Saturday Quick Takes: More of Me, Lent Goodness, and a Picture

February 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

— 1 (Be Proud of Me) —

Yeah, I know. It’s not Friday. The temptation was strong to do two posts yesterday, but aren’t you proud of me? I resisted!

So here I am on Saturday with some Quickish Takes…

— 2 (Book Giveaway Winners) —

If you entered my book giveaway this month, I announced winners the other day and also sent emails (though I have a good hearty appreciation for spam filters, indeed I do).

Be sure you contact me if you won!

— 3 (Papa Rocks!) —

Have you read the pope’s message for Lent 2012 yet? How’d I not find it until now? Here’s a sampling:

The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters.

Go read the whole thing.

— 4 (Hearts to Celeste) —

Here’s a great Lenten resource, courtesy of Celeste Behe: 40 for 12.

Throughout the 40 days of Lent, the 40 for 12 Menu Plan will offer a weekly shopping list and menu of meatless meals, along with easy recipes and fun commentary. Each of the recipes is designed to serve 12, in order to suit big happy families with many mouths to feed, small happy families with voracious teens, and prudent wives who know the value of a good leftover.

Here’s the bottom line of this 40 for 12 Menu Plan brilliance:

  • Living out the Lenten discipline of abstinence as a family
  • Free Mom from undue stress
  • Keep kids from being sullen
  • Recipes serve big families OR have plenty of leftovers
  • Plans can be modified easily
  • There aren’t expensive convenience foods
  • Shopping lists included!
  • Do I really need to go on? Aren’t you SOLD? :)

Something to help me spend less time in the kitchen? Well, Celeste, let me hug you!

— 5 (My Other Blatherings) —

Total excitement: my interview made the podcast version of The Catholics Next Door. So if, like me, you don’t listen to Sirius/XM (but you long to, if only to hear the awesomeness that is Greg and Jennifer Willits), then you can hear my recent interview.

More excitement: I’m now a contributor over at the Integrated Catholic Life. My first column, “My Reckless Experiment with Fridays” went live yesterday.

Lenten failures: I’m on iPadre this week with a Mary Moment about my Lenten failures.

I love pizza, need I say more? On Catholic Foodie, Mary in the Kitchen is pizza-oriented (after a fun-filled parade-induced show).

Did you know there’s a great new app for Total Consecration? It gets my rave review over in my Tech Talk column this week at CatholicMom.com.

Lent’s on my mind: I’m talking Lent and blogging at the Catholic Writers Guild this week.

— 6 (Share Your Story) —

Do you have a Lenten story about how you’ve grown? Is there a faith story you’d be willing to share with others?

Karina Fabian is collecting them at the Why God Matters website. Here’s the scoop:

In 1996, Karina Fabian, mother of toddlers, made a Lenten vow that launched her career as a writer.  Years later, it led her to share that joy of writing with her father, as they collaborated on an award-winning devotional, Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life.  This year, she hopes to share the joy of Lent through her book and the Why God Matters website.

This year, Fabian and Tribute Books are opening the Why God Matters website to faith stories by others, especially Lenten faith stories.  “I believe that Lent, and Lenten vows, can change lives,” Fabian said.  “I’d like to share that hope with others, and the best way is through sharing our stories.”

“God continues to bless me through that Lenten vow,” Fabian said.  “Not only will I cherish having worked with my father, but the book itself has touched so many lives.  People have written to us that it’s helped them understand their faith better , brought them closer to God, or touched them when they really needed it.  I hope this Lent, through the website, we can do this some more.”

— 7 (Picture, As Promised) —

When she got her hair cut earlier this week, my seven-year-old asked the beautician to do her hair up. This is my glimpse at how quickly time passes…

Conversion Diary has more Quick Takes…though most people do them on Fridays… :)

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Our Lady of Lent

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A Mary Moment Monday post

I don’t think I started really appreciating the role Mary plays in my Lenten experience until two years ago. That was the year of Mary at the Mardi Gras parade and Mary throughout my Lent (and Lent throughout my year, really).

When faced with insurmountable challenges, Mary never fails to inspire me. She doesn’t inspire me in a distant way, but in a diving-in-right-beside-me kind of way. She’s there, whether I notice her or not, just as she was beside her son through the joys and through the sorrows.

Mary’s before me this Lent, too. I don’t know why: I feel an anticipation of her presence, like she’s waiting for me in a special way.

As I usually do, I’ve made a plan for my Lent. This year, I like to think I’m braced for the inevitable failure.

But…I can’t help but wonder: am I ever really ready for failure?

That’s where Mary comes in right now. She can be a model for me of courage in the face of the unknown, trust in the midst of chaos, hope in the likelihood of darkness, laughter in the possibility of failure.

Our Lady of Lent, pray for me.

(I found this image of Our Lady of Amsterdam at MorgueFile and…wow. I just love it, don’t you?)

–

Have you seen Celebrating Lent with Mary? It’s a great resource that I have been using for the last couple of years.

–

Jeff Young (who you might know as The Catholic Foodie) is holding a Mardi Gras special on his website services. If you’re even remotely in the market for web design, I encourage you to act quickly…his offer’s only good through Ash Wednesday!

–

And, finally, I can’t resist a reminder that tomorrow’s your last chance to enter my February book giveaway.

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Quick Takes: Order WRJ, Enter to Win, & Smile

February 3, 2012 By 2 Comments

— 1 —

Lent is coming and I have a book that’s hot off the presses.

And guess what? It’s only $1.99.

So go to your local Catholic bookstore (or one of the many other places you’ll find it, if you don’t have a store locally). Parishes receive bulk discounts, depending on the quantity they order, and can call 800-325-9521 to speak to the sales department at Liguori about that.

— 2 —

Mary Moments are back! Thanks to Fr. Jay Finelli’s support, I’ll be producing a weekly Mary Moment segment on the iPadre show. This week: 3 reasons I love Our Lady of Lourdes. Listen to the whole show for a fabulous summary of the story of Our Lady of Lourdes, too.

— 3 —

What’s your favorite game app? I share three of my kids’ favorites in this week’s Tech Talk.

— 4 —

Remember how I promised a full review of Strategies for a Tech-Savvy Classroom? It’s up over at CatholicMom.com.

— 5 —

It’s hard to believe that Daria Sockey has been blogging at Coffee & Canticles for a year already!

In honor of her one year anniversary, she has a pile of giveaways related to the Liturgy of the Hours. Go on over and enter.

While you’re there, be sure to wish her well!

— 6 —

In case you missed it the other day, I’m giving away a ton of books. You can enter as many times as you qualify for until February 21.

There are new titles by Christopher West, Mark Shea, Lisa Hendey, and Anthony DeStefano, among others.

So what are you waiting for? Enter!

— 7 —

Been a big week for the Tooth Fairy around here:

Visit Betty Beguiles, our lovely sub hostess, for more Quick Takes!

Filed Under: Books, family, podcasts, Quick Takes, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mid-January Takes: Lent on My Mind, Cool Video, & Pick of the Week

January 20, 2012 By 4 Comments

— 1 —

So last week, as I was jumping up and down about the cover of my newest book, I neglected to mention one key thing:

It’s not available for pre-order yet.

Don’t you worry. I will let you know when it is!

— 2 —

I have a whole pile of Lenten books to review, and the first of them, Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit, by Paula Huston, blew me away. (I reviewed it earlier this week.)

So if you can buy only one Lenten book, buy that one.

If you have room for another book or you’re looking for something for your family to use during Lent, could I suggest Welcome Risen Jesus?

It’s available at your local Catholic retailer or in a number of other places.

— 3 —

I’ve been thinking already about my Lenten plans. For whatever reason, my New Year didn’t ring in with any resolutions. I still feel sort of flat about it.

But Lent, LENT! I am formulating a plan.

(A plan, it should be noted, is almost always destined to fail. I know this. And yet I continue to persist, because it helps me to have a starting point, at least. Or that’s what I tell my planning-obsessive self.)

— 4 —

The crazy idea came to me to go offline during all of Lent.

It’s made even more crazy by the fact that the work I do means I have to be online at least some almost every day.

AND I have a book I’ll be promoting.

AND…well. You see where this is going, right?

Was that the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit?

So being a bit more conscious of my online time is definitely part of the plan.

— 5 —

Do you have Lent reflections to share? I was thinking of doing a series of guest posts here on my blog, and if you’re interested, feel free to email me your ideas at blog -a-t- snoringscholar .d.o.t. com.

— 6 —

In the “too cool not to share” category: My husband came home from work the other day and shared this with me. It’s a video of a baby’s reaction to hearing his mother’s voice for the first time. We watched it about four times in a row, and our almost 14-month-old just loved it. And so did I. (I’m going to go watch it just one more time…)

Click here to view embedded video.

— 7 —

Here’s my pick of the week (an idea shamelessly stolen from Catholic Weekend, where, rumor has it, I’ll be appearing tomorrow morning!): Catholic Family Night.com. The idea is that you spend some time each week with your family studying the upcoming Mass readings.

From their website:

Want a fun and simple way to bring the Sunday mass readings alive? With just a few minutes’ preparation, your family can enjoy fun activities, discussion time and even a creative snack, but best of all, your family will remember the time spent together learning more about God.

After hearing the interview with Jeff Cavins on The Catholics Next Door podcast for January 3, I think this is something my family can actually handle. Maybe we’ll start it during Lent…

Visit Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

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Lent Prep – A Book for Your Journey

January 17, 2012 By 2 Comments

I sat down to read Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit, by Paula Huston, with the intention of just reading the first section. Then I decided I could read the first couple of sections.

And then I read the whole book.

In my defense, I had a whole evening before me and I needed to get the review written for the Patheos Book Club. What I found with this book, though, was much different than what I expected.

I don’t know what, exactly, I expected, but I’m sure it had to do with preaching and a feeling of insignificance at the end. I was excited at the premise and what the book jacket promised, but maybe a little sure that I would not be able to approach Lent using this book as an actual resource.

“It will be good for someone, though,” I thought, “and I can surely read it and see what I have to look forward to.”

(Negative much?)

I was gloriously, wonderfully WRONG. I found myself reading, shaking my head, and looking forward to Lent, when I can dig in.

Will I fail? Yeah, probably. I do every year. In the failure is the kernel I need from Lent, I think, and success isn’t usually about what I plan, but about what graces I allow God to work.

Each day of Lent has a task, with a reflection by the author from her own experience, and then an brief description of the task or practice for the day.

Throughout the book, you get to know Paula Huston as your guide, someone walking beside you and encouraging you, even as she doesn’t settle for less than what you can at least try to do. She’s gentle, but tough. She weaves humor in with what I can only call teaching: she makes the Desert Fathers and Mothers an accessible crew, even for a busy mom in the Midwest.

Not only will I be embracing this book to the best of my ability this Lent, but I encourage you to do the same. It’s not too much, but the seed it will plant and tend during Lent, I believe, will grow into habits that make me a better Christian.

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Anything but Normal

April 21, 2011 By 4 Comments

A guest post by Mary DeTurris Poust

(click for image source)

My teenage son came home from school last week and reported that he took his younger Catholic school “buddy” across the street to our parish church to walk him through the Stations of the Cross. After they were done and were getting ready to leave the church, Noah had a strong desire to stay – and not just because he likes missing class. It was something he had never felt before, he said, something comforting that made him want to kneel down in the midday silence.

I know that feeling. I’ve been in our church when it’s semi-dark and completely empty. It feels deeply spiritual and powerfully peaceful. It feels like home.

It’s really not surprising that it would feel that way. After all, ours is a faith that centers on a shared meal, a spiritual version of the kitchen table, a sense of home even among strangers, even in a foreign land, wherever Jesus is present in the tabernacle.

Holy Thursday drives that point home for me. I can easily allow myself to slip back in time and imagine Jesus and the Apostles gathered in the home of a friend. Bread is broken and shared, wine is poured, but this time the meal becomes something more, something miraculous, mysterious, mystical, monumental. And it happens not in a great temple or grand cathedral but around a simple table among friends.

(click for image source)

Tonight, as Catholics gather for the Mass of the Last Supper, we focus on basic, everyday things taken to transcendent, extraordinary levels. The washing of feet, the blessing before a meal, the sharing of food and drink. It all sounds so average, so “normal” – things we might do in our own homes each night — but we know it’s anything but.

If we stripped away all the external trappings of church — the stained glass and statues, the choirs and cantors, the ornate altar clothes and chalices — and gathered around a table, any table, the Mass would still maintain its power. Because the Mass, using the same words Jesus said during his final Passover meal, is not about pomp and circumstance but about faith and mystery.

When I was speaking with Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York recently, he mentioned celebrating Mass in the hospital room of an ill priest. The hospital tray became the altar. The priest, too sick to stand, concelebrated from his bed with a stole draped across his shoulders. By the end of the liturgy, the priest’s family was near tears, so moved by the experience of the Mass at its essence.

Sometimes I think it’s easy to get caught up in what I guess we could call, for lack of a better description, the “entertainment factor” of church. We sit in our pews and hope to be wowed by the music, inspired by the homily and awed by the architecture, forgetting that all the inspiration and awe we need is right there on a table in the appearance of bread and wine.

Mary DeTurris Poust is a Catholic columnist, blogger, and author of four books, including The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass and Walking Together: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship. She blogs at OSV Daily Take and at her own blog, Not Strictly Spiritual. For more information, visit her website.

Filed Under: Faith, guest post Tagged With: , , , ,

A Look Back at This Lent

April 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It can all be summed up for me in this quote, which I received via Word of God Everyday:

God speaks in the silence of the heart.

Listening is the beginning of prayer.

- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

For me, that silence of the heart often begins right after I throw up my hands and yell “FINE!” with an attitude worthy of the most belligerent Old Testament prophets.

No sooner have I thrown my little tantrum than I find myself out of breath and a bit silent.

The key, for me, is to learn to reach this silence of heart without the need to throw up my hands. And maybe that’s what this Lent was about.

Kinda hard telling, but it can be no accident that the word this year is listening, can it?

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