An Ode to a Saturday Morning

It is the first Saturday of Advent and I am sipping my coffee in my pajamas after spending almost 3 hours leisurely reading some great in-depth articles at the Crux, the Atlantic, Sick Pilgrim on the Patheos Blog and just discovered an on line journal called Image.
I recently swore off social media for a while after the election. I took a break from the meanness of the posts that all sides were vomiting out.

It took a day without any duties for me to go deeper and see the redeeming qualities of some of our social media.  If not for the internet I would have never read Pope JP2's Encyclical on the Eucharist.. I never would have found Crux and would have assumed the only media outlet for Catholics was EWTN. I never would have met (virtually) Laticia Adams and her frank talking blog or even read a great GQ interview of Stephen Colbert as he describes Catholic Suffering in a way that makes sense.

I sat down to write this blog not to praise social media but to praise the art of leisure.  I am pushing away the guilt of not being more productive. It is the first Saturday of Advent after all. I should be shopping, cleaning and decorating. At the very least, I should be catching up on work emails and projects.  As I started this blog a pain of guilt ran through me as I saw the Day 13 of my 31 day writing challenge from October sear through my brain and remind me of taking up challenges that I did not finish. (Not unlike cleaning my closet!)  A few weeks ago when I swore of social media. I did so because I was wasting my time on shallow and mean facebook posts that compelled me to respond. Even though I know the shocking adage "Oh No! Some is wrong on facebook." craziness, I fell into it.

My experience this morning of social media was so different... so enriching. Along with the in-depth articles I messages my sisters and a far away friend. I watched a few videos that were only for laughs and saw that a nephew in law was hosting his fellow Olympic swimmer friends in California.

Leisure used to be for this. Catching up on reading the newspaper (when the world had such things) reading a book (the kind you held in your hands) and catching up with friends.  Today it is not so different if I use social media with the same intent. I can do all of those things via my computer and that is what I did today.

It is all in how we use it. Technology is not, in itself evil or driving us into secluded walled off lives; technology can open our doors, enlighten our minds and foster relationships, but we do need a "firewall" of sorts to to keep us out of the virus of negativity.

If you find yourself on-line today... find an unexpected place to go deeper and leave the internet trolls under the bridge.
We also need to sign off and hold a book or newspaper in our hands and talk to friends face to face. It is all about balance.
Enjoy your Saturday!

Morning Pages 31 Day Challenge Day 13

Yesterday I met the seminarian that is assigned to the parish where I work. I actually knew him from before I worked there from when I worked at the Archdiocese. He had come to my rescue once at a time when I was putting together a prayer vigil and Mass at the Seminary for post abortive men and women. I needed some liturgical help and he was right there!
I work at a parish called Mary, Mother of the Church. It is a complicated place to work with a definite history. Sometimes I can be discouraged in my work but this seminarian reminded me of something- Mary.
The church (and not just this particular parish) is entrusted to Mary. Mary wants what is best for her children and she is in a particular way, watching over this particular parish and wants to point them to Christ.
I began thinking of my own consecration to Mary. A few years ago,  I did the 33 day retreat praying and studying about how Mary points us to Christ. A sence of peace comes with knowing Mary is working with you.
I am headed today to New Orleans for the very first WINE:Women In the New Evangelization conference outside of our diocese. By happenstance I will be staying with a wonderful woman I haven't met yet. Judy Klien who wrote a book on intrusting your children to Mary. I have the book but frankly thought this really doesn't apply to me. I was sure that it was written for someone with small children. Now I am wondering if the life lessons she writes about can be applied to my work as well as my adult children. I plan on reading it on the plane.
I also will be staying with Colleen Connell Mitchell - look her up, I love her book. Who Does He Say You Are?
So blessed to be surrounded by such talented women.
I hope I'll have time to write this weekend. I will do my best!

Morning Pages - 31 Day Challenge Day 12

On Sunday I took a break.
I took a break from writing but I also took a break from daily things and spent an extended period of time with God. I just sat and read and reflected and thanked God for the blessings in my life.
It was a retreat. I couldn't afford a whole day. Even though it was Sunday I worked that day (occupational hazard when you work for the church), but I set aside the afternoon to just feel the sun on my face and remember I am a child of God.
It is essential to do this. If we don't remember that we are God's precious children, how will we remember that everyone else is God's children too.
The person who cuts you off on your drive to work. God's child.
The person who wrote you a nasty e-mail. God's child.
The neighbor who mows their lawn at 7:00 a.m. God's Child.
or even...
The candidates in the presidential debate. Yup - both of them are God's children too.

I might need to spend more time with God!

Morning Pages 31 Day Challenge Day 11

Ok, ok, I missed day 9 and 10!
Maybe this blog should be about imperfection.
One of the best book I have ever read is "The Gift of Imperfection" by Brene Brown.
She clearly tracts her own growth to recognizing the imperfections in her own life and that by embracing them, you find joy and happiness.
Being imperfect allows you to:
Grow
Learn from your mistakes
Be compassionate
Rely on humor
Become resilient

Being imperfect allows you to be you!
We are all  imperfect  or as I love to say...
You are unique... Just like everybody else!  :)

Embrace your imperfection!
I am- and please excuse any typos in this blog. I am late for work!

Morning Pages - 31 Day Challenge Day 8

Unexpected Joy

I went to a daily Mass yesterday and wandered into an unexpected joy!
I have made it a discipline to catch a First Friday Mass.
Expecting a regular daily Mass in the chapel, I saw that everyone was gathering in the main church. I also saw the school children in the choir area.
There was a larger crowd than the normal daily Mass crown and it was the Feast of the Holy Rosary so maybe that was the reason for the crowd, but then they announced that it was an anointing Mass.
If you have never been to an anointing Mass, you should go; even if you don't need the anointing of the sick, it is beautiful to see. At a point in the Mass, after the homily, the priests anoint anyone who is ill, having surgery, recovering or because of advanced age is suffering.
You might think that an anointing Mass might be depressing. A bunch of sick people waiting to be anointed, but this was beautiful. After Mass they even had a reception with breakfast treats and coffee!

A little more about anointing of the sick:

In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. .A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.
When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.
~from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults | en españolUnless you run across an anointing Mass, many people don't understand it. It was great to have the 5graders from the school there to lead the music. What a great opoutunity for them to see this sacrament in action!

Look today for an unexpected joy. I am off to an expected joy this morning by visiting the farmers market with my daughter.
Ta! Happy Weekend! 

Mornin Pages- 31 Day Challenge Day 7

Ok, this might be one of those days when I have absolutely nothing to say.
Interesting, because I feel the same way in my prayer.
Maybe I will practice silence today and use less words and room for more quiet. 

Morning Pages - 31 Day Challenge- Day 6

I failed.
I was going to spend an hour in prayer yesterday but I only spent 15 minutes.
This got me thinking. What is prayer? How do you pray?
What is prayer?
When I was very new in exploring my faith, prayer came easy. God loves me and I would bask in His love. Distractions, doubts and a busy schedule didn't detract me. Now things seem different. Prayer can be hard for me. Or am I making it hard by my expectations.
Prayer, like Morning Pages, doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be. It is the discipline of it that is what you need.
Morning Pages, the practice of writing one page every morning, is not for others. I have made that exception with this challenge by posting it. It should be a non-edited stream of thought and if all you can write is "I can't think of anything to write" over and over until your page is full, then you have succeeded!  (Thankfully I haven't resorted to that yet, but the month is young!)
There have been times in my prayer that all I have been able to say to God is "Dear  Lord, can you throw me a bone here. I need something to help me " or sometimes my prayer can be as simple as saying "Jesus, help me believe in you."
It helps me to recall a memory of prayer: recall prayer moments.
Today I will sit in the sun and feel it's warmth on my face and bask in the love of God.

I am a child of God. He loves me. All I do is love him back.