Pierced with the Wounds of Christ

Holy Mother, pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

This verse of the Stabat Mater invokes Mary to renew in us the sufferings of Christ.  On the first Friday of Lent, while praying the Stations, it struck me that this is not just a general plea to remember the sufferings of Christ and to feel some slight pang in our hearts at this remembrance.  No, we are asking for much more.  This is a cry to be pierced by each wound with the pain Our Lord suffered.  These were excruciating pains and we are asking Our Lady to renew them in us throughout our lives.  Singing this verse again is an excellent reminder that every pain and every suffering, physical, mental, as well as spiritual, are graces to unite us to Christ.  We ask for this grace in our prayers and songs, but when the everyday sufferings come, we complain and try our very best to get out of them or at least seek human sympathy.  Instead, let us embrace the cross fully this Lent.  Seek to feel every suffering keenly in union with Our Lord and offer it to Him.  The pain we ask for in the song is not just a little remembrance of His pain once on Calvary but is an invitation for us to join Him in the pain He suffers every day at the hands of sinners.  Let us do this all in love for Our Lord. 

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ our Lord.

Remember, O Thou Man - How My Sins Offend Our Lord

Look at these images...

 

 

"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, which has heaped on them so many benefits, in exchange for this infinite love it finds ingratitude; instead it meets with forgetfulness, indifference, outrages" (Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary, complaining of man's sins.)

Sin offends God.  Not only the fact that it exists, but every time we commit actual sin, we offend our Good God who we should love above all things because He is infinitely perfect and truly worthy of all love.  "Actual sin is any willful thought, desire, word, action, or omission forbidden by the law of God." (St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism #2)  Any time we willfully sin, we hurt Our Lord and add to His passion.  Yes, He is in glory now, but because He is outside of time and He took the punishment for our sins all those years ago, each one we commit was felt by Him then.  The Catechism tells us that there are two kinds of actual sin, mortal and venial.  But what does it matter which ones we commit?  In a way, it does, but in an arguably greater way, it doesn't matter.  I say this because the infinitely perfect God of the universe who is all goodness and love does not deserve one harsh remark, unkind look, or complaining thought.  

 

"Every sin must be said to renew in a certain way the Passion of Our Lord, 'crucifying again to themselves the Son of God and making Him a mockery'" (Heb. 6:6) (Words of Pope Pius XI in his encyclical on Reparation to the Sacred Heart)

We should avoid venial sin at all costs first and foremost because it hurts the all-good God.  Lent reminds us of that as it brings the above images of the suffering and death of Our Lord to our close attention.  In Lent, we are encouraged to approach the cross, sit with Our Lord, and notice the incredible suffering He endured; He endures at our hands.  Venial sin, although not as serious as mortal sin is still like one of the thorns in His crown or one of the many lashes He received in the scourging.  None of it should have ever happened to Him.  He was the only one in history with the right to complain of evil happening to Him, but like a sheep led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth.  He offered no complaint.

Venial sin also harms us.  It is a sickness to our soul.  When the immune system, so to speak, of a soul is compromised, it is easier to fall into greater sins, including mortal, which are the death of the soul.  We should avoid venial sin firstly because it hurts Our Lord, but also because it compromises our own souls leaving them more vulnerable to further and greater sins.

God hates sin because it is the breaking of His law, which is in place not to restrict us but to guide us to the true happiness of Heaven.  The Saints hated sin because, being friends of God, they hated all that God hates.  They knew sin offends God and so of course, they wanted to avoid it, because they loved Him above all else.  This is what we should do too for we are all called to be saints, to love God above all things, and be happy with Him forever.  

This Lent, think that it could be your very last.  Our priest said this morning in his sermon that we should live this Lent as if we will be in Heaven by Easter.  If you knew that's where you were headed in these next 40 days, how would you prepare?  Wouldn't you try to avoid sin and frivolities at all costs?  If you were getting ready to go on the trip of a lifetime or move across the world, of course, you would prepare yourself well in advance.  Why do we not do that now as we look forward to our home of Heaven?  We lose sight of the goal and we think we have many years to put all our lives in order.  No one, however, is guaranteed that time so use what you have now well.  Offend the good Jesus no more!  Do not neglect Him, but strive now to make up for all your past offenses and those of the fallen world around you.  He loves and cares for each one of us, but so many do not even pay Him the time of day.  He is our God, our Creator, our Redeemer.  Let us remember this and live every day in light of this blessed reality.

How can we keep from committing sin?  The Catechism tells us, "By praying and receiving the sacraments; by remembering that God is always with us; by recalling that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit; by keeping occupied with work or play; by promptly resisting the sources of sin within us; by avoiding the near occasions of sin."

In short, follow the examples of the Saints.  St. Thérèse, St. John Bosco, St. Alphonsus, the martyrs, St. Rose of Lima, St. Benedict, any of them!  Their lives are full of stories that tell us how they occupied themselves and avoided sin.  It is not always easy but if we make a great effort, God will give us great grace to help us succeed.  He is actually just waiting to give us the grace.  He waits even a little sorrowfully, because we often give Him a pitiful glance, like the woman in the above image, but do we actually make a concerted effort to turn from our bad habits and sinful ways?  Not often.  Let us take this Lent to try again most ardently.  Remember that we may only have this one and after that, we shall stand before Our Lord and render Him an account of all our thoughts, words, and actions.  Let us make this Lent a time that we will be proud to recount.

"Death rather than sin!"

Thank you for reading my poorly written little post.  I'm mostly writing this as an outline for my 4th grader's Catechism lesson.  Please pray for them and me as I present this lesson and may they become little saints in love with their Divine Master!

In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,

Sarah 

A Recipe for Resurrection Cookies

Hello friends!  A blessed Holy Saturday to you.  On this day in the holiest time of the year, we wait in silence and prayer outside the tomb of Our Lord.  It is a most sombre day, but like our Mother Mary, we are also hopeful because we know that the death of Christ is not the end.  Today we prepare our hearts for the Christ's triumph.

When I was a child, we found this cookie recipe to be made Holy Saturday night in anticipation of Easter morning.  They are absolutely delicious and have a great story to go with them.  Even though I'm no longer a child, I still love making and eating these cookies and I really like contemplating Our Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection while assembling them.  This is a very straightforward recipe (unlike the Laetare Sunday Simnel Cake I made last year) so I know anyone will enjoy making them!

The recipe wants you to look up scripture and calls for a Bible in the list of ingredients.  This was like a fun treasure hunt for scripture when I was a child but I have included the Bible verses here from the Douay-Rheims Bible for your reading convenience.

Resurrection Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter:

Ingredients:

1 c. whole pecans

1tsp. vinegar

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 c. sugar

Zipper baggy

Wooden spoon

Tape

Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Place pecans in zipper baggy and beat them with a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. 

After Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him.

“Then therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platting a crown of thorns, put it upon his head; and they put on him a purple garment. And they came to him, and said: Hail, king of the Jews; and they gave him blows.” -John 19:1-3

 

Smell the vinegar and put it into a mixing bowl.  When Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink.

“Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar and hyssop, put it to his mouth. Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.” -John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.  Jesus gave His life to give us life.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.” -John 10:10-11

Taste a little bit of salt and sprinkle the pinch of salt into the bowl.  The salt represents the salty tears that were shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our sin.

“And there followed him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented him.” -Luke 23:27

Add the sugar.  Sugar is added to show that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He wants us to know and belong to Him.

“O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him.” -Psalm 34:8

“For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.” -John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff meringue peaks are formed.  The color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

“And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.” -Isaiah 1:18

"And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these signs which thou dost, unless God be with him. Jesus answered, and said to him: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." -John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.  Each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

"And when it was evening, there came a certain rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate, and asked the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded that the body should be delivered. And Joseph taking the body, wrapped it up in a clean linen cloth. And laid it in his own new monument, which he had hewed out in a rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the monument, and went his way." -Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.  Use a piece of tape to seal the oven door just as Jesus' tomb was sealed. 

"Pilate saith to them: You have a guard; go, guard it as you know. And they departing, made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting guards." -Matthew 27:65-66

Go to bed!  We may be sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.  Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

"Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. ... So also you now indeed have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice; and your joy no man shall take from you." -John 16:20,22

On Easter morning, open up the oven and look at the cookies.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow inside!  On Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

"And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre.  And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.  And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow.  And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men.  And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid.  And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is risen: and behold he will go before you into Galilee; there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you.

And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples.  And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him." -Matthew 29:1-9

Resurrexit, sicut dixit!  He has risen, as He said! 

Credit for our copy of the recipe goes to catholicmom.com (which no longer has the recipe that I can find.  We printed it out in 2006! XD)  Photos are my own.  Have you seen or made this recipe before?  Aren't they just delicious?  If you haven't made them, I highly suggest doing so tonight! (Or anytime, really.)  I hope you enjoy!  Let me know what you think!

Remember, O Thou Man, ... Unto Dust Thou Shalt Return - Embracing Death

Here's my next installment in the "Remember, O Thou Man" tag that The Grim Writer is hosting.

"Remember, man, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return."

We hear these words every year as the priest traces a cross of ash on our foreheads.  But how often do we think of this reality or how well do we really understand it?  How often do we pass by a cemetery without praying for the hundreds of souls buried there?  Do we even stop to think of those mortal bodies buried beneath the earth returning to that which they came from?  One day, we will come to that same reality.  Our souls will leave our bodies which will be buried to decay.  But our souls will not decay.  They will go to be judged by their maker.  And how will He judge us?  Will He be sad that we took more care of our mortal bodies than our immortal souls?  I hope not.  This is why we must contemplate our end often so that we don't forget what awaits us.  

It can be hard to contemplate our earthly end when we hardly know what death looks like.  Sure we've seen it acted out in movies, on stage, and in novels but they're just that, acting.  Have we actually seen death with our own eyes?  In this day and age, it is more than easy to look the other way.  Our elderly are placed in homes and out of our sight.  How often do we visit the elderly, let alone, care for them?  It is so important to visit the elderly often, and even more important, to care for them because when we have this beautiful fullness of life before our eyes, we can more easily picture ourselves there.

And do we assist the sick and the dying?  It can be a very uncomfortable thing but I believe that is because we just aren't used to it; we aren't exposed to it enough.  Again, it's not enough in dramatized movies with dramatic soundtracks and scenes that last but minutes.  We need to be exposed to old age and death in real life.

"Remember, o man!"

 To assist the dying with your prayers, presence, and physical care is a sure way of obtaining grace for yourself and for them.  We must learn to sit in the uncomfortable silence, in the pain, and in the darkness.  We must pray because someday soon, it will inevitably be our turn.  We should pray now that we are blessed with those same favors of prayer, company, and assistance when it is our turn.  No one goes to Heaven alone.  He is brought there by the prayers of the saints, his friends, and his family.  And he too will assist souls to Heaven both in his lifetime and in eternity.  

Finally, to really be able to remember our death, we need to experience death and enter into it.  Not only does the dying person need our prayers in their final days on earth, but once the soul has left the body.  Then he most certainly needs our prayers and assistance, for he can no longer help himself.  We must pray that Our Lady and all the saints and angels will accompany him on his journey to Heaven.  We must pray that God has mercy on this soul and that He would take it very soon to be with Himself.  We must enter into death by praying by the bedside of our departed loved one, by viewing the body and having before the eyes of our soul the image of Christ's body taken down from the cross, laid in His mother's arms, and placed in the stone-cold tomb.  

We must bury the dead by attending the graveside service.  It isn't always usual to remain at the graveside to see the casket lowered and the earth piled on top, but there is a beauty and completion as well as a little dying to self that takes place when the mourner sees the fulfillment of this prophecy,

"Remember, man, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return."

Drop your flower into the grave, watch the dirt shoveled in on top, and let a part of yourself be buried in thought and prayer with your loved one.  To contemplate the body, feet below the surface under the dark earth waiting for its Master to call it forth is a sobering thought.  One day, we too will be buried in the earth from which our first parents were formed and the things of this earth won't matter in the slightest.  So as this Lenten season comes to a close, let us not forget the admonition we received upon starting this journey.

"Remember!"

"Requiem aeternam dona eis, domine et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Fidélium ánimæ per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace. Amen."

"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."

My Favorite Lenten Meditation for Passiontide

 Hello dear friends,

A blessed Passion Week to you.  I think Lent is one of my favorite seasons of the year as far as liturgical music goes.  But where meditations are concerned, I absolutely love Christmas meditations.  Except, during Lent, I fall in love again with meditations on the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord especially close to Passiontide.  I reread this meditation before Confession the other day and boy was it moving in a whole new way!  So today I'd like to share with you my favorite meditation from Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girl's Guide that I read every Holy Thursday in front of the Altar of Repose.  

Sursum Corda! -- Lift up Your Hearts!

Shortly after the beginning of the last century, Napoleon the Great was sent as a captive to the lonely island of St. Helena.  On one occasion he is said to have endeavored to while away some of the weary hours of his exile  by passing in mental review the great men who accomplished the most heroic deeds in the world's history.  While he was considering Christ, he is said to have exclaimed: 

"Behold, He has drawn all mankind to Himself!"

And thus indeed it is.  The name of Jesus Christ sounds beside the cradle of the new-born infant and the grave of the aged man, in the hovel and the palace, among the powerful and the wak, in the depths and on the hights, on sea and on land, by day and by night.  Jesus alone is the hope and consolation of the unhappy, the pledge of pardon for the guilty.  For the love of Jesus how many have renounced, and still renounce, the pleasures of the world!

Thus have his own words been fulfilled:

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself." 

With the gentle cords of love He has drawn all things to Himself.  He has done all that it was possible to do, in order to win for Himself the love of the whole human race, and to hold it fast as long as time shall endure.  He has given to us, miserable mortals though we are, the most signal proofs of His divine and ever-abiding love.  Let these proofs encourage us; therefore

"Lift up your heart!"

Lift it up to the sacred mountains, up to the cross, up to heaven! 

To Mount Olivet, to Gethsemane!

There, amid the shades of night illumined by the Paschal moon, under the boughs of the olive-trees, you will see a Man prostrate on the ground, bowed down, crushed as it were by some heavy load, convulsively wringing His hands, His countenance pale as death.  He breathes heavily, deep sighs escape His tortured breast, a sweat of blood exudes from His pores and trickles down His pallid face.  And His dearest friends, the friends whom He loved as no friend ever loved his most beloved friend, no other her darling child,-- they leave Him alone in His agony; they have no word of comfort for Him; they are asleep; they could not watch with Him one hour, although only one brief hour had elapsed since they assured Him of their willingness to follow Him to prison and to death!

But all is not yet told!  His foes are approaching, like bloodthirsty wolves; one steps forward who was formerly a friend, a disciple, and imprints the hideous kiss of betrayal on the colorless lips of the Sufferer --- the patient Sufferer, whose pale face wears an expression of gentleness and of loving admonition, even while He gazes on this shameless man.

They lead the innocent Lamb, the incarnate Son of God, to Jerusalem; they treat Him, the sinless One, more barbarously than the vilest criminal; they mock Him and blaspheme Him; they courage Him, and place a crown of sharp thorns upon His head.

 

Now begins the ascent of Mont Golgotha.  Tottering and exhausted, His bleeding and lacerated shoulders laden with a heavy cross, the Man of sorrows climbs the steep and stony mountain!  Three times He sinks upon the ground and each time He is rudely lifted  up and dragged forward by His brutal executioners.  When the summit is reached, they strip the garments from His sacred body, and thus tear open His wounds afresh.  They stretch Him upon the cross, drive large nails through His hands and feet, in order to fasten Him to it, and elevate the infamous gibbet.

My dear child,

"Lift up your heart!" 

Lift it up to Mount Olivet, to Golgotha!  Behold the love of your God! 

But you must raise it higher still, you must raise it to the cross!  There you see the Lamb of God, hanging on the tree of shame, suspended between heaven and earth, His sole support being the large, rude nails of iron, which pierce His hands and feet, so that the slightest movement aggravates His unspeakable sufferings.  The blood is trickling down upon the cross from innumerable wounds, His tongue is parched by feverish thirst, and from His lips proceeds the piteous cry: 

"I thirst." 

Add to this the anguish which fills his soul at the sight of His beloved Mother, whom to behold thus standing at the foot of the cross causes His tender heart to well-nigh break with compassion.  To this add the mockery and blasphemy of the impious men by whom He was surrounded, wholse obduracy all His Passion, all His cruel sufferings, did not avail to subdue; yet on whose behalf He breathed forth the touching petition:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 

The chalice of His Passion was filled to overflowing; then deprived of all consolation, He utters the heart-rending cry: "My God! My God! why hast Thou forsaken Me!"  Sum up all this; raise your heart to the cross;

"attend and see if there be any sorrow like to His sorrow"

see if there be any love which can compare with His love!

But look higher still; lift your heart up to heaven itself!  Though no mortal eye is able to gaze upon the glories of that celestial abode which is the dwelling-place of the blessed, though you cannot approach the eternal God for He "inhabiteth light inaccessible," be not disheartened on this account; lift up your heart to heaven, for the gleam of light which God will shed upon your oul may perchance enable you to form some faint conception of its splendors.

There the Son of God, not as yet incarnate, sat from all eternity at the right hand of the Father who "when the fullness of time was come" sent Him down to earth, in order toat He might suffer, and die upon the cross.  But what was His object in doing this?  He called Him His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased.  Why then send Him to endure the death of the cross?

The crucified One Himself gives the solution of the problem in the words He addressed to Nicodemus: 

"For God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting."

Thus againdo we see that it was love--O sweetest, fairest, greatest and most heavenly word--yes, it was sove that moved our gracious God to perform an act which neither earth nor heaven could have deemed possible, an act which alone would  suffice to justify the exclamation of the Apostle of Charity: "God is charity!"

Therefore let not your heart, O Christian maiden, be enslaved by any mere earthly, still less by any sinful, affections.  Lift up your heart to heaven!  There alone is an object truly worth of your love. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember, O Thou Man - Lenten Reflections on Hope and the Four Last Things

Well, we are officially in the season of Lent, a time of penance; prayer, abstinence, fasting, and almsgiving.  Those things can sound sort of somber but believe it or not I'm usually very excited and happy when Lent kicks off!  Every year I forget how helpful Lent can be in my spiritual life until it comes around again.  This season really continues the work of Advent and Christmas in my soul bringing the cycle to completion at Easter.  So first off in this post, I'll explain the justification I found for my happiness and secondly, I want to talk about the hard-hitting stuff.  This is the stuff I'm actually excited for even though it sounds extremely hard.  I'm hoping to tie it in to The Grim Writer's Lenten blog link-up (otherwise known as The Penance Party 😉) finishing up with meditating on the Four Last Things.

I don't think my joyful peace is entirely unfounded.  So far this Lent, I've been very blessed to be able to go to Mass quite a few times just in the first week.  Starting with Shrove Tuesday and the Feast of the Holy Face, Ash Wednesday, First Friday, First Saturday, and then the First Sunday in Lent, I was able to read and meditate upon the Propers of each Mass.  And you know what?  They are actually quite comforting and even hopeful!  On the First Sunday of Lent, the Propers center around the beginning of Psalm 90.  If you aren't familiar with it just by that name, let me help you out.  (Traddy raised kids, you might want to cover your ears; I don't want to scar you.)  NO raised kids, do you remember the hymn "On Eagles Wings"?  Yeah, that one.  Well, that hymn was loosely based on this Psalm.  Now most people may just read through this Psalm in the Tract rather quickly thinking that they've heard it countless times and if they were raised in the NO like I was, it may bring back some less-than-savory memories.  But this Sunday, I decided to read it slowly and carefully as the schola chanted through it.  I was surprised to find it very comforting and encouraging and not just in a flowery way.  It is encouraging me to put my trust in God this Lent through my penances, fasts, and hardships.  When we rely on Him, then He will give us His grace, support us, and protect us.  God doesn't promise that he will raise us up on eagles' wings to avoid adversity or suffering.  (In fact, wings like eagles' aren't even mentioned in this Psalm.  Go figure.)  But God does promise,

"Because he hoped in me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known my name.  He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him."

~Psalm 90:14-15

Doesn't sound very "Lent-y" does it?  But the Church is an emotionally balanced entity and assures us there is hope even amidst the greatest suffering. 

We must place our hope in God (this means not abandoning ourselves to the depths of despair, no matter how romantic that sounds), we must know His Name.  To me, that sounds like keeping His Holy Name foremost in our minds and making it the subject of all our lives.  We should make all we do pleasing to His Holy Name and make reparation whenever we hear or see it blasphemed.  

St. Paul tells us in the Epistles of these first days of Lent how we are to live this way.  In the Gospels, especially the first Sunday's, Our Lord shows us how to live this way.  Most notable of His actions are that He loved us 

"Usque ad mortem et mortem ad crucem." 

 ...Even to death and to death on the cross.  (Credit to our priest who said this quote in his homily on Sunday.  I'm hoping I remembered the Latin correctly.)  We are called to love just as Christ loved us but how can we love "ad mortem" (to death) if we do not even contemplate our own death?  Have we ever questioned ourselves, "Do I love this person enough that I would be willing to die for them?"  This is a question I may have asked myself while in a courtship but honestly, it's a very good question to ask ourselves during Lent.  Do we love Our Lord enough that we would honestly die for Him?  Do we have what it takes to be martyrs?  It probably won't come to that for most of us, but we should still be prepared regardless because, as Our Lord tells us,

"Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

~John 15:13

And what more worthy or better friend do we have than Jesus?  It's one thing to think about and a whole other thing to actually do it.  But as Christians, there are actually two kinds of martyrdoms, red martyrdom and white martyrdom.  White martyrdom is, in short, the complete dying to self in all things.  (It could be argued that all Christians are called to white martyrdom in accord with their state in life.)

"Let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God... as dying, and behold we live..."

~ 2 Corinthians 6:4,9 

If we work on dying to ourselves and our passions every day, we can prepare ourselves for death.  If we live "as having nothing, and possessing all things," (2 Cor. 6:10) if we live with Heaven as our one and only goal, we will be unattached from the things of this world and better prepared for death.  Penance and mortification are the means by which we deny our passions, crucify 'self', and prepare for death.

St. Therese's "Little Way" is not only a good way to make ready to become the spouse of Jesus but also to prepare for death.

 But we can't just prepare to die and go straight to Heaven.  Most likely, we will die with at least temporal punishment still due for our sins, if not venial sins on our souls.  God forbid we die in the state of mortal sin.  So after death there is judgement, where we will stand before God and render an entire account of our lives.  We will be fully exposed and not one word of our life will be hidden from Divine Justice.  Meditating on your personal judgement seems even more fruitful in avoiding sin than meditation on death by itself.  The Church in Her goodness anticipates this and follows the theme of the four last things in the Propers of the Mass because Monday of the First Week in Lent uses Jesus' description of the last judgement for the Gospel reading.  Our Lord will say one of two things to us at that final judgement.  Either He will say,

"Amen I say to you: What you did for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did for Me: come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Or He will say,

"As long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to Me.  Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels."

If we meditate on the words of Our Lord and make the everyday choices of our lives in light of what we would like Him to say to us, we can prepare ourselves for judgement.  Will we have a bouquet of charitable acts stored up to present to Our Lord at our judgement?  (We'll talk about this a little more later...)

Looking ahead in the missal, the Gospel selections also point our attention to Heaven and hell.  First, the veil between Heaven and Earth is pulled aside in the account of the Transfiguration.  Both God the Father and St. Peter show us what to do to prepare for the Beatific Vision.  First St. Peter, when confronted with the dazzling white vision of Our Lord transfigured concludes,

"It is good for us to be here: let us make here three tabernacles..."

Then God the Father broke in,

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him."

These are two aspects of prayer which are highlighted here; adoration and listening to Our Lord in the silence of our hearts.  To best prepare for the Beatific Vision, we are called to prayer listening for the directions of the Lord.  The highest form of prayer is Heaven itself so what better way to prepare for eternity than attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where Heaven and earth come together?

Then on Thursday of the Second week in Lent we hear the account of the rich man and Lazarus.  This parable reminds us of the reality of hell and serves as a warning.  Either we make ourselves comfortable, feast sumptuously on the goods of this life, and forfeit Heaven, or we join our sufferings in this life to those of Christ and become partakers in His eternal reward.  We can fast from the pleasures and fine things of life in order to unite ourselves to Our Lord's poor, storing up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.  Hell is very real and so is the torment.  Let us heed the call of Our Lord to pick up our crosses during this Lenten season that we may avoid the flames of hell. 

This account and that of the final judgement also stick out to me as calls to almsgiving, one of those four pillars of Lent.  Almsgiving is usually thought of as the act of donating money or goods to the poor but is also performing other acts of charity which are equally important.  Almsgiving begins with your family.

"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." 

~St. Mother Teresa

I'm learning not to ignore the needs of my family or procrastinate when they ask me to do something because in serving and obeying them, I'm really serving and obeying Jesus.

"What you did for one of these, ... you did for Me..."

~Matthew 25:40

 I discovered that March 9th is the feast of St. Frances of Rome and she put this virtue into practice very well in her life. Fr. Alban Butler tells us*, "Whilst she was at her prayers or other exercises, if called away by her husband, or the meanest person of her family, she laid all aside to obey without delay, saying:

'A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar, to find Him in her household affairs.'”

"Be faithful to your family responsibilities; it's a holy thing to do and what Our Lord expects of us." 

~St. Frances of Rome

I know this post has been a bunch of rabbit hole tangents one on top of another but let's recap because I promise you it all comes together.  (At least it does in my head...)

There are four pillars of Lent: prayer, penance, fasting, and almsgiving.

There are also the Four Last Things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell.

The readings at the beginning of Lent have already shown us that the four last things should be in our direct focus and we can tangibly meditate on these four last things by practicing the four pillars of Lent.  If you miss the correlations I tried to mention so far, here are all four of them:

Death - Penance

Judgement - Alms

Heaven - Prayer

Hell - Fasting

Maybe others would come up with different correlations, but this is how I'm choosing to meditate on them this Lent.  So you see, my dear friends, the Church draws our attention to a very important part of our lives, the end of them here on earth.  She also gives us practical means to prepare for this end.  And all of this is displayed in the readings chosen for the holy season of Lent.  But we can't just attend Mass on Sundays and think we're set.  Every day of the Lenten season is filled with the exhortations of the Church Fathers and the example of Our Lord.  So even if you can't make it to Mass every day to hear these readings, maybe crack open your Bible or Missal at home once in a while during the week.  The Church's liturgy is filled with rich lessons if only we care to look.  I know there are so many ways to meditate on these four pillars and four ends but I hope you found something useful among my ramblings to help you grow closer in virtue to Our Lord.  I didn't even mention how all of this can help us walk with Our Lord to Calvary.  But alas, this blog post is far too rambling and long as it is.

So what have you learned or meditated upon this Lent?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

May God bless you and bring your Lenten practices to fruition.

Join the Lenten Blog Link-Up over at The Grim Writer's Blog!

*Quoted from the March 9th Daily Meditation in the March 2022 edition of Benedictus

Are you prepared?? Lent 2022

Lent is fast approaching!  Are you prepared?

Yesterday I started a novena, read a quote, heard a homily, and made the outline of my plan for Lent 2022.

First I read an inspiring quote in the book, "These Women Walked With God" by Fr. Mary Raymond Flanagan, O.C.S.O.  The quote itself is actually from Fr. Fredrick William Faber.  He said that... 

One motto lived is enough to make a saint.

 Y'all, I need a motto.  But not just any motto.  I want it to encapsulate all of my devotions and my highest goals.  I want it to inspire me day in and day out and lift me up even when I seem on the brink of the depths of despair.  My motto must propel me ever higher on the path to Heaven.  So I'll have to contemplate this one for a bit.  

Secondly, there was a "one-liner" in the homily yesterday that really stood out to me.  The Epistle was from 2 Corinthians where St. Paul explained his credentials for being a worthy apostle.  Father explained that the Corinthians wanted him to be like a popular TikTok influencer who was strong and attracted people easily.   But St. Paul was not this.   Yet he had endured so much for the faith including being beaten and left for dead.  But this isn't the one-liner.  Father went on saying the reason St. Paul was able to endure all of these things and the reason he was a worthy apostle of the Faith is that he was emptied entirely of himself.  He was an empty vessel that could be filled with God in order to do the work of God.  

This is what I want to do this Lent.  I want to be so emptied of myself that I can more clearly discern God's most holy will for my life and do His work wholeheartedly.  This Lent will be a time to forget myself and grow closer to Christ on the road to Calvary.

This brings us to my Lenten game plan.  Every successful businessman, athlete, or craftsman has a plan that they think about and work with to achieve their goals.  Maybe they only make this plan in their head or only follow it generally (as is the case with many artistic people) but at least they have an idea and an end goal in mind for their project.  If we set out for a destination without a map then we may very likely get lost and give up on our venture.  But if we have a map for our journey and a game plan for our end goal, we can be more sure of success!  The same is true for our Lenten journey of prayer, penance, and almsgiving.

For the last 3 years, I've used this easy and handy outline to make myself a Lenten game plan!  I don't know exactly where it came from but it's fantastic!  I highly recommend you print out a copy, make a cup of your favorite warm beverage, (I had a big mug of Earl Grey tea), and prayerfully fill it out before Ash Wednesday arrives.  It incorporates all three aspects of Lent encouraging you to banish bad habits, form new good ones, and take on special penances which you can replace with Easter rejoicing afterward.

Now, I'd like to share my Lenten goals with you not only to inspire you but to keep me accountable.  You don't have to share your Lenten goals here (you're more than welcome to if you'd like in the comments below,) but I highly encourage you to share them with someone be it a parent, a best friend, your significant other, or some other trusted person.  I believe accountability is key in Lent because it's such a long season and we're trying to work on vices we struggle with.  Once you fill out this game-plan, hang it somewhere you'll see it every day.  This will help to keep you accountable as well!

Now, for my goals.

Voluntary Amendment of Life:

In this category, I am going to...

•  give up listening to base/secular music.  (This includes broadway, country, and even instrumental covers of secular songs.  Instead, I'll listen to Gregorian chant, hymns, or keep silence.)
• give up overeating.  (This may look like denying myself an extra second helping, sacrificing some favorite part of the meal, and avoiding indulging in foods such as carbs and starches.)
• give up not getting up on time.  (Avoid that snooze button!)

Acts of Penance:

In this category, I am going to...

• offer up not eating sweets.  (I know this is a very common penance and may seem trivial but I'm a sucker for dark chocolate and saying no in this little thing many times throughout the day should help to strengthen my will.)
• offer up not reading secular books/novels.  (Yes, even Catholic-themed novels.  Instead, I'm aiming to read great spiritual works that will help me grow closer to God and discover His will.)

Works of Charity:

In this category, I am going to...

• increase spiritual reading. [Book(s) TBD but it's really good to pick them out ahead of time!]
• Aim to go to Eucharistic Adoration once a week.  (I like to hang out with my friends in person at least once a week.  Why can't I do the same for Our Lord?)

I plan on making a good confession by April 3rd.

This will give me time to at least go to Confession on First Friday yet makes sure I go in advance of Passion Week before Holy Week.

However much we suffer for the love of Jesus Crucified, it is but little.

~St Benedict Joseph Labré

So this is the outline of my Lenten plan.  Please pray that I may stay faithful to it if it be God's will, and more importantly that I grow in virtue and self-discipline.  

I'd love to hear your Lenten practices, stories, and graces in the comments below!  What are you looking forward to this Lent?

God bless you and keep you!

PS.  What are we thinking of this new design??  I'd love to hear your comments/suggestions below!

Commit to Christ This Year

Happy New Year, friends!!  I am so excited to be back and focusing more on this little blog here.  I meant to finish this post in January, but alas it is February and no longer the Christmas season *le sigh*  First, let's just do a little rambly catchup!

My apologies for not replying to your comments in a timely fashion!  You may have noticed I caught up recently.  That's because Google likes to pick a "favorite" account that is dominant on each computer.  My dad's account is the favorite on the home computer and my sister's is the favorite on our shared laptop.  I finally logged in on a different browser, though, so I can reply to your comments again.  Yay!!

I've also decided to remove Instagram and Facebook from my smartphone at least for now because it is a time sucker.  And as much as I hate to say it, I find myself starting to fall into the common pits of comparison and covetousness.  So far, I have not felt the loss of those social medias and I'm actually very happy without them.  If you've been thinking about making the jump, I highly recommend it!  Even if you don't delete your accounts but just keep them off of your phone, it makes a huge difference.  Instead, I've found lots of time for knitting, reading, hanging out with friends, cooking, and enjoying the beautiful world around me!

Now to the purpose of this post.  I had the idea for it originally during Mass, but I forget exactly what I was going to write about.  Nevertheless, these thoughts and ideas have been floating around my mind for the last few weeks and I'd like to share my musings with you.  

I have been invigorated in my faith this Christmas season since it connects me with my roots and my absolute favorite devotion, to the child Jesus!  Whenever I feel angry, moody, or hurt, I try to picture the baby Jesus.  My God was just a tiny little helpless baby!  How could I offer an angry or hurtful word in His presence?  Of course, I still do fall into this sin often but by the grace of God, I can try to remember the Infant Jesus and do my best!

And even though someday I want to approach the crib of Bethlehem with my very own little family, if it be God's will, I must still approach it now, as my helpless little self.  So I've taken to picturing myself as a little wobbly lamb because as a lamb I can approach the manger all by myself and have no need to look over my shoulder.  I meekly come up to the edge of the wooden trough where His tiny little hand hangs over the edge.  I nudge my head under those little fingers, and he grasps the curly little mop of fluff on my head.  

(Whoa, I just found this image and it fits so perfectly!!)

I have not forgotten about the rest of Christ's amazing life though.  On the contrary, I have actually thought even more about His Passion and death during this Christmas season.  To contemplate the fact that this little precious baby would one day be mocked, ridiculed, tortured in the extreme, and put to death on a cross is quite a striking image.  Before Christmas during Advent, I tried to offer those I loved to the Christ Child in the manger.  But now, I find more consolation in offering them to Our Lord hung upon the cross.  His blood pours down upon their souls, His eyes embrace them, His suffering redeems them.  Whether I am missing someone or extremely angry at someone, I now try to place them at the feet of Our Lord on the cross and leave them there.  He can heal and fix their hearts, and mine, far better than I ever could.

We need to commit to Christ this year.  Father preached on the feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord and the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus that Our Lord wasted no time at all once He had been named Jesus, which means God saves, in pouring out His precious blood for us.  He did not have to be circumcised.  He was God.  But in order to show His infinite love for us, He humbled Himself in our humanity by shedding His blood even in His infancy, at just 8 days old.  He committed to being your savior by being named Jesus and taking on your humanity so He could be the perfect victim.  Why don't we commit our lives to Him?  Sure, we are baptized, designate Sundays as the day to go to church, and try to say our prayers but this isn't committing our entire lives to Him.  If we think about all of the things we do and say on a daily basis that do not bring honor and glory to God or that even outright offend Him, we can see all the room we have for growing closer to God in this life.  

The season of Lent is fast approaching and I'm already finding myself contemplating how I can grow closer to Jesus this season and how I can truly model my life after His will.  Maybe this will look like removing songs from my music playlists that take His holy Name in vain or denying myself little pleasures to make others around me happy.  Time is fleeting and we do not have very much of it on this earth.  If we wish to make it to Heaven, we need to start preparing now.  Why waste another minute on a silly grudge or fanciful indulgence?  If Christ called you to Himself right now, would you be happy and satisfied with how you've committed to Christ?  Let's not live the Christian life by parts or halves but let us order every single word and action of ours to bring us closer to God!  I want to commit to Christ this year just like He committed His whole life to me at the moment of His circumcision.

Thanks so much for reading my rambly little post!  How will you strive to commit your whole life to Christ this year?  I'd love to chat with you in the comments below!

God love you!

Simnel Cake Scrapes

Have you ever heard of a Simnel Cake?  Me neither.

But when our priest encouraged the young ladies of the parish to make one for Laetare Sunday, I immediately wanted to meet the challenge.  Little did I know what a challenge that would be.

Simnel cake is widely made in the United Kingdom and Ireland for Easter Sunday although traditionally, it was made for Laetare/Mothering Sunday.  The fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday because that is the first word of the Introit verse, Rejoice!  But the verse continues,

Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you who love her: rejoice with joy, you who have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.

This is taken from Isaiah and talks about the Jews' mother city, Jerusalem.  We are called to come back to Holy Mother Church and rejoice in Her because She gives us so many good things.  That's why this Sunday is also called Mothering Sunday.   In olden days, this was also the one day a year working girls got to go home and visit their families and therefore would bring a simnel cake home to their mothers.  So you see, the simnel cake is a very noteworthy tradition that helps break the fast of Lent on this joyous Sunday and celebrates our mothers, both natural and our spiritual mother, the Church.

So our priest sent us home with a little flyer detailing the tradition of a Simnel cake and a recipe to make one!  He especially challenged the young ladies of the parish to try it because it was a tricky cake to make and therefore the successful baking of such a cake could be good proof that she was ready to be married and cook for her own family.  I gathered all the ingredients, read over the recipe as every good cook does, and when Saturday afternoon arrived, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.  

The recipe Father gave us seemed short and simple, however, as I went along, I realized important details of how to do things were left out.  I am not a proficient baker by any means so I really like recipes that spell everything out for me.  Like the specification of softened butter or to grease the pan in addition to laying parchment paper.  I know, you're probably thinking these sound like no-brainers, but this simple-minded beginner needs everything, I mean everything, laid out for her.

So, the first step, "Cream butter and sugar."  I know how to do that!  I'd left my butter out to sit for 30-45 minutes and it was a little soft, but I didn't know it needed to be even softer, so my first scrape was not being able to cream the butter and sugar.  Instead, it came out to be the consistency of sugary snow.  It looked beautiful, but I knew that wasn't creamed.  Still, I proceeded, adding the eggs next.

The second misstep, "Sift together flour and salt."  That's easy too, except the recipe completely forgets to mention that you also need to sift in the baking powder and pumpkin pie spice at this time.  Thankfully, I had laid out all my ingredients at the beginning and therefore noticed they weren't mentioned in the instructions before it was disastrously too late.  "Mix well." Check.

The third misstep: "line pan with parchment paper" AND GREASE!  Sure, it's not vitally necessary, but it makes getting the cake out of the pan at the end HEAPS easier.  Make sure you line both the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper and grease both the pan and the paper.  You'll thank me later.

The fourth misstep: "Use about 1/3 of the almond paste recipe or one store-bought tube over the first half of the batter"  The reason I bring this up is really that I want to start stressing how important it is to read the whole recipe and read it thoroughly in its entirety.  It would have been just fine except my homemade almond paste didn't quite turn out (more on that scrape later) so my sister so graciously ran to the store to get me some beautiful marzipan!  If I had read the recipe carefully, I would have noticed I needed more than one tube, but since I didn't read it carefully enough, she only purchased one.  Again, not a huge deal, but if you were relying on just the store-bought marzipan, one tube would not be enough for the whole cake.

Misstep 4 ½: If you're going to be even more insanely ambitious, (like I was), you'll attempt to make your own almond paste.  I'd like to warn you of three things. 

1. Don't wait to make your almond paste until it is called for in the recipe.  You can make it at the beginning so you don't let the cake batter sit out to the side for too long.

2. Make sure your almonds are blanched.  This will make sure your almond paste isn't all speckled brown.

3. Grind your almonds very finely in the food processor.  Basically, make flour.  If you don't and you proceed to add the sugar and OJ, your paste will be gritty and won't blend well.  And if you neglect to make a flour of your almonds, don't add more OJ to try and make it blend better, that will only leave you with an incredibly sticky almond mess.

Alright, moving on.

Misstep 5: When rolling out your homemade sticky almond paste, be sure to "flour" your surface.  Except, in this case, don't use flour (I tried using Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour first.  That did not work.) Use more powdered sugar.  And don't be afraid to use too much on your surface.  It will blend right in and take care of that sticky mess.

Two more notes:  I didn't end up using the sherry and the cake still turned out just fine even after a couple of days on the counter.  The mixed dried fruit I used was moist enough that it kept the cake moist on the inside.  I also did end up being able to use some of my homemade almond paste so the middle layer was store-bought, the top layer was homemade, and the 11 balls were store-bought.

Well, that just about covers all my little mistakes.  I'm better for having made them and look forward to making the cake again next year with this new knowledge.  (I know, I'm slightly crazy.)

If you, after having read all of these scary snafoos, think you would like to try testing your baking skills on this festive recipe, I've modified the recipe I used to include some more helpful tips.

Mothering Sunday Simnel Cake

2 cups sugar                                                     

½ stick softened butter                                    

4 eggs

2 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ cup chopped almonds

1½ cups dried fruits, tossed with 1 Tablespoon flour

(Use raisins, currants, candied peels, or citron in any combination.) (I used a dried fruit mix in the bulk section.)

Almond Paste:

3½ cups sliced (blanched) almonds, finely ground

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ cup orange juice

Topping:

2 Tablespoons sherry

2 Tablespoons raspberry jam

11 glace cherries, jellybeans, or marzipan balls

Almond Paste recipe: Grind the sliced almonds finely in a food processor to flour.  Mix sliced almonds and sugars.  Add orange juice and mix to make a stiff paste.  If necessary, add more orange juice 1 Tablespoon at a time.  This recipe makes enough to both fill and decorate the cake.

Simnel Cake recipe: Cream softened butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice.  Add slowly to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition.  Fold fruits and chopped almonds into the batter.  Pour half of the batter into a prepared round cake pan. (recommended: a springform pan greased and lined with greased parchment paper.)

Roll out a thin layer of almond paste (use about ⅓ of the recipe or one store-bought tube) and gently place it on top of the batter.  Add the remaining batter.  Bake at 300°F for about 1½ hours.  Do not allow the cake to over-brown.  Cover with parchment and cook about a half-hour more.  When testing for doneness, don't be fooled by the inner layer of almond paste.  It will stay sticky, so test through the top layer of the cake only.

After the cake has cooled, place it in a round tin and spoon sherry on top.  This will help keep the cake moist if it is to be sent on a journey in the mail.  Reduce the raspberry jam in a small pot on the stove and then spread on top of the cake.  Then, roll out the second ⅓ of almond paste and gently place it on top.  The jam will serve as glue to hold the top layer in place.  Place the cake in the oven for 5-10 minutes to lightly brown the top layer of almond paste.  (Watch it carefully!)  Decorate the perimeter of the cake with cherries, jellybeans, or marzipan eggs, which are traditionally 11 in number to remember the Apostles faithful to Our Lord.  Tie a ribbon around the side of the cake or, if you are mailing it, around the tin.  For Laetare Sunday-the Rose Sunday in Lent-a rose-colored ribbon is a fitting touch.

Well, that's it, folks!  Did you make it to the end?  Did you make the cake or have you made a Simnel cake before?  Have you even ever heard of it?  Please let me know in the comments below!  If you do end up trying this feat with my modified recipe, pretty please do let me know how it went!  Are there any other tips you would recommend?  

All in all, I'm really glad I made this recipe and it turned out better than I thought it would.  It's a yummy, dense, chewy fruitcake that pairs very nicely with a hot cup of tea!  Enjoy!                           

In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,    

Sarah