Everyday Ordinary – Page 64

Daily Advent Prayer Experiences for 2016 by DailyGraces.net

November 30, 2016 – Prepare Ye the Way

Published on November 29, 2016October 19, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

After talking about preparation for a few days now I don’t want you to think that we are only preparing ourselves for specific moments of prayer. We are actually doing something much bigger. We are laying the foundation for a lifelong relationship with God. We are preparing the way to deeper and fuller communion with our God who made us.

One of the great Advent cries comes from John the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!” (Mark 1:3). Why do we need to straighten the pathways? Because through sin and separation from God, the ways to our hearts have become twisted, overgrown and rocky. By daily coming to God in prayer, we slowly erode away the obstacles in the way. We trim back the thorns and plant flowers in their place. We reorient ourselves toward God rather than seeking fulfillment in other places. We become better able to seek God and receive what God is constantly desiring to give us – His complete, undivided and everlasting love.

Getting beyond the metaphor, I’m sure each one of us knows of a part of our path that presents an obstacle to our relationship with God. Maybe we enjoy to gossip. Perhaps we indulge in shopping or an overabundance of food. We might prioritize recreational activities over weekly Mass. We could lie to ourselves, believing we are too busy to pray, when in reality we mismanage or are wasteful with our time.

Choose one thing today that you want to work on for the rest of Advent. You can use your prayer time to reflect on what God is calling you to let go of or change. Remember, part of being prepared is being flexible enough to work with change rather than against it.

Another way you might focus your efforts today is through music. Regardless of how you feel about the musical Godspell, there is one simple song that is perfect for today’s experience. At the very start of the musical, John the Baptist enters and sings a simple song that is 7 words long: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” That’s it, over and over again. It can become mantra-like in your head if you let it (you probably have to slow the tempo down a little bit, but you’ll get it). Use those words, let them reverberate through your whole self during the day and see where God leads you in them.

***Have you paused yet today to pray the Sign of the Cross? If you have, awesome! If not, that’s OK. Maybe your best time of day hasn’t come yet. If it has come and gone, take a moment right now and reconnect with God. Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

Gratitude

Published on November 24, 2016 by Kate4 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you!

It is Thanksgiving morning and my pies are all made and cookies are decorated (I was the dessert lady this year). We just got back from Mass and are watching some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a tradition from Ben’s family’s Thanksgiving mornings that we are carrying on with our kids. They are loving dancing to all the music and seeing the incredible performers. Rosie is especially excited for Santa’s announcement that comes at the end.

Before heading to church I realized I never even drafted a blog post for today and I wondered if I would have a chance to write something. I also had to pause to try and put into words all of the many things I am thankful for this year.

We have so much to be thankful for. 3 beautiful children, a 4th growing well as we anxiously await their birth. We not only have a home that fits our family during our transition, we are in the process of buying a home in Del Rio, where we will be moving early next year. We are surrounded by family without needing to travel, something that Ben and I have not had in our 6 years of marriage. We are healthy, our children are thriving, Ben has a job that provides for our needs. There is much to be thankful for.

I am especially thankful for our Catholic faith and the continuity it gives us as we move from place to place. The familiarity of the liturgical rhythms offer our kids a sense of security and hominess beyond anything we could provide. Today at Mass I was able to see this in full force with John and it really hit me just how grateful I am for this faith community.

John had a good first half of Mass, but started to get upset when he had to share some of the things he brought into church. His new thing is to be “grouchy” and put on a sour face. This was, of course, during the consecration. As we waited for communion to start, John was at the end of the pew. I told him he had the opportunity to “make a change” (our key phrase for the kids to let them know they need to turn their attitude around or consequences will ensue). Since he was on the end, he could have the job of leading our family to communion, leading our family to Jesus. He stood up a little straighter and said “I can do that Mommy.”

We waited for the pew in front of us to empty and then John led us. He made sure Clare stayed behind him and didn’t run into anyone. He did a good job. When we got back I told him that he did well. He was beaming and said to me,

Mommy, I made a change during communion! I’m not grouchy anymore!

Be still my heart! Isn’t this exactly what the gift of communion, of Jesus’ very Body and Blood, is supposed to do to each of us? What an incredible gift Jesus has given us. Eucharist is food for our journey of life. But it is also a powerful, the most powerful, agent of change in our lives. When we receive Christ, we are more intimately brought into communion, union, with Christ and with each other. We change.

There are a great many things to be thankful for. Eucharist even means thanksgiving! I am so thankful that I didn’t have anything written for today so that I could share this beautiful experience of joy, transformation and gratitude with you.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us!

That Thing Everyone Is Talking About

Published on November 17, 2016 by Kate2 Comments

Hi dear friends. I have struggled back and forth about whether I should talk about what everyone else is talking about…you know. This past year has been difficult to say the least in our politics and government. I am not one for major controversy so all the back and forth, the name calling, the leaks, emails, assumptions and accusations have been tough to wrap my brain around. This post isn’t about any of that.

Actually, this post is quite short because I want you to travel back in blog time with me to this past Easter. I was sitting here today wondering yet again if I should post something regarding the election and moving forward. Then it hit me, I already have!

For Easter I wrote about Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:13 to be the salt of the earth. I can think of no better explanation or encouragement than what I already wrote. So, rather than inventing the wheel, head over to Season Your World and read it in light of November’s events. Nothing can be done to change the outcome, regardless of whether that means you are celebrating or in mourning. It’s time to look forward and assess just how salty we each are.

Also, don’t forget that Advent is just around the corner. I’ll be posting daily Advent Prayer Experiences this year. Click the link to learn more about the inspiration and if you aren’t already following the blog now is a great time to do so. That way the daily posts will show up right in your email. I’m doing my very best to keep them between 350 and 500 words so they won’t take up your whole morning =)

In peace friends

Kate