Teaching Humility

My son, Alex, is 4 years old. He really looks up to his big brother Edwin, age 6. I know that they really love each other, but they also know how to push each others buttons, too. They frequently get into little spats throughout the day. Five minutes later, they're best friends again. It's amazing...
On Saturday mornings, Larry takes the kids to Panera for bagels. On one particular Saturday, Edwin was teasing Alex unceasingly, once again. For punishment, Edwin stayed home with me . I put him in the Corner, an area for naughty boys associated with complete boredom. He cried his eyes out . He knew he was missing out on all of the fun.
When Alex came home, all malice towards Edwin had disappeared. He was so happy to see his big brother! Alex brought Edwin his favorite , a yummy cinnamon crunch bagel!

Edwin was too proud to accept it. He did not understand why Alex would be so nice to him, after all the teasing he had done. Edwin cried even harder.
Of course, Edwin's hunger won him over and he enjoyed his cinnamon bagel.


I learned a lot from both my boys that day. I had a long talk with Edwin . It is truly humbling when someone continues to be kind to us, even when we don't deserve it. As for Alex, he's at that age of innocence when hearts are still pure, when the capacity to be bitter is still nonexistent. I thought of Jesus... He had an immense love for everyone, including those who hurt him. I am in complete awe of his capacity to forgive, and continue to give.


That's something I'd like to teach my children, and even myself, too:
To give freely from our hearts, even when it hurts to do so.
It is definitely not an easy task. If we could focus our lives and hearts on Jesus' example, only then will this be possible.

Edwin Learns the Rosary

May is the month consecrated to our Blessed Mother. My son, Edwin has been learning the Hail Mary at school. He and his classmates received a rosary to pray at home for more reinforcement. You should have seen the excitement on his face when he showed me his brand new rosary!

I first started praying the rosary with my mother when I was 3 years old. My Mom is a very devout and strong catholic with a devotion to Mary. I would watch her recite the rosary every night after doing the dishes. She looked like she was praying so hard for something.

We started a family tradition of praying the rosary together every Sunday night. I must admit that as a young teenager, I was not too excited about that. As I got older, I learned to appreciate and love this devotion.

My appreciation did not begin until a close friend of mine passed away. I prayed the rosary every night so that his soul would rest in peace. I prayed for his family and friends who were left to mourn his loss. I , too, felt comfort in this devotion. I learned to see Mary as my mother in heaven, here to watch over us and intercede on our behalf.

I still pray the rosary every night, usually after I put the kids to bed. Recently, Edwin asked me, "Can we pray the rosary together, Mama?" We started saying a decade together everyday. Sometimes, I'll forget , but he'll remind me. He's already learned the Glory Be. We just have to work on the Apostles Creed (Uh- oh, very long).

It's exciting for me to see the seeds of this devotion growing in Edwin. I've shared stories/photos of my trips to Guadalupe and to Lourdes with him. He asked me, "Can you take me there, Mama?"

I hope I can continue to nurture this devotion to our Blessed Mother in both of my sons. That is the prayer I ask for when I say my rosary.

Thoughts on Anger

My friend, Judy, sent me a quote by Gandhi, "When a man gives way to anger, he only harms himself."
I thought about situations in my life where I just got so angry. Irregardless of whether the anger was justified, it did not bring me any sense of peace. It did not change the person to whom I was angry with. If anything, it brought about a strained relationship. This, unfortunately, permeates everything. People choose sides.

It is amazing how one's words can be so harmful and hurtful. One thing I've realized, is that you're never too old to hurt someone. On the flip side, you're never too old to apologize. You're never too old to learn to be more Christlike in one's actions.

I wrote this quote down on a piece of paper that sits on my desk, and I've committed it to memory, too. I was able to avoid some confrontations a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, not all. I'm definitely not perfect, too old to apologize, or to turn the other cheek.

That's the beauty of having an open mind. It's something we all need.

Easter Treasures

My older son, Edwin, is in kindergarten at a Catholic school. He came home with a styrofoam egg carton filled with 12 Easter treasures. Each "treasure " was representative of Christ's passion from Palm Sunday to His Resurrection on Easter. It's a great learning tool to teach children. I'd like to credit his teacher, Mrs. Scott, for doing such a superb job!



His eyes lit up as he began describing the series of events. I was amazed at how much he understod. It brought tears to my eyes. He had so much faith, for someone so young. All the prayers we say at home, the weekly mass, the discussions on God, all came down to this one moment for Edwin... He truly believed in God; His Son, Jesus; and His promises to us!



Our children have so many outside influences on them, some good and some bad. As parents, we are in a cultural war for their hearts and minds. It's our responsibility to plant the seeds of faith, to see it grow and flourish.



I hope that this is the begining of a life long devotion to the Lord for Edwin. May Jesus' resurrection strenghthen our own faith as parents , so that we will have a desire for holiness, to live a Christian life, and become good examples of our faith to our children.

Palm Sunday Liturgy

I always look forward to the Palm Sunday Liturgy. The Passion of our Lord is recited, with the priest, deacon, and lector having roles in the "play." I have had the honor of participating in this liturgy almost yearly for the past several years.

I take my role as lector seriously. I know that there are a lot of people day dreaming out there, so I try to speak my words with expression to keep people attentive. I try to make eye contact , too, to connect with the congregation.

During the Palm Sunday Liturgy, my lines involve St. Peter's denial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate's condemnation, Judas' betrayal, the crowd freeing Barabas.... well, you get the picture. It really pains me to have to say those thing. I know that we're only retelling the story, but I can't help but feel that I , too, am personally saying these things.

Why this psychological turmoil? Maybe we all have a little bit of Peter, Judas, Pilate, and the angry crowd in all of us. We are all sinners in God's eyes. It's a matter of recognizing that and asking for forgiveness. Luckily for us, God is always ready and willing.

My last line in the narrative is from the Roman centurion, who says, "Truly, this Man was the Son of God." It gives me a chance to redeem myself, to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah! He willingly suffered and died for us.

The depths of God's love and forgiveness humbles me.

Can You Do This For Me?

I frequently ask my children to do things for me. Take for example my son, Edwin. He's such a picky eater. It's gotten to the point where he is just not gaining enough weight. I try to make him eat a lot of high calorie foods, but he just cannot do it. I've tried everything, even taking away his favorite toys!!!
I try to do the "Smart Mom" thing, and reason with him. I tell him, "Edwin, if you don't eat, you'll just shrink and I will not be able to find you any more." That line used to work, but now he's gotten too smart for me.
Out of frustration, I say, "Can you just do this for me, because it would make your Mama sooo happy?"

I've thought so much about that line, especially this Lenten season. I wonder if God feels the same way about all of us. He loves us all so much. All he asks of us is to love Him with all of our heart. In the same respect, he asks us to love our neighbor as He has loved us.

Yes, there are things in our lives that are just so difficult to do. I think about Jesus, carrying the cross, suffering and dying for us. How small our problems seem compared to the ultimate love that He has shown.

I often think of Jesus asking me, " Can you do this because I love you? Can you do this for the glory of God?" Can I forgive someone who doesn't ask for forgiveness? Can I put aside my personal feelings, swallow my selfish pride, and show my neighbor the love of Jesus through my actions?

The answer of course is , "Yes."
Jesus never said that being a Christian would be easy. With prayer and faith, we can all do what God asks of us.

Lent 2009

We are now in the midst of the Lenten season. We often ask ourselves, what will we give up for Lent? For many of us, it's some type of food or drink deprivation. For others, it's a certain behavior, i.e. smoking. It's so important, to help ourselves become more healthy. We must certainly do this for ourselves, as well as our children.

I always think, is there something spiritual I can do to prepare myself for Easter? I feel that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are all so easy.
What's difficult, I think, is being kind to those who are unkind in return. I always feel, that if you follow the golden rule, that should be easily reciprocated to you. Unfortunately, the real world doesn't work that way.

I think of the Serenity Prayer. There's a line that says,
"Taking as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will."

Trust. It's such a beautiful and powerful concept.
Continue to live as Jesus asked us to. Give of oneself without expecting anything in return from our fellow man. Trust that the Lord will take care of us.
Those are my Lenten goals.