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.

The Mystery Reader

Last week I had the opportunity to be the mystery reader for my son, Edwin's, kindergarten class. Every Thursday, a "surprise" parent reads a few favorite books. I had signed up for this date last fall, unbeknownst to Edwin. He would ask me every week, " Mama, when will you be the mystery reader?" I'd answer, "Next time, sweetheart." He'd sigh in frustration...



I was so so nervous that day. Believe it or not, but I'm a lector at our church. I proclaim God's word in front of hundreds of people. Why am I so nervous to read a children's book for 25 kindergarteners? To make matters worse, I was exhausted from working the night before. I was functioning on only 2 hours of sleep. I was a walking zombie.



When I walked into the classroom, the look on Edwin's face was priceless. He looked so delighted and proud to see me. He jumped right out of his seat and gave me a big bear hug. I read 2 books,"How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food," and "Where the Wild Things Are." The class loved them! The interaction between us all was humorous and heartwarming. Just hearing them laugh, seeing them smile, was precious. It reminded me of the innocence of childhood, a carefree time where life is problem-free.



The entire time, Edwin was just beaming! He looked so happy that I was able to spend some time with him and his classmates. Afterwards, he kissed me on the cheek and said goodbye. My heart just melted. I felt that all the stress and worries in my heart about trivial things had vanished.



That was such a precious and perfect moment for me. I felt this was a gift from God. I truly am blessed to be a mom, to have so much love in my heart for my children, and to receive that love in return from them. It is times like these, that God reminds me of how beautiful this world really is.

My Worst Job

Since I started blogging last week, I've been retrospective about my life. As I think about topics to write about, I keep coming back to a time in my life where I thought, "It can't get any worse than this."

In the early 90's, I moved to a Michigan to start a new "dream job." I had been praying persistently to the Lord to help me get this job. I was so overwhelmingly grateful to have been so blessed.

I moved to a place where I knew no one. I was so scared, but also excited, too, to embark on this challenging journey. Luckily, I quickly met a close knit group of friends who became like family to me. They really showed me the beauty of kindness. I found a beautiful Catholic church nearby-Shrine of the Little Flower. I had always prayed to St. Therese as a young girl. It meant so much for me to find her there. My life outside of work was wonderful!



Unfortunately, my work life was not. I worked 100 hour weeks. I was exhausted and stressed. To me, though, it wasn't the hours that were horrible - it was the people that I worked with. Everyday I was constantly berated and demeaned, for issues that were not my fault. It was this constant attack that I found unbearable. I felt that the Lord knew the truth, and that the truth would set me free.

I turned to God and asked, "Please help me get through this. Please help me grow from this." This was the worst I had felt in my life at such a young age. I truly thought, it can't get any worse.

Little did I know, this was not to be the worst for me. It was yet to come...



Looking back, I see this experience as a preparation for the rest of my life. I truly became a stronger person with a thick skin. I realized that in the midst of struggle, God can send you His angels to help you. For me, they were the wonderful friends that I had met while there. In addition, I found solace in the beauty of the Mass. I remember sitting at the shrine, with tears in my eyes, because I felt I couldn't take it anymore. I then found strength in receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. " I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me."(Philippians4:13)



My time in Michigan was a mere 4 years, but looking back, it was something I needed. I had to learn to become a stronger person. I had to learn how to persevere. I had to learn to have true unwavering faith. My life has had its share of even worse storms. It is the Lord who has seen me through them all, helping me grow ever closer to Him.

Fears

When I was a young girl, I was afraid of the dark. I'd come into my mom and dad's room saying, "I'm scared!!" My mom would say to me, "You don't have to be afraid because you pray. Jesus is always with you." At that point, I'd go back to my bedroom, say the guardian angel prayer, the Our Father, and go to sleep.

I find myself saying the same things to my boys. I even hear my boys reiterating it to each other. Edwin would say to Alex, " You don't have to be afraid. Jesus is with you."

As an adult, I have more substantial fears-job stress, the economy, sickness, sadness... the litany is ongoing. I remember what I learned as a child from my mother, and what I now teach my sons. It still applies today. As an adult, I have to let go and trust God, just like I did as a little child, just as my children are now doing. We all need that childlike confidence that God will always take care of us.