Sheltering in Place with Kindred Spirits!

Saint Martha's Guild has assembled a delightful collection of projects to keep your family focused on growing in holiness while introducing a variety of Catholic traditions and resources. 

Looking for directions to make your own scapular?  A pocket shrine?
A set of 40 eggs to tell the Resurrection story from Ash Wednesday on?

The narration is amusing and the variety of projects is impressive!  You'll be buying craft supplies before you know it.

Lenten Sacrifices Booklet for 2020

Over the years, I've found that the key to keeping my Lenten resolutions is just seeing them in front of me. There are so many distractions in a day that I really need something concrete to keep me focused. With that in mind, here's a tiny booklet that can easily go into a purse, a prayer book, on the fridge, or wherever it will serve as a daily reminder.

Lenten Sacrifices Booklet Download (PDF).

To put together the book after you've printed it out (here's a diagram if you're a visual learner like me):

• Fold in half and crease, with the text facing out, along the registration marks, both the long and wide way. Since every printer is different, you may have to trim a bit of the margins to even up these edges. 
• Open it out, and then fold each side in to meet in the center (again following the registration marks). 
• Slit the paper along the tops of the center two sets of pages, then pull open this slit at the folds. Fold book so that the covers are in front and back.

Have a blessed and fruitful Lent!

Some meatless Friday lunches

My family tries to observe meatless Fridays year-round. After a lot of peanut butter or egg salad sandwiches, I have found that the easiest way to provide an interesting Friday lunch is to either serve a meatless meal (or meatless base with meat on the side) on Thursday night as well, so as to have some leftovers to work with. Outside of Lent, we have a family Friday night pizza and a movie tradition, so Thursday often ends up as our fish night. I lack the motivation to cut up fruit at lunch time, so the kids usually have frozen berries or homemade applesauce on the side.

My kids have enjoyed

Arugula pesto pasta with broiled fish

Shrimp salad with brie

Deviled eggs, corn salad, rye bread

Tuna rice salad

Vegetable pasta salad

Vegetable stir-fry with eggs

Shrimp pasta salad, tomatoes with buttermilk dressing, goldfish in beet hummus

Imitation crab salad open face, roasted sweet potatoes, applesauce

Spy Wednesday

[Judas] went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. (Lk 22, 4)

 Lippo Memmi, Betrayal of Judas, 1340

Palm Sunday

And those who went before and those who followed cried out, 

"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Mk 11, 9)

Entry into Jerusalem, Italian Mosaic Artist, 1140-47

Fifth Sunday of Lent

"When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (Jn 12, 32)

Albrecht Aldorfer, Christ on the Cross, 1520

Fourth Sunday of Lent

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,

that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." Jn 3, 14-15

Agnolo Bronzino, Miracle of the Brazen Serpent, 1542

Third Sunday of Lent

And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, 

with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; 

and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

(Jn 2, 15)

El Greco, The Purification of the Temple, 1600

Second Sunday of Lent

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John,  and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves;  and he was transfigured before them (Mk 9, 2)

Fra Angelico, The Transfiguration, 1440-42

First Sunday of Lent

And he was in the wilderness forty days, 

tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; 

and the angels ministered to him. (Mk 1, 13)

Ludovico Carracci, Christ Served by Angels in the Wilderness, 1608-1610

Lenten Sacrifices Booklet

(I seem to have forgotten this last year, as the last file I have says "2013". Nevertheless, here is it's triumphant return.)

Now that I have small children, I need to have a little flexibility in my lenten sacrifices. Some days, a certain resolution just is not happening and trying to make it so will only result in the less-meritorious sort of suffering. Still, it's good to have some accountability, so that flexibility doesn't fade over into laziness or forgetfulness. Putting a little check in the box is all it takes, really, and I'm sharing with you my pocket-sized (smaller, really) booklet to help keep track of Lenten sacrifices. Write commitments in the first column, and then check them off each day you complete them. I've greyed out Sundays and solemnities, since it's not necessary to fast those days (though there's certainly no reason not to pray!).

To put together the book after you've printed it out (diagrams here):

• Fold in half and crease, with the text facing out, along the registration marks, both the long and wide way. Since every printer is different, you may have to trim a bit of the marginsto even up these edges. 
• Open it out, and then fold each side in to meet in the center (again following the registration marks). 
• Slit the paper along the tops of the center two sets of pages, then pull open this slit at the folds. Fold book so that the covers are in front and back.

Have a blessed and fruitful Lent!

Lent is coming...

"Yet even now," says the LORD, 

"return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning" 

(Joel 2, 12)

Ash Wednesday is next week, and it's a good time to start thinking about this season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. My family is planning to observe Lent 2015 by:

Prayer
-Wake up every morning with a happy heart.
-Pray the Morning Offering together (in the get out the door to school rush, this has been going by the wayside).
-Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet every afternoon.
-Attend Friday evening Stations/Mass.

Fasting
-Give up family Friday "pizza and a movie night."
-Give up personal media consumption when the kids are awake.
 -No sweets except for birthdays/feast days.

Almsgiving
-Donate to our parish school.
-Respond to community requests to bring meals to families in need.

On the practical side, it's not a bad idea to stock up on groceries for easy meatless meals, like canned tuna, frozen fish, canned or dried beans, and pasta or rice.  Check out some ideas from 40 Meatless Meals of past years, and we'll be offering some new recipes in the days to come.

 Image source: "Fałat Julian, Popielec" by Julian Fałat - http://www.agraart.pl/cgi-bin/obiekt.cgi?act=1&qt=1208148193&nr=578. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

"What's for dinner?": Friday edition

I realize this may have been helpful to have a few days ago, but I just read a very helpful article entitled 12 Meatless Lent Meal Ideas: Your Strategy for Lent’s Meatless Fridays and I was inspired to actually do that for a change (instead of my desperation cheese-pizza plan).

Read the article, then, if it’s helpful to you, print a copy of the Lenten Meal Plan sheets I made and start on your own offensive strategy (offensive in the sports sense and not in the “stuff my family is sure to dislike” sense J).

You may want to start with the Church Ladies' 40 meatless meals label in the sidebar, and thanks to Taylor Marshall for the inspiration!

40 Meatless Meals: Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Apologies for non-illustrative photos; this was so good that I forgot to take a picture until I had packed up the leftovers.

This is based on a recipe that I found over a year ago, shortly after I tried butternut squash soup for the first time.  Last summer, I grew squash for the sole purpose of making this soup, and once I got an immersion blender all the pieces had fallen into place.  I made this last night and immediately knew that it would be going into my regular soup rotation.  If you (or someone who eats your food) is averse to coconut and/or curry, the spice proportions can easily be tweaked.

Adapted from this recipe.

Makes 4 servings.

• 4 c. peeled, cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium sized squash)
• 1 sm. onion, diced
• 2 tsp. garlic
• 2 T. oil
• 3 c. veggie broth (or chicken, if that's what you've got)
• 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• coconut milk (for topping; if it's served in a separate dish, everyone can add it to their own taste.  If you're having trouble locating this ingredient, check the Asian food aisle - the brand I found was Thai Kitchen)

In a large pot, heat the oil.  Add the onion and saute until it is soft and translucent.  Add the spices and garlic, and stir for 30 seconds.  Add the squash, broth, and sugar, stir to combine, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until squash is soft.  Puree until smooth using regular or immersion blender.  Serve with coconut milk and for a little more substance, add quinoa, rice, or chickpeas.  I used the following recipe (from the same source):

Coconut quinoa

Melt 1 Tbsp. coconut oil (or other oil - I just used vegetable) in a pot.  Toast 1 cup of rice or rinsed quinoa for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add 1 1/2 c. of water and 1/2 c. coconut milk.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Quinoa can be fluffed with a fork before serving; rice should be fine without.

Pouring a Soothing Balm

As we move into Lent we travel with Christ, here shown as a child, but still with the instruments of His future torture and death.

The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).

 CCC 1438

The Loving Heart of Jesus

pours a soothing balm 

even upon things most painful

These lacy, die-cut cards are beautiful, but it's rare to find one in pristine condition.  Here's another version of the image, cropped a little tighter.

The Eternal High Priest

 It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

CCC 1410

Practical help for an effective Lent

Are you stuck in a rut on what to give up for Lent?  Looking for some ideas that may have more spiritual impact?

101 Practical Fasting Ideas offers lots of creative alternatives, but requires something of you first:

[...] before we choose something to give up for Lent, it’s important to assess our current spiritual state:

• What habits do I engage in that are destructive to my spiritual health?

• To what material things am I too attached?

• What areas in my life are unbalanced?

• To what do I devote too much or not enough time?

Only after asking questions like these are we are ready to decide what to give up or what to add to our lives during Lent.

From there things are divided into categories to make it just a little easier for you:

• 1-10: The Usuals
• 11-20: Prayer
• 21-30: For Those Addicted to Popular Culture
• 31-40: For Internet Users/Bloggers
• 41-50: For Those Who Need to Be More Grateful
• 51-60: For Those With Lives Out of Balance
• 61-70: For Those Who Need Spiritual Nourishment
• 71-80: For Those Who Need to Increase Their Service to the Needy
• 81-90: For Those Who Need to Be More Active in Their Parish
• 90-101: Potpourri
• Bonus! 10 More Fasting Ideas

I hope you'll find it as helpful as I have!

My Lenten Challenge

One of the things I love about Lent is the challenge to simplify my life and make room for important things. While pondering the spiritual clutter this week, I kept picturing other clutter; the time it takes from my life and the resources that could be going to better use elsewhere.

Where did I put that birthday gift I bought 6 months ago now that his birthday is coming up soon? Is it really necessary to keep all 50 of these cookbooks when I use the same 10 or so over and over? (You get the idea.)

Anyway, along the lines of the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge, I'm making a list of random places in my home that can be simply cleaned and organized. We've lived in the same house for 20+ years and it's quite surprising to consider all the places that are hidden away from sight but still get filled to the brim with stuff I don't even use or want anymore! To make it doable, I tried to choose small places that could easily be organized in a short period of time (hence, my 6-drawer desk could take 6 days), but by the end of Lent I'm looking forward to a greater sense of detachment, a better use of my time (not searching for that missing whatever) and a greater overall sense of stewardship as I bring things to my favorite charity garage sale this spring.

My List:

• desk drawers
• silverware drawer
• cookbook collection
• closet shelf
• DVD cabinet
• Holiday decorations
• shoe collection
• out-of-season clothes
• sock/underwear drawer
• night stand
• pantry
• freezer
• magazine basket/rack
• bookshelf
• under the bed
• craft area
• yarn/fabric stash
• toy box
• make-up bag
• hair stuff
• nail polish
• linen closet
• bathroom cabinets
• car glove compartment, console, trunk
• Mitten box (hats, umbrellas, etc.)
• top of my file cabinet

The Entombment - Caravaggio

Of all Caravaggio's paintings, The Entombment is probably the most monumental. A strictly symmetrical group is built up from the slab of stone that juts diagonally out of the background.

The painting is from the altar of the Chiesa Nuova in Rome, which is dedicated to the Pietà. The embalming of the corpse and the entombment are actually secondary to the Mourning of Mary which is the focal point of the lamentation.

Nothing distinguished Caravaggio's history paintings more strongly from the art of the Renaissance than his refusal to portray the human individual as sublime, beautiful and heroic. His figures are bowed, bent, cowering, reclining or stooped. The self confident and the statuesque have been replaced by humility and subjection.

Source

Ecce Homo - Caravaggio

The figure of Pilate is an assumed self-portrait of Caravaggio.

Source