blogspot.com/2009/04/lesson-plan-pentecost.html

 

http://busywithblessings.blogspot.com/2009/05/ways-to-celebrate-pentecost.html

http://dawnathome.typepad.com/by_sun_and_candlelight/2007/05/cupcakes_and_a_.html

Food:

Since Pentecost is also known as “Whitsunday,” and one tradition is to serve white foods.  Last year we had powdered sugar doughnuts and white hot chocolate with breakfast and an afternoon snack of milk and Macaroons. Shower of Roses

For dessert, A Cake for Pentecost, complete with the mighty wind to blow out the candles. This is such a hit each year, and I plan on making it again!

Make Holy Spirit Crackers, like the ones inspired by Alice from our Easter Tea.

How do you plan on celebrating Pentecost? Do you have a family tradition?