Can't buy me love

I was astonished to see Fathers' Day promotions appear the day after Mothers' Day- and also the number of cards to Dad from the cat. It's easy enough to write off these secular days as "Hallmark (TM) holidays" but I am increasingly convinced that it is important to celebrate love in a world with so much disorder, to recognize the sacrifices of those who give so much with at least some small token. But does Dad really need another "World's Best Dad" coffee mug, tie, or tool kit?

When we were first married, my husband and I instituted The $5 Challenge for occasions such as Valentine's Day, our wedding anniversary, and the like. $5 can be a relatively easy amount to find in a budget- for our family it would mean an extra meatless meal. It's quite surprising how much quality of life can be improved with that small amount.

Here are some ideas:
*Gift certificate to a deli for a sandwich- a break from brownbagging it
*A dessert from a patisserie
*Their favorite flavor of X (jam, cheese, etc) when they normally yield to majority opinion
*A box of really nice frozen novelties or cookies
*A trip to an ice cream parlor for two
*A pound of exotic fruit or bulk snack
*A flat of annuals or herbs
*A magazine
*Some gadget/tool for a favorite hobby

With a little bit of advance planning, the $5 can go even further with a coupon at many national department stores, mass-market retailers, or craft stores.

Happy thinking!

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The Visitation

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
[Lk 1, 41-42]

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Celebrating Sunday: the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Reflection:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
[Jn 14, 15]

Recipe:
London Broil and Lemon Herb Slowcooker Potatoes

About Celebrating Sunday

A Church Lady find!

Found at The Parish Yard Sale:
2 packages of Crane stationery for a dollar a piece!




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"Tis the Season!

What to give to a newly ordained priest?

Father Z's readers weigh in with their answers to this annual question.

If you want the very abbreviated version - cash=yes, children of the world stole=no.

Of course, we know you have many creative ideas as well, and look forward to reading them in the comments box!

Makeup: From the Practical to the Theoretical

I was impressed by the comprehensiveness of a recent guest post on Betty Beguiles, detailing "Everything You'll Ever Need to Know About Makeup". She highlights good tips for beginners, but makeup veterans will likely pick up a few new tricks as well.

This reminded me of an article sent to me by a friend, entitled "Women, The Cosmos, and Cosmetics", in which the author shares his thoughts on makeup and more from his outsider's perspective.

We normally associate the word “cosmetic” with the superficial and the trivial, with mere appearances, but this would be to mistake the whole thing. For to understand the cosmetic, we need to look at its root word, cosmos. ... What the term meant to the Greeks was not “everything” but the harmonious composition of parts that produced a coherent and beautiful whole. ... This cosmic beauty then extends down through each microcosm, each little part of the whole which displays its own order and beauty, and then right down to the little cosmos of a woman’s face. The need a woman has to order the world through beauty begins with the need to order her face.

From this habit of ordering herself (a habit which extends to women across all times and cultures) women move out to order the family. They take what resources they have, what gifts their men bring, what talents their children display, in what circumstances they find themselves, and try to compose all of these elements into an orderly whole. The habit of making up one’s face is practice for the task of making up the world.

Some will object that cosmetics are cheating, but this is not so (except in the extreme cases of cosmetic surgery and the like), for cosmetics will not make a plain woman into a great beauty, but they will reveal and highlight the beauty that is the birthright of every woman. Others might object that this is about appearances only, but appearances are all we have in the world. The cathedral is nothing but appearances, and we may judge whether the architect has truly captured the reality of the Church; the painting of the saint is just a bit of cosmetics on canvas, and we must discern the reality it depicts in its appearance.

Read it all here.

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for May, 2011

General Intention: That those who work in the media may always respect truth, solidarity and the dignity of each person.

Missionary Intention: That the Lord may grant the Church in China the capacity to persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and to grow in unity.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer You all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day

for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

throughout the world,

in reparation for my sins,

for the intentions of all our associates,

and in particular for the intentions

of the Holy Father for this month.

Amen.