{7 QT 24} - Resolutions!

Happy New Year!

I'm one of those unfortunate people who loves making New Year's Resolutions, and usually gets carried away in the process.

Inevitably, I make resolutions that are unrealistic - being either too big, or requiring too many little pieces and parts. And I may have done this again this year, but at least I'm trying to make an improvement in how I make resolutions.

These are designed to encompass only those things that are the most important for me to do, and everything else... I'm willing to not worry about.

I don't know if you're familiar with Leigh Ann Dutton @ Intentional By Grace, but she has a lot of right ideas about life. The biggest ones being that being a good mother, a good wife, a good friend, a good daughter, a good employee... a good whatever... those things aren't going to happen by accident. They're going to happen because you are intentional about them, and by the grace of God.

So... resolutions this year boil down to being intentional about the things that are most important. This year, I've made twelve and managed to number them 1-7! (I'm a nerd, remember?)

St. Maria Goretti

(Don't expect anything too profound... this is just my personal experience of her visit in Baton Rouge.)

So, the big news in Baton Rouge this month is that the major relics of St. Maria Goretti stopped here on their journey around the country.

I have to admit at the outset that I usually hold the practice of venerating relics at a respectful distance; I see a lot of things that I would describe as superstition in the way some Catholics practice such veneration  – but that’s a post for another day. But… since no church in Baton Rouge has ever hosted such a thing in my memory, I couldn’t very well let them leave without trying to get something like an understand of what makes first-class relics so special to so many people.

What I've Been Doing With My Rosaries Lately

If you’ve been reading for a while, you might be aware that the Rosary isn’t my favorite devotion. (Be Warned: That was before I learned about the wonders of Pixabay and public domain images.) At the same time, I have a LOT of rosaries, and I feel guilty not using any of them.

My husband and I recently took up the practice of couple prayer, and I noticed something in the process of listening to myself pray out loud.

Unity Among Christians

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

This Sunday, the second reading will be from Ephesians 4:1-6.

In this passage in Ephesians, Paul urges the church in Ephesus to nurture and maintain their unity.

How sad it is that Christianity today is so deeply divided! Divided to the point that some Christians refuse to acknowledge one another as fellow laborers for Christ.

When the Retreat Isn't What You Hoped For

I usually go on a silent retreat in June with my mom. I know a fair few people for whom this would be sheer torture, but I absolutely love the fact that I get left alone all weekend.

On my retreats, there are usually talks twice a day. I’ve been on retreats where there are three or maybe four, but that’s about the limit. These talks are usually interesting and educational, and on a topic that has good application to my spiritual life. I’ve been to retreats on “Praying with Mary,” “Healing our Understanding of God,” “The Practice of Reconciliation,” and “The Beatitudes.” They were all wonderful.

This year was different. This year I found the retreat to be really lousy. I mean really lousy.

Pray the Rosary for Peace in the Middle East

Last night, I felt a call by the Holy Spirit to prayer, and I wanted to share what happened, and invite you to join me in praying the Rosary - just whenever you have time, as often as you can - for Peace in the Middle East.

I was on my way home from Adult Faith Formation class last night, and had been listening to the news on Catholic Community Radio.

In the study, we had covered the origins of Islam and its effects on previously Christian lands. We also covered the coercive policies that existed in the lands they conquered. We talked briefly about the burdensome taxes, the unreasonable laws that were enacted to "convince" people that it was not possible to remain Christian where they were. We talked about how in Islam, there was from the very beginning a "House of Believers"(Islam) and a "House of War" (Everyone Else).

I thought about the culture battles that it has become necessary to fight in the west, all of which I read about in the National Catholic Register, and other mainstream news sources. There are plenty of other culture battles that I could link to, given the time to look up an appropriate article.

As I was driving, there was an article on the radio about the recent suicide attacks in Pakistan that killed 15 and injured several dozen more.

I hate that these ISIS militants are getting the kind of platform that they are and that it seems like nobody is doing anything about it, and like I can't help. I almost turned the radio off.

Eyes to See

Third Sunday of Lent

This Sunday, the second reading will be from 1 Cor 1:22-25. As usual, I’m going to encourage you to read back a little to get some context. I’d start at verse 18, and continue on through the end of the chapter.

The epistle this week forms a bridge between the first reading and the gospel, so I strongly recommend reading them. It’s Lectionary # 29, if you’re reading from a hard copy source.

Paul laments that Jews look for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but both fail to see the very thing that they seek in Jesus Christ.

The truly hilarious part (or perhaps it’s tragicomic) is that the Jews who were in the temple when Jesus drove everybody out with a whip, the same ones who were always looking for signs, didn’t recognize one when it flipped over their money tables, scattered their animals, and drove them out of the temple! To those who had been given the Eyes of Faith (the disciples) it was right in front of them.

Please Pray

I'm apparently a little behind, since several bloggers have already posted their columns on this.

The LA courts are trying to compel a priest in our diocese to give information about what was divulged to him under the Seal of Confession. The young woman in question was abused by a parishioner (who has since died), not a priest, when she was twelve years old. She has said that the priest told her to hush it up. Given everything else I know about the priest in question, this literally makes no sense.

The Diocese of Baton Rouge appealed up to the SCOTUS, which declined to hear the case.

Please include in your prayers. Here are some links for further reading on what's going on, and why it's important.

Catholic Culture - US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of Louisiana case challenging confessional seal

Satan Ups His Game: Supreme Court Declines to Protect Secrecy of Sacramental Confessions, by Jennifer Fitz

Supreme Court Will Not Hear Confession Confidentiality Petition, by Simcha Fisher

I will be posting my regular reflection later this morning.

10 Ways to Switch Gears for Prayer

I can’t be the only one who struggles to be in a good frame of mind when I’m praying. It takes me a little while to change gears, and so if it’s been a rough day, I might spend half of my “prayer time” mentally chewing out various people who’ve gotten on my bad side throughout the day.

Here are some ways you might consider to help you switch gears, so that you can enter into your prayer time a little more effectively.

(1) Take a walk.

When I’m wound up about something, walking can help me unwind a little.

(2) Take a shower.

A good shower often helps me clear my head. I even come out singing show tunes sometimes!

(3) Play a game - one that you can do by yourself.

Choose a game that you are good at, but don’t generally feel a driving need to win. Remember, this is mostly about helping yourself switch gears. I have lately found that playing with a Spirograph I got for Christmas can be helpful to me in mentally settling down. (Yes, I asked for the Spirograph. Yes, I got my husband toys for Christmas, too. ^.^; )

(4) Spend a few minutes journaling.

Journals are a great way to help you let go of your stress. I know that there are times when I just need to process something, and writing is a great way to do that, especially when its a topic that Daniel is a little worn out of listening to me talk about. Nothing like writing it down to help you realize how silly the things you’re mad about really are.

(5) Listen to some music to change your mood.

I like Pandora. It was a huge help to me during Advent. I left the music going, and gradually, I turned my regular stations off, and my Religious and/or Christmas stations on as the weeks went by and Christmas approached. It wouldn’t be terribly difficult to set up a couple of faith-centered stations, and gradually turn off the others throughout the evening until it gets close to prayer time.

(6) Do some spiritual(ish) reading.

The idea is to shift your focus from things of this world to things above. It ideally isn’t anything terribly challenging, just enough to remind you of the presence of God.

Recommendations: Mere Christianity, Secret of the Rosary, The Five Love Languages for Kids, Raising God-first Kids in a Me-first World, or try reading some of the pope’s recent talks on the Vatican Information Service e-mails. (I say this about Pope Francis; this will vary with the speaking style of any particular pope.)

(7) Do some theology study.

I know, I know, this sounds an awful lot of the previous suggestion. If you’ve ever spent any time reading theology (as opposed to other kinds of spiritual reading) you can testify that it is not the same. Theology is often very difficult to read. The sentences can be long, can be difficult to understand, and might even require diagramming (especially if the writer was not a native speaker of English). Spiritual reading gently nudges you away from your worldly thoughts. Theology bulldozes you away from them. You can’t focus on anything else and make headway at reading your theology.

Recommendations: Redemptoris Mater, Summa Theologica, Any of the Vatican II documents.

(8) (women only - sorry, guys) Consider wearing a chapel veil or other head covering during your prayer time.

I know, chapel veils are a little off the beaten path, right? I used to think so, too. There's like one other lady in my parish who wears a headcovering at mass.

I haven’t been wearing a chapel veil very long. I only started wearing them for mass in the last 6 months or so. I’ll probably do a full post on my reasons for starting at a later time, but among my reasons was to help me focus, and to keep me focused on God while I’m there.

I have noticed a difference. My toddler is still a toddler, so I still get my attention suddenly wrested away from mass every week, but I have found that I refocus more quickly than I used to - it serves me as a reminder of what I’m there to do.

For those who are not used to veiling, it’s not necessary to wear a designated “chapel veil” or “mantilla.” You can use any scarf, doily, hat, or even a towel that happens to be convenient. Plus, as an added bonus, you won’t have anything to feel self-conscious about (like you might think you do at mass).

(9) Begin with a litany or other memorized prayer.

And pray it out loud! If possible, choose ones that you don’t know super well, but can mostly get through by just glancing down at a printout. If you pick one that you’re too familiar with, you can put yourself on “auto pilot”, and you’ll finish just as wound up as you were when you started.

(10) Keep practicing until you find something that works best for you.

We all struggle with distractions. When you find yourself fixating on something that made you angry during the day, apologize to the Lord for being distracted, ask for his help, and try to move on.

…and it’s occurring to me that many of my suggestions are the very same things that some people do to get ready for bed, so try not to fall asleep, if you do a bunch of them in succession!



Do you have any tricks that help you switch gears for your prayer time?