Trinity Sunday

Happy Trinity Sunday!

We sat down to dinner this evening and discussed, with Isabella (age 3), the persons of the Trinity.

Baby Stephen just listened while playing with his toes.

We went back to the discussion about St. Patrick and how he explained the Trinity to non-believers. Three persons, one God-just like a shamrock-one shamrock, three leaves.

I then asked Isabella if she had any questions about God.

She said no.

I asked again, thinking she must have something to ask.

Again, she said "Nope".

Even when it comes to one of the greatest mysteries of the Faith, a child has no questions. Could it be that we make things more complicated than they need be?

I pray for the innocence and complete trust of a child.

The President is coming to town...

The President is coming to town.

And I can’t go see him.

Darn it!

I am frustrated because I like President Bush. I respect him. He has had to make decisions I can’t even begin to understand. And he is the leader of the country I love. I am a proud American. But I digress; my frustration is because the leader of our country isn’t even able to have open audiences that we can know where he will be on a certain day. I understand security and fear of attacks, etc. But, I feel such a strong desire to see him and I feel like I am always on the outside looking in.

My three year old loves President Bush. She prays for him each night and is sure to point to him when he is on the television. Unfortunately, when he is a mere 10 minutes from us we still don’t know where he will be in order to catch a glimpse. I would love to see the look on my daughter’s face as she saw him in person. Seeing the President of the United States is an opportunity that has the potential to teach and mold her.

When I heard the news that he would be here I got so excited. It isn’t every day that the President of the United States comes in town. With the exception of painting a flag on my rooftop, hoping Air Force One will pass over it, how can I let this man know my family supports him and the office he holds? But over the last few hours my excitement has withered because I know I will be setting myself up for disappointment. He needs to be protected and there are many other families who want to see him too, not just mine.

How far have we come as Americans that our own leader is like a fish in a fishbowl? We can look but there is a barrier between us. We always know what he is saying but we don’t get the opportunity to experience this firsthand.
I hope he has a good trip to Rochester but as I am watching my television next week, as the reporters tell of his visit I will probably feel a bit detached. Okay, and maybe a little selfish and disappointed.

Whether he is 10 minutes or 10 hours away-he will look the same on television.

Dear God, please bless and protect our President. May he fight for life, at all stages, and the freedom which God intended for mankind. God Bless America.

Rediscovering your faith

What does it mean to “rediscover” your faith?

I was baptized Catholic when I was a baby and was brought up with all of the Church teachings by my parents. I attended Catholic school until about 5th grade and went to bible school too.

There came a time when I “stalled”. It wasn’t that I didn’t accept the Church and the laws Christ set forth, but I didn’t do any work myself. I accepted the teachings without understanding why. I think part of it was laziness, I expected to grow in my faith without doing anything about it.

Right, like sitting on the couch with a bag of Cheetos ever got anyone to heaven.

I remember being in college and I was very, very sad. I cried on my bed feeling alone and confused about my direction. At that very moment I just “saw” myself with my head in Christ’s arms (on his lap) and Him stroking my hair, comforting me. I am not saying I had a vision, just a strong feeling.

At that moment I knew I wasn’t alone and I felt a new connection with Christ. I began to be more involved at Church, and actively pursued the truth of the Faith. Instead of getting by with the standard “I don’t know why I believe it but a nun once told me I should” I yearned to have a deeper understanding. And my life hasn’t been the same since.

I go through “dry” periods of my faith when it is hard to pay attention during the Mass or in my daily prayer. But in those times I try to remember that this is common for many people. There are also moments where I am so on fire with the faith that I feel like I could take on the world. This is also very common to others. But it is perseverance, fortitude, which gives me strength on my journey.

I also thank God for my husband and children. By knowing my vocation as a wife and mother I am completely invested in learning more about Christ’s teachings for the sake of myself, but also for them. How can I be a good mother and wife if I don’t know Christ? Also, how can I answer my child’s questions if I am not aware of the laws that Christ set forth in the Church? I have enough trouble answering my daughter when she asks me “Mommy, how can God be here and in heaven?”.

Rediscovering your faith means just that, looking at from a different point of view. For instance, I have prayed the rosary my whole life. But did I really understand that it was a meditation of Christ’s life, taken directly from scripture? I didn’t know, until last year, that every word of the Holy Mass is scriptural. I was taught the Catechism when I was a child but I am no longer a child and need to look at it through the eyes of an adult.

I desire to take what I have learned as a young girl and understand it in a different and deeper manner. It also is difficult at times. But, it is a constant journey but one that isn’t done alone.

For one, Christ is always by your side.

A lesson in Envy...

To all you moms who make it look easy…

I don’t like you very much.

How is it that you can attend daily Mass, recite the Rosary afterward, take your kiddos to school, go shopping, have a perfectly clean house, play outside, take your kids to 5 different activities, serve a 4 course dinner (with all the food groups equally represented) and then sit leisurely with your husband and watch a movie. To top it off you do so without wrinkling your clothes and your hair looks great.

Envy. I think I suffer from envy.

The problem with envy is that it creeps up on you-well, me. It hit me when I went to the mall the other week. I could have spent hundreds of dollars on stuff to make me look put together. But, I didn’t feel put together and THAT was the problem.

The Bible Says:

You shall not covet . . . anything that is your neighbor's. . . . You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's. Ex 20:17; Deut 5:21.

2535: The sensitive appetite leads us to desire pleasant things we do not have, e.g., the desire to eat when we are hungry or to warm ourselves when we are cold. These desires are good in themselves; but often they exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church)

2540: Envy represents a form of sadness and therefore a refusal of charity; the baptized person should struggle against it by exercising good will. Envy often comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself to live in humility: (The Catechism of the Catholic Church)

So I think the answer is an examination of conscience on a daily basis. I don’t want to be uncharitable or sad as a result of keeping score of what others have. We also have the beautiful Sacrament of Confession-to help us keep our souls clean as a whistle.

The moms who seem to have it together are blessed and maybe God put them in my path for me to work harder in some areas of my life. And no, it isn't that I don't like you, maybe it is just awe. I see qualities of value, providing services to your family in an efficient manner.

The toughest thing right now for me to let go of? It is how these moms don't wrinkle during the day.
Me? I look like a steam roller paid a quick visit to my house by 5:30 PM.

I am still convinced that these ladies have an iron in their car. A cordless maybe?

VERITAS!

Conversations with a 3 year old

Isabella: Mommy, I want to be a Bride when I grow up
Me: That's great, who are going to marry?
Isabella: Daddy!.....
(Daddy and Mommy chuckle)
Isabella: And when Stephen (baby) grows up he's going to be a Broom.

Broom...Groom.... it's the same thing, I guess.

What joy children bring to their parents. I guess this is what keeps us sane.
My only regret? That they grow up so fast.
I think I need to start praying now for detachment, so that when they accept their vocation I will be able to let go.

My letter to the Editor

A letter to the Editor of a local paper...
Joyful, not wary, over Benedict XVI
Democrat and Chronicle, Saturday April 30, 2005

Regarding Denise-Marie Santiago's April 22 column, "Some women feel deep wariness toward pope":

Count me among the millions of women who are not only not wary of the election of Benedict XVI, but joyful as well. He is now the leader of the church I love, and I believe he must be given the respect that is due.

I am concerned about the characterization that the pope, in some way, has the power or the intention to change Catholic Church teaching.

It is truly unfortunate that the writer has acquaintances who feel slighted by the church. However, while the needs of society are many, we may find comfort in the Catholic Church's ministering to those in need, while doing so in a manner that does not undermine the laws that Christ set forth.

I, too, pray that Pope Benedict XVI may be a uniting force in the church. However, unlike Ms. Santiago, I will not choose which areas of the church I wish to be addressed. I will leave that up to the Holy Spirit.

LYNN M. LEWANDOWSKI

The 21st Century Stay at Home Mom

When I was a young girl I looked to my mother as the provider of warmth and security. She supplied us snacks after a long day swimming in the desert sun. We would attend Mass together, a mother and her little girls, and all seemed right with the world. We weren’t always angels but there was a sense of wellbeing and an ease of which my mom performed her vocation as a mother. She, and Daddy, worked as a team and from a young child’s eyes it looked rather uncomplicated.

Now the torch has been passed, and I realize the complexity of the role of which I have joyfully agreed to take on. But how have the changes in the world affected what I do in my day versus what she did? I have the perfect example:

My daughter is in a Hop-A-Thon. What mother wouldn’t be excited by thinking of her preschooler in a gymnasium jumping up and down with 20 other kiddos? I can almost see each of them soaring, laughing and experiencing the “in the moment” joy only an innocent child can know.

My involvement of this event should end there, right? Write a check to sponsor my little leaping “frog” and then wait to see how the events of the day unfolded. But, it isn’t that easy. The “charity” in which she is raising money for is known for their involvement with stem cell research. This is the point where my role as mom changes from chief cookie-maker to internet researcher and advocate for the preborn. But it doesn’t end there.

I spend many hours on the internet searching the local sex offenders databases, to make sure our children are safe.
I write companies to complain about their near pornographic advertising, displayed prominently in the windows at the mall.
I mail letters to the editor of the local paper in order to defend the Church from some journalist’s emotional (and false) accusations.

It all comes down to the dignity of human life. Society has decided to loosen its value of sexual morality and has failed to come to the defense of the helpless. It has trickled down in every aspect of our lives and who will stand up for morality, Truth and life? I contend that it is the parent, especially the stay at home mother. We are not a voiceless group. During the day we have numerous opportunities to touch the world through sociopolitical change.

It would be nice to spend every moment playing with the kids, though the reality is that I can't. But I will show my children my love, 21st Century style. I will protect them from the ugliness that is out there in this world, while pointing out the great blessings God has given us. I don’t doubt my mother had to do the same when I was a child. But that is what made her successful at what she did, she allowed me to enjoy my innocence, while she shielded me from harm.

Here I am Lord….

You know the hymn: Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord? I have heard You, calling in the night…

The reality of the matter is that it doesn’t seem that the Lord is calling me in the night. It is usually a 4 month old screaming wanting to be fed or a 3 year old calling me to get her 9th glass of water for the evening. It is hard to see these two little monkeys as the face of Jesus in the wee hours of the night. They don’t preach the Gospel to me or perform miracles, or do they?
In Matthew 25:34-36 Jesus taught us:

Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

I sometimes fail to recognize the importance of my work as a mother, it seems tedious at times. I do the same things over and over again and I take for granted the opportunity to serve God.

Anyone who changes the diaper of a wiggly baby has the opportunity to meditate on Patience.
Being asked 10 times “Mom, but WHY can’t you be a bus driver when you grow up?” can learn Fortitude.
Having your daughter tell visitors exactly how much weight Mommy lost on her diet can teach Humility.

The struggle is to stop and recognize these opportunities. I am still trying to match up my daily life with the teaching of the Gospel. It is easier to recognize that I am serving Christ as I give my daughter and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. But visiting those is prison? Maybe next time she is in time-out I can keep her company.

Bringing children to Mass

I arrived at Sunday Mass five minutes late.

Isabella’s sandal was missing and once found I was buckling it while securing her into her car seat. And we were off to Mass!

I made the humiliating walk down the center aisle of church during the beginning of the first reading. (I like to sit up front because there is less distraction for Isabella) So there I was sitting six pews from the front when a lady in the pew ahead of me gave me “the look”. Any parent with young children knows that look. It is the look that says ‘Oh great, a little Neanderthal child who is going to fuss, cry and ruin my Mass.” I smiled at her to reassure her that we would behave (please God, let Isabella behave!).

Three minutes later, while she was playing quietly with her Crucifix and her books of the Saints, the woman in front of us huffed loudly in disgust, looked at us and stood up during the reading to go sit somewhere else. To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. I pray for the woman, who was in front of us, maybe she just had a bad day. I was late to Mass, and I accept responsibility for that. But to make my child feel unwelcome in the house of God was unacceptable.

So I began to think ‘When did it become unacceptable to bring children to Mass’ and ‘Why are parishioners so openly rude to parents with young children?’.

It isn’t easy to bring children to Mass. My husband sings in the 11:30 choir at church and he stays home with our colicky son so I can take our daughter to 8:00 AM Mass. Having a toddler washed, dressed and fed to leave the house by 7:45 can raise issues but I believe she has just as much right to be there as anyone else.
I have heard the objection ‘Go sit in the crying room/children’s chapel’. My answer: Why?

Why should I have to be exposed to a crying room filled with sick children, screaming children and parents who don’t understand that a crying room is not a social gathering room? You don’t discuss your children’s favorite activities when Mass is being celebrated! So, I sit in the main church. This is not to say that we don’t have our rough days. Sometimes the kiddos don’t use their “indoor” voice or fidget. But when that happens we act accordingly, and take them to the back of church.

I returned home after this recent incident, frazzled and upset. This is when my husband made a really good point. “Is Isabella’s Baptism any less valid than that woman’s?” He made a good point.
Looking at the Gospel of Mark (10:13-16), we can see how Christ would react:

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

We are called to be the Disciples of Christ. But, let’s not be like those who rebuked those who brought their children to Him. God is happy to see children in His house, even if they are missing a sandal.

Looking for a Mom(ent) of Truth

The truth of the matter is that I love the Catholic Church. I love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with my whole heart. However, in my vocation as a wife and mother it seems that I do not get to discuss the faith with many people in the way my heart yearns to. I have two children and loving husband. That requires me to do a lot of tasks which may not require a lot of brain power: changing diapers, windexing my perpetually streaked windows and laundry...endless loads of laundry...

There are so many issues pertaining to the Church, Catholic families and society these days. And frankly I am a little cranky about the bad press the Church gets. If you want to hear about how miserable the Catholic Church is, well, you may want to go elsewhere. If you want to read the ramblings of a joyful mom who is rediscovering the beauty of her faith and tradition, well read on.

So my goal is to discuss the Church, the vocation of being a Catholic mom, children, marriage, feminism. At this point hundreds of topics come to mind.








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