Daily Graces

The Mass Box: Review, Discount and GIVEAWAY!

Published on November 1, 2016July 26, 2018 by Kate18 Comments

***Make sure you read all the way down for the discount and giveaway***

You may recall if you’ve been around the blog a while that back in Lent (I know, so long ago and at the same time, what? Advent is in a month?!), I shared a few times about the wonders and joys of a new box that we had arrive at the house. This is a brand new subscription box that will revolutionize the way that your family approaches the Mass and certainly did for us this Lent.

Aptly named The Mass Box, this box arrived at our house just before Lent started. It contained not just really creative ideas for crafts with my kids, it had everything we needed to actually DO the crafts! How many times has Pintrest or blog done that for you? Each craft is thoughtfully made to be engaging for ages approximately 3-7 and as they are getting ready to officially launch the program they even offer the option for boxes that will have duplicates if you have more than one child in that age range. Plus, there are copies of Magnifikid, the kids version of the Magnificat. Plus more, each week this awesome family is producing youtube videos (Catholic Crafts with Clare) that feature their daughter Clare working through the week’s craft and talking about the reading/theme for the upcoming Sunday.

Lent was amazing. The kids looked forward to a new video being revealed each week and immediately wanted to plunge into the craft. They made Ash Wednesday faces, a felt picture of Jesus in the desert and even their own paschal candle. They were so proud of what they had accomplished. Kids are very tactile and I think, at least for my kids, if we talk about something while they are working on a project that aligns, their retention skyrockets. So, when we got to Mass on the Sunday where we heard the reading about Jesus being tempted in the desert, John whispered to me “Mommy, it’s just like the Jesus we have on the refrigerator! He’s going to tell the devil to go away, right Mommy?” Couldn’t have been prouder.

There are two things that I especially loved about The Mass Box besides just the awesome crafts and age appropriate preparation for Mass.

The creators took the time to select crafts that would work for the Gospel for each week. Now before you say, Duh, of course they did, consider this. Depending on your parish and your RCIA program, the third, fourth and fifth Sunday of Lent could have different readings than the regular Gospel reading because of the Scrutinies. This means they took the time to check both readings and come up with crafts that could work for either reading. Liturgical awareness and knowledge – check! This also gives me confidence that the crafts they have chosen were selected with care and thought, not just thrown together based on the “theme” for the Sunday.
John and the Blessing Bag. Copyright 2016 Kate Taliaferro

Not everything was a craft! Don’t get me wrong, I love crafts. But some days I’m not so into it. There was one Sunday where all that was provided was a gallon bag. We talked about how there are those who have less than we do and it is part of our responsibility as children of God and members of the community to reach out and help take care of them. The kids went through the pantry and chose non-perishable items (applesauce pouches, oreos, fruit snacks, popcorn and cans of fruit) to put in our “Blessing Bag” which we carried in the car with us until we found an opportunity to give it to someone in need. This is where The Mass Box really takes off for me. It’s about more than just preparing the kids for Mass. It is capable of engaging the faith of the parents as well. Very smart and a unique catechetical tool for sure.

I’m so excited to share that The Mass Box‘s trial run for Lent was a huge success and they are ready to officially launch the program for Advent and will continue beyond the season. A box will arrive once a month with everything you need for crafts and activities, the Magnifikids and coloring sheets that correspond to the readings. The December box will have a bonus craft for the first Sunday of Advent which is on Nov. 27 (stop frantically shopping for Advent candles for your wreath, The Mass Box has you covered).

I’m very proud to be an affiliate with The Mass Box and if you decide to subscribe for your family you can use the coupon code

DAILY10

You will receive 10% off your first month. As an affiliate, I will also receive a small kickback which will go to support this blog ministry.

Also, as an affiliate, the Mass Box has offered and exciting opportunity. From now until Nov. 11 you can enter a raffle to win one FREE Mass Box (even free shipping!). That means you will have crafts for all of Advent! Get clicking folks, this is a super opportunity that will enhance the way your family celebrates all of Advent. Follow the link below to submit your entries.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/87a01ce71/?

***Winner will be contacted on November 12. If there is no response by Nov. 14 a new winner will be selected in order to ensure delivery of the box by the First Sunday of Advent.***

Book Review: At Play in God’s Creation

Published on October 28, 2016November 9, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

I’m not an artist by any means. I’m more of a following the pattern, stay inside the lines kind of person. I’m always amazed by what people can do with a blank piece of paper or a yard of material. I was excited, as so many others were, when adult coloring books became a thing in the past year or so. Now I can color with my kids and not be limited to dinosaurs or disney princesses. As the trend has caught on, some authors and artists are starting to use the coloring books as a vehicle for contemplation, centering and as an alternative, creative way to work out one’s feelings. Tara M. Owens (author) and Daniel W. Sorensen (illustrator) have crafted a new coloring book called At Play in God’s Creation that is designed as,

“An invitation to meditation and contemplative prayer and, we believe, a gateway into deeper presence with the Holy One through the creative acts of coloring, quieting and reflecting.”

The book is full of quotes from various saints that are woven into the coloring pages in a unobtrusive way. They catch your eye without claiming it, encouraging you to read them over and over again as you color around their words.

Book Review: At Play in God's Creation by Daily Graces at Dailygraces.net — Copyright 2016 Kate Taliaferro

I found it so interesting how certain motifs were repeated throughout the coloring book. Other coloring books I’ve encountered are a series of beautiful designs, clearly drawn by the same hand, but without repetition. In At Play in God’s Creation, you find one page depicting a shepherd walking at night holding a lantern while keeping watch over his sheep with a prayer asking God to keep watch over all who need assistance, hope or protection. The next page contains a close up of that same shepherd holding his lantern aloft whose light streams across the whole scene with a quote from St. Hildegard of Bingen about how all living things are sparks of radiance that stream forth from God.

Also, hidden throughout the book, are symbols Owens and Sorensen chose to represent key figures such as St. Therese of Lisieux, St. John of the Cross and St. Augustine. These symbols are found in almost every page, acting as guides as you work your way through the swirling pathways, celtic knots, crashing waves and rays of light.

If you like to color you should check this book out. There are almost 100 pages of coloring, prayer and reflection just waiting for you to create your own masterpiece. What is so unique about this book is that not only will you be able to hang your new piece of art on your wall, you will also have a new point of connection with God. This book is truly a call to prayer, a new way to immerse yourself in the Holy.

Seeing Myself in an Expected but Unexpected Place by Daily Graces at dailygraces.net

Seeing Myself in an Unexpected but Expected Place

Published on October 24, 2016November 9, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

We had a rather rough Mass this week. John was having a difficult time listening and had to be quarantined next to Ben away from the girls. Rosie had a tough morning before Mass and some of her sluggish obedience came with us to church. Clare. Well, let’s just say the whole parish community gathered (roughly 300-400 people) knew exactly where Clare was, knew which book she wanted read and knew I was wearing a new necklace.

As you can imagine, I can’t tell you a whole lot about the homily. I did manage to hear some of the Gospel but I have no recollection of the first reading. I only know the second reading was one of Paul’s letters to Timothy because when the reader said it John shouted “Mommy! It’s St. Paul! He’s talking to his brother Timothy!” Very exciting stuff going on here folks, very exciting.

As we approached Communion I wasn’t exactly feeling prepared. I tried as best I could to focus on what I was doing and more importantly, Who I was receiving.

“The Body of Christ”I vaguely heard. I was making sure Clare and Rosie didn’t end up with a different family after receiving their blessing. I don’t think I even managed to make eye contact with the Eucharistic Minister, something which I make a point of doing.

Eucharist: Seeing my reflection in an expectedly unexpected place. Daily Graces at dailygraces.net — CC Public Domain

“The Blood of Christ” I was told, but thoughtfully and directly. The minister had waited for me to look at her after making sure to point Clare in Ben’s direction. This briefest pause made all the difference.

I connected with her over the chalice she was extending to me. We were of similar height and when she offered me the cup which was holding Jesus’ most precious Blood, I looked inside. Many parishes choose to use red wine, for obvious reasons. However, there are some parishes, ours included, that opt for white wine.The lighting was just right. The cup was still rather full and golden in color which enhanced the clarity of the wine.

As I looked into that cup, I saw my reflection.

For that moment, the whole world stopped.

St. Augustine, in one of his sermons on the Eucharist tells us

Be what you see; receive what you are

It was a profound moment. Here in front of me is the Blood of Christ, the most precious gift Jesus gave us. He offers His Body and Blood as true food and drink which transform us more completely into Himself. Lumen Gentium (paragraph 7), one of the encyclicals that is from the 2nd Vatican Council, explains this mystery:

Really partaking of the body of the Lord in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with Him and with one another. “Because the bread is one, we though many, are one body, all of us who partake of the one bread”.(1 Cor 10:17) In this way all of us are made members of His Body, (cf 1 Cor 12:27) “but severally members one of another”.(Rom 12:5)

When we receive the Eucharist, which is Jesus fully present in both the Body and the Blood, we are no longer solely ourselves. We are at that moment fully communed with Jesus and with the whole Church, the Body of Christ.

In a way, seeing my reflection in that cup was a physical representation of what was spiritually happening to me. To see my reflection in the Blood of Christ was to see myself in Jesus and Jesus in me. Anyone else getting flashbacks to Simba in The Lion King when he looks in the pond and sees a reflection of his father while hearing the phrase “Remember who you are.”?

This was a moment of clarity, of realizing who I truly am and who I am called to be. I am a child of God, made in His own image. I am called to be Christ, to reflect His love, mercy and forgiveness to each person I encounter. We are all called in our own unique ways to the same mission. So in a way, I should expect to see my face reflected in the Body and Blood of Christ. Not because I am the important one in this image, but rather because Jesus shines through me when I allow myself to be fully united to Him.

It’s a little confusing and convoluted I know, I rewrote that last paragraph a bunch of times trying to get it right. The main point is this: Jesus. And how our union with Him became clear to me for just a moment when I saw my reflection in His precious Blood. I think if I try to say more I’ll just end up getting you and myself more confused. Often spiritual things like this are beyond our words to describe them, try as we might to fully understand what happened. What matters is that we reflect, we try to understand and we share our experience with others, even if we can’t grasp it all.