Most of us know how to observe four major seasons of the Church year—Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas. For example, we all know that during the 40 days of Lent, we pray, fast, and give alms. But how do we observe Ordinary Time? We sometimes erroneously think that Ordinary Time is less important (ordinary) than those aforementioned seasons (extraordinary). We need to remember that the word “ordinary” is used in this context in relation to […]
We reflect this Easter season on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. As the Blessed Virgin Mary was near and dear to St. Francis of Assisi, he wrote a Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This prayer comes to mind when I ponder Mary’s coronation as Queen of Heaven. In the salutation, Francis uses several titles for Mary that are familiar to us, such as Mother of God. He also uses titles that may sound […]
We reflect this Easter season on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. One of my favorite stained-glass windows is in St. Nicholas Cathedral in County Galway, Ireland and echoes the words of Pope John Paul II, who declared that “the future of humanity passes by way of the family” (On the Family, 86). Entitled The Window of the Holy Family, it beautifully depicts Jesus, Joseph, and Mary in a very ordinary way. Joseph is depicted […]
Explore the highlights of Mary’s life with a fun treasure hunt. Designed to be used as a family activity at home, the clues lead children to think about the Annunciation, the Visitation, and more, as they follow directions to get to a final prize. The prize may include a book of Bible stories, a book on Mary, a plush figure of Mary, or anything else appropriate. Prepare children for the hunt by discussing the stories […]
If one thing stands out about God in the first creation story (Genesis 1), it is that God devotes a great deal of time and energy to work. God works six of seven days! As people made in the image and likeness of God, we “resemble” God when we use our time, energy, and gifts to engage in work. It’s also interesting to note that, while the second story of creation (Genesis 2—3) describes work as one of the punishments for the […]
We are Easter people! That does not mean that we celebrate Easter with a party, complete with baskets and chocolate bunnies (though I love that iconic confectionary as much as anyone). Being Easter people means that we are animated by the same kind of love that defeated death itself. We are people who see Christ still present and walking among us today—in Scripture, in the sacraments, in the works of mercy, and in one another. […]
We live in a culture that idealizes extroverts. As a society, we too often tend to equate success, not only with money, but also with the person who can talk the loudest and fastest. We live in a culture of personality. Unfortunately (and this is a pet peeve of mine), the same is often true in our Church: we too often equate discipleship with the ability to talk loud, fast, and convincingly about our faith in […]
We don’t know many details about St. Joseph, but he was a model of trust in God. Celebrate the life and example of St. Joseph with our fun activities pack. The pack includes: a cute puzzle for children to color a word search to spark discussion on Joseph’s hidden life a family game idea inspired by Luke 2:41–52 a sheet inviting exploration of lessons Jesus might have learned from Joseph, just as we learn lessons […]
When an orchestra prepares to perform together, they spend a few minutes before the performance ensuring that they are all in tune with one another. Without this effort, the audience would no doubt hear the disharmony and cringe at the discordant sound. In our human relationships, we are called to live in harmony with one another. In the area of race relations, however, we continue to experience far too much disharmony. On November 3, we […]
Celebrate the saints with our printable saints figures. Featuring art and saints from Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gift Kindergarten, these figures are a fun and simple project to color, cut, and fold. Here are a few ideas for how to use these saints figures: Display the finished figures on a classroom shelf or prayer table, or in the background for an online catechetical session. Fold the finished picture around a toilet paper tube […]
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