The Assumption

 

   Anyone who spends some time around small children can attest to the awe and wonderment these little people often communicate about, well, anything!  The funny bend of the leg on a green grasshopper, steam rising off a pot of boiling macaroni, twinkling lightning bugs on a warm summer night, the swirl of chocolate as it mixes with milk…  these little observations are taken in, pondered, and delighted in. Children view their world with a curiosity, newness and fascination.  They help us do the same.

    I have had the privilege of working with children for many years, and most recently with the faith formation of the very young child in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium.  Among the many hands-on materials available to them to pray with is a model altar complete with a small chalice and paten.  The children marvel at the beauty and the use of these vessels by the priest at Mass and recognize how special these holy articles must be to hold (not chocolate milk!) but the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  

     It is with this thought that I consider the upcoming Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We can see that, like the sacred vessels set apart for a very special use at every Mass, Mary was set apart to be the vessel that carried Jesus in her womb.  We can better understand why God the Father would preserve Mary from any stain of original sin, so as to be the unstained vessel for the promised Savior.  We call this the Immaculate Conception.   We can see why the angel would declare her “Full of Grace”, because it is by God’s grace all this could even be possible.  To be sure, the effects of original sin contribute to a tug of war in my own will and heart.  But we can ponder how, despite being very human, this same God-given grace would allow the “handmaid of the Lord” to understand and daily choose God’s Will throughout her entire life.  

     So what would happen to such a special person after her earthly life was completed?  Surely something that would show her great honor.  Our faith tells us with certainty that there is more for us after our earthly life. Our Creed declares that we “look forward to the resurrection of the dead.” The grave is not the final destination!   And while our soul and body remain separated until the Last Judgement, for Mary they were not.  She was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.  And THIS is the very special solemnity which we celebrate this week.   Through her, we see how God gives us a glimpse into the promise and the fullness of eternal life.  In her, we see a beautiful model of a life that said “Yes, Lord”.

     But if you ask a child “How could this Assumption be so?” he would simply answer: “Why?  Because Jesus loved his mother SO MUCH!”

“How could we fail to love her whom our Lord loved so much?  It is impossible to love Christ adequately without also loving the Mother who gave Him to us... for the two are inseparable in the great drama of redemption.”                             

                                                               -  Venerable Fulton Sheen

Adoration

 A quick realization that it was Thursday evening, and an opportunity to run up to the local church for Adoration, Confession, and Reception of Holy Communion.  

A prayer service.

It’s late, but Jesus will still be there. 

Kneeling before Him, with no words.  

I feel like stone.  

A thick, dense, column of stone.     

Ah! Thursday!  Luminous Mysteries.  

The First Luminous Mystery is the Baptism of Our Lord.  Our Father who art in heaven… (Jesus, wash over me, let your healing waters wash over me). The Second Luminous Mystery is The Wedding Feast at Cana.  Our Father who art in heaven…(Mary instructs, “Do whatever He tells you to do”...Jesus, I want to, I really want to).  The Third Luminous Mystery is (in a bellowing voice) THE PROC-la-MA-tion OF the GOS-pel.  Our Father who art in heaven…. (Jesus proclaiming the Gospel, illuminating the Word, sharing the Good News… oh thank you for the Good News!).  The Fourth Luminous Mystery is The Transfiguration.  Our Father who art in heaven…. (Revealing your absolute divine glory… change me too, Lord! Change me, too!).  The Fifth Luminous Mystery is The Institution of the Eucharist.  Our Father who art in heaven… (Institution?  Jesus.  Jesus himself…. Up on that altar, in the monstrance.  Now.)

NOW.

Veiled, a mystery, hidden in a monstrance, in what looks like bread.   

Brilliant light, 

illuminating.

The hardened stone. 

Do something with the thick column of stone.  

Anima Christi... “Soul of Christ, sanctify me.  Body of Christ, save me.  Blood of Christ, inebriate me.  Water from the side of Christ, wash me.  Passion of Christ, strengthen me.  Oh Good Jesus, hear me.  Within your wounds, hide me. Separated from you let me never be.  From the evil one, protect me.  At the hour of my death, call me.  Into your presence, lead me, that I may praise you in heaven with all your saints, forever and ever, Amen.”

Dense columns can be changed....even tumbled, in prayer.

AMEN.

AAAAAA-MEN!

New Life

 This week we welcomed the birth of new life in our family.  Our first grandson, our third grandchild, was born to our daughter and son-in-law.  We eagerly anticipated this child’s arrival, prepared for him, and prayed for him.  We helped plan for the care of his big sister, made sure everyone had meals, and helped take care of the little details that would make this week and all the weeks that led up to it go a little smoother.  While I know that our help was appreciated, the real work was on the new mom and dad. For nine months they have had to navigate the joys, worries, and concerns that a new life brings.  They have had to discern decisions and serious life changes as well, because we all know that little babies bring big changes.  But as all experienced parents already realize, the work (nor the joy) does not end at the arrival.  

This week also marks another event that many more have eagerly anticipated, prepared for, and prayed about.  Our St. Mary’s Church welcomes a group of catechumens who have, for many many months, readied themselves to be sacramentally received into the Catholic faith.  These individuals have discerned a call and prayerfully responded to a yearning. They have attended lectures, studied key elements, listened to the witness of others.  They have had to navigate the concerns about how life will be different, and the implications of having to live differently, for surely life will be different.  They have asked questions, pondered truths, and sought answers, not all of which have yet been satisfied.  Still, they step out in faith. 

Like the anticipated arrival of a new child, each of our catechumens have anticipated this new life in Christ.  May we all continue to support them in their faith journey, welcome them into our faith family, and witness to them what it means to be a new creation.  Let each of us share that the work, and especially the joy, does not end with the first day!

May God bless them abundantly!

Not Alone

I stepped back in time today.

No, I didn’t visit a museum, or some historical colonial settlement. 

I stepped into my junior high classroom.

One day we were there, teaching and inspiring and leading, doing our best to deepen the faithful lives of these young children, getting ready to cheer on 3rd and 4th graders for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Basketball game....  And then suddenly we weren’t.

With Memorial Day right around the corner, today was “pack up” day, but there were no students to gather their things.  Lockers still had notebooks and binders, desks still had papers to complete.  Library books, now long overdue, were stuffed in cubbies with too small P.E. shoes.  

And on my bulletin board was my March calendar, waiting… waiting for me to see this: 

“It is in the company of Jesus that you work for the glory of God.”

In the days and weeks that followed our abrupt departure, the demands of teaching and learning dramatically changed, even intensified. How do you teach without students?  How do students learn without teachers?  It was a lonely, confusing time.  How could I possibly make the faith formation of students relevant without being present, without relationship?  

What followed was extraordinary though.  Teachers were intent on making learning meaningful by determining what was essential and purposeful. Students stepped up and trusted the process.  Parents found ways to support and encourage their children.  

I found myself “surrounded” by people who were determined to find a way, and the learning didn’t stop:  we just refocused on our priorities and adjusted to the circumstances.

And I wasn’t alone. We weren’t alone.  We were very clearly being led.

When our daily work is focused on Who we serve, then every obstacle becomes a means of growing in relationship, with Him and with one another.  And the results? They are amazing.

Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, 

by the power at work within us,

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus 

to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians: 3:20-21

Testing.
Testing.

This is a test.

Can this lady write?  Still?

Testing.

Good Eggs

I will admit it.  On more than one occasion, our children have helped give our family some visibility, as well as something for on-lookers to talk about.  This is even more true when we are all gathered in the same pew, for Pete's sake, but it also, redemptively,  includes some neat awards and accomplishments.

But our family has achieved another "FIRST", and I'm still processing the implications.

Kieran, our lovely, 6 foot/opera-quality voiced/ fashion-minded/ Broadway loving daughter, announced to us recently that she had made the Poultry Judging team and will attend the state competition as an alternate.

I laughed. A big ol' Belly laugh.
Long and loud.

And Kieran laughed with me.

See,  I grew up in Chicago suburbia.

For me, that meant every 5th house looked exactly the same.  Dads used edgers on their lawns so the manicured grass didn't creep up on the sidewalk.  Moms parked their station wagons in the garage so the kids could draw hopscotch and sky blue on the black sealed asphalt driveways.  Every yard had a swing set, and the trees had all been planted at the same time as the houses were built, so they all grew at the same rate.  They were little, like us.

My kids are getting an entirely different experience in Central Illinois.

Instead of Big Wheels, they are surrounded by John Deere tractors (and there's an official "Drive Your Tractor To School" day here... Really.)  Instead of trekking out to Jewel-Osco for a pound of hamburger, we run over to the local meat locker for some grass-fed beef, and the grass and beef are just as local.    Shoot, we don't even have a stop light in our town, so my kids can't fathom what it is to have a 10 mile/33 minute commute.

So, Kieran's news delighted me to my very core for the singular realization that my kids are NOT ME.
And through their experiences, I continue to have my world enlarged and enriched.

Who EVER would have thought I would be this close to caring about chicken parts and egg standards?
RTC carcass grading?  Sounds bad-ass to me.  3/16" air cells, pronounced ridges, thin albumen?  Not A-listers, for sure.

The teacher/advisor of this prestigious group is a little leery about my enthusiasm (even asking Kieran, "Oh, nuts.  Your mom's not the kind to want to BE THERE, is she?").  Oh yes... and I want a team promoting t-shirt too.  Where's my camera?

Winner winner, Chicken dinner!

Cream Cheese

I get surprised sometimes by little things, like a personal note in the mail, "found" change in the bottom of an old coat pocket, or, in the case of life in the Krenz House, all socks matching up after 6 loads of laundry.

But I got a little surprise when I posted the following on Facebook today:
"We currently have 8 packages of cream cheese in the house.  Why?"

No, I wasn't surprised about finding so many cheese bricks in the house.  No, my surprise was not that they were all in fact still sealed.

My surprise was that within a few short hours my Facebook post was "Liked" a bunch of times, and there were 48 comments on it! Forty-Eight!  (Okay, okay.  One of those was mine.  An update, noting I had found another two bricks).

I had no idea people cared that much about cream cheese or my family's fridge finds, even enough to pull themselves away from their jobs to comment while they were still at work.  It was, after all, midday and still nap time here.

That amused me, and it got me thinking:  People sure can be moved by silly little things.

I was inspired then to hunt for an old link to a blog I loved writing about MY silly little things, but, well, I'm easily distracted and have not written in a while.  I was much more than surprised to see my last post was dated in April... of 2011.  Two. Thousand. Eleven.   Really?  In that time a lot of life has happened, like my father died. I went to Italy. I celebrated 26 married years. I had a baby. 

I was surprised to see the pictures of my children who have changed so much since I last updated the blog.  I looked over an old post, and it reminded me of a memory I had forgotten.  I flipped through other posts and thought, "Dang, some of this stuff is well-written."  I went back and revisited one of my favorites, and yep, I still loved it. 

Writing is very very hard, and crafting the words and ideas can be torture.  But, I wanted a venue for the things that touched and moved me, here in the circumstances of my life.   I wanted to write because I didn't want to forget.

Simply, whenever I finished a post, and with angst hit "PUBLISH",  I was printing something of me.

Would anyone care?

Perhaps. Hopefully someday my children will want to read these entries, and a few other folks in the interim might too. 

Afterall, I learned today there are quite a few who are willing to help out a lady with an abundance of cream cheese.  And I've got more where that came from.