Lenten Fasting

As I've re-embraced my Catholic faith the past few years, I've struggled with fasting during Lent. I don't really have a diagnosed medical reason for not fasting, but I do have a relatively high metabolism coupled with eating habits (5-6 small meals a day) that make the fasting guidelines of "one meal, two small meals and no snacks" a bit difficult. In fact, last Ash Wednesday, I stumbled (mentally) through an early afternoon meeting and then started to see stars by mid-afternoon. At that point, and given past fainting spells, I decided to break the fast. My priest assured me that this would count as a medical condition since fainting while driving home would be bad. He also gave me wonderful input on other ways to fast, for instance, fasting from TV watching.

On a related note, I received this prayer from a friend:

A Lenten Prayer For Families

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ in them.
Fast from wanting more; feast on being thankful.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on enjoyment.
Fast from negatives; feast on positives.
Fast from stress; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from fear; feast on truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from gossip; feast on silence.
Fast from fighting; feast on peace. Amen.

Good advice for everyone, yet hard for most of us to put into practice. May this Lenten season bring you closer to God through fasting.

What's their problem?

Making the rounds on Catholic/conservative blogs last week were outraged responses to the House-passed version of the stimulus bill that bans money from being spent on facilities that allow religious worship.

I'm a little late to the game, but what's their problem? Isn't one of this country's greatest strengths freedom of religion? To me, that includes being able to discuss my religion in public places. I'm not saying that the government should pay for new churches. But if students want to meet on campus for a prayer group meeting, bible study or Mass, then I don't see how that violates others' rights.

Some exerpts from the Fox.com article:

The provision bans money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow "religious worship." It has ignited a fury among critics who say it violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to prevent religious practice in schools.

According to the bill, which the Democratic-controlled House passed despite unanimous Republican opposition, funds are prohibited from being used for the "modernization, renovation, or repair" of facilities that allow "sectarian instruction, religious worship or a school or department of divinity."

Critics say that could include public schools that permit religious groups to meet on campus. The House provided $20 billion for the infrastructure improvements, of which $6 billion would go to higher education facilities where the limitations would be applied.

The American Civil Liberties Union also defends the constitutionality of the restriction, which they say has been the law since 1972.

Father speaks out against FOCA

In his homily this morning, Father spoke out against FOCA and the evils of the culture of death. He then asked us to fill out the fight FOCA postcards in the pews and hand them in during the collection, giving us a few minutes to complete the postcards. It was great!

Today is the feast day of St. Brigid of Ireland. I found this prayer and thought it worth sharing:

St Brigid, Mary of Ireland
Ask for us all today
The courage to do God's bidding
Whatever the world may say
The grace to be strong and valiant
The grace to be firm and true
The grace to be faithful always
To God, God's mother and you.

In the grand scheme of things

On this inauguration day, my husband’s call to let me know that the significant amount of change that he keeps in his car and the portable DVD player that was the family Christmas gift are now missing isn’t really that important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it sucks, and yes, I have to resist the urge to say “I told you so” (please don’t leave valuables in the car). But, given that today our country swears in a new president who has made it clear that he is anti-life, the loss of some minor nice-to-haves pales in comparison. Besides, they left the car and with no damage (which, of course, means the car was unlocked…not saying a word!).

So, I humbly pray my rosary today – not for patience or such for myself, but for the new president to be guided by our Lord. And, no surprise, I really seem to be ok with this minor decrease in our property, so I receive patience anyway.

God bless our new president.

Embracing my Catholicism

While I was raised Catholic and have never thought of myself as anything but Catholic, it’s only been in the last few years that I’ve really embraced my faith. Despite going to Mass every Sunday until I left for college, I wasn’t confirmed as a child. So, as a part of my journey, I decided to complete the adult confirmation class and was confirmed a little over a year ago. The saint that I chose is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose feast day is January 4th.

Typical of my analytical side, I spent a great deal of time researching and reading about various saints. I kept coming back to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first native born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Raised Episcopalian, she became Catholic in 1805 after spending time in Italy. Elizabeth is credited with starting Catholic education in the United States and is the patron saint of Catholic schools. She also founded the Sisters of Charity, the first native American religious community for women.

I’m drawn to Elizabeth primarily because of her work around providing Catholic education, especially for girls. It doesn’t hurt that she was the first native born American saint. If I were more superstitious, I’d say it’s more than a coincidence that she was beatified on my birthday (March 17). And, there is also a statue of her in from of the school at my church. If we happen to park near the statue, I point her out to my daughter. Last Sunday, she told me that St. Elizabeth was her saint too.

Prayer by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

O Father, the first rule of Our dear Savior's life was to do Your Will. Let His Will of the present moment be the first rule of our daily life and work, with no other desire but for its most full and complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully, so that doing what You wish we will be pleasing to You. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Belated Merry Christmas to everyone. And Happy New Year. May God bless you.

I am fortunate enough to have some time off from work to spend with my family (even better: it's paid time off). As I watch my young daughter dance around the room, I reflect on our little family and how important it is to cherish each day. Last Sunday was the feast of the Holy Family. I pray that we, as a family, live as Christian models to others. We're still working on it!

Have a happy and safe new year's eve.

Maintaining your marrige = strong family

My husband and I have returned from a wonderful week together in a much warmer climate. Neither one of us realized how stressed we both had been. But more surprisingly, I don't think either of us realized how much we needed this time together without other people around. We missed our daughter terribly, but we were able to share quality time rediscovering why we got married. In no way was our marriage in trouble, but I can see how spouses slowly over time lose sight of each other and the marriage deteriorates.

The valuable lesson for us is that a strong, connected marriage will lead to a strong and happy family. Thank you to everyone who kept us in your prayers!