tonight the fam went to ash wednesday mass at immaculate conception. it was packed! thankfully we managed to squeeze in where my sister and fam was sitting which is nice when you've got to carry a wee one.
i love father nelson's homilies. he speaks with such a passion and truthfully gets through to me in ways a mass never has. i used to be the gal that counted the light fixtures during a homily or stare at the misbehaving child who's being scolded by his parents. i did everything in my power to fixate on the words being said but lost interest so quickly. now that i'm older and perhaps also because i am a parent, i absorb every word maybe because its something i'll be able to repeat to my little ones to reinforce what we learn by going to church.
this year i decided i was going to be involved in the season of lent and easter by actually starting it right and going to ash wednesday mass. i know, you're probably thinking, why haven't you been doing it all along. well the truth of the matter is, i was at that point in my life where i lost my connection with my faith and didn't think it was at all important to be an involved catholic. people are spiritual in their own ways -this i know is true and its everyone's own choice to decide what kind of life they want to lead.
now, i'm ashamed to say it but the whole reason why we started going to church was because emma was getting closer to kindergarten and we really wanted her to go to my old elementary, ic delta. from the advice of the experienced, it was best to sign up as a parishoner as soon as possible to secure a potential future for our child at the school. but after going the first few times, something inside of me changed. it wasn't about keeping up with appearances or 'taking one for the team'..i actually liked going. i looked forward to it. its crazy how many songs i know without even having to open up the 'glory and praise' book -all from a childhood memory! so going to church is now a regular thing -almost every sunday, but sometimes life gets in the way and i'm okay with that. i enjoy the one hour i have to reflect and listen and reset.
emma enjoys children's liturgy. she's learning songs and even singing them at home sometimes. she tells me about what they talked about or whether or not she raised her hand when a question was asked. its great to see her interest and it challenges me to figure out ways to explain why things are done the way they are during mass. so what better way to introduce the meaning of this season along with easter than by going to church on a day we don't normally go.
this year i am giving up sugary drinks for 40 days..maybe even longer. water and milk will be the staples and the occasional coffee (-anna you're right, i'd probably die without my coffee too lol) and i'm also challenging myself to exercise every day for the next 40 days. as part of my teaching emma what it means to 'give-up' something during lent (a word for whatever reason she can't say without giggling) we agreed that we'd give up some tv time to focus on being creative or to learn something new.
its interesting how my inner catholic has come out so that i can teach emma what it all means. i guess all it really takes is finding the reason why its important to you and that in itself is enough for you to want to share it with others.
so in all my catholic-y-ness, i encourage those who might not have thought to be active during lent to try it and see what 40 days can do to change your life. give up something you rely on excessively, pray or tap into your spirituality and be charitable -no matter how big or small your actions may be, they could mean the world to another human being.
and the countdown begins!
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