Month: February 2024

Motherhood: A Blessing, Not a Curse

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Photo by Nelly Aran

When speaking of motherhood I think many women are quick to share their tale of terrible woe, of sleepless nights and constant worries and the difficulties of keeping baby fed and diapers changed. The laborious process of carrying and birthing the child is often another source of juicy hardship to share. While these are all perfectly valid experiences and ones I will undoubtedly encounter myself, I think the joys of motherhood can get lost in the excitement. I feel incredibly blessed to find myself pregnant for the very first time surrounded by mothers who are overjoyed to help celebrate this amazing and miraculous gift of God’s creation.

My baby is not a hindrance to the peace and joy to be found in our home but rather an immense source of it. During phone calls with my family, everyone wants to know how I’m feeling and if I’ve felt baby kick yet. I’m happy to report that yes, our baby girl is already asserting her presence in our lives by frequently stretching her tiny legs. 

During this beautiful season of life our world has taken on a kaleidoscope of new colors and shades. My days of calm, stoic movie watching are coming to a watery end. My husband showed me Radio and The Guardian for the first time recently, both enthralling stories which I highly recommend and each had me weeping in turn. We’ve also learned to work around the new and improved space cadet mommy brain which led me to forget my entire purse at a friend’s house and has frequently been the cause of missing necessities from the grocery list. Blessedly my husband is the understanding and forgiving type. Even so, it’s impossible for him to stay annoyed for too long as my hiccups inexplicably became 15 times cuter with pregnancy.

Amid all of these inner changes we are also working to prepare our home for baby. The first critical step was a closet reset in which I switched out my usual outfits to make room for some necessary stretch wear. I firmly believe that fashion doesn’t have to go out the window when women become mothers, while pregnant or otherwise. However, there comes a point when the old jeans simply won’t button. I excitedly told the hubby the day this happened to me. We’re also in full baby prep mode, making the gift registry, planning the shower and rearranging our guest rooms to accommodate a nursery. 

All the while, I’m constantly grabbing my husband’s hand every time I feel a kick, trying to get daddy in on the full experience. Every single day we are both falling more in love with this tiny human which, by God’s grace, we were able to create together. Praise God!

My Sweet Valentine

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Although Valentine’s Day coincided with Ash Wednesday this year, the hubby still made sure to get in a little celebration. I came home from work on the 14th to this beautiful bouquet and on the 15th we enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local favorite downtown. Afterward, while tootling down the street in search of a little dessert we passed the ice rink where two pewee hockey games were underway and couldn’t resist stopping to watch the adorable chaos of kiddos on skates. We even bumped into one of the hubby’s coworkers who’s son was playing. Neither of us could resist wondering aloud if our own little one might one day take to the ice. I thank God everyday for this romantic man He sent to me.

A Prayer for My Husband

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Photo by Rainstorm Photo

As I was deciding what to write today I came across some old freewrites that I’d scribbled in my notebook. I was especially interested to see three entries from three separate occasions when I’d felt so completely in love with my husband that I was compelled to write down a brief prayer for him. Although they were all written many months apart, all of these prayers echoed similar themes of thanksgiving and love for this wonderful man and God who gave him to me. Upon closer inspection, each individual prayer was just a more complete iteration of the last. 

This is yet another example of how God’s plan is so much better than ours. When I came to the faith, I wasn’t looking for God at all. I was actually searching for the perfect husband, on a quest to avoid past relationship mistakes at all costs and instead find a good man who would truly love me just as I loved him. Little did I know that God was making His own arrangements in my life for that very thing. The hour that I entered the Catholic Church through baptism, confirmation and first eucharist was the hour in which my husband beheld me for the very first time. Here is my prayer for that man who, by the grace of God, witnessed the very first moments of my Catholic infancy and has been loving me ever since. 

Dating Edition

Lord, please watch over him today. Keep him healthy, happy and safe. Thank you for sending him to me. Please help us to find the right words to allow this conversation to continue and to bring each other every day closer to you. Please also help me to recognize your work in my life as I do with him. Amen!

Engaged Edition

Lord, thank you for sending him to me! Thank you for answering my prayers and introducing me to a kind, capable, Catholic, handsome gentleman. He is my miracle. Whenever I catch myself doubting your presence or your power I need to look no further than the man who loves me with all his heart and proves it everyday. 

First Anniversary Edition

Lord, thank you for this first beautiful year of marriage and all the lessons that have come with it. Thank you for sending me a kind, Catholic, soldier man who constantly shows me how to do what’s right over what’s easy and who adores me even on those days when I am deeply unlikable. Please continue to strengthen, guide and protect him in all of his endeavors and teach me to follow his example and be just as wholly and tirelessly dedicated to doing your will. Amen!

Lenten Offerings

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With the occurrence of Ash Wednesday on February 14th, we have come to a new season of Lent in the Catholic Church. While this is a perfect time to cut away bad habits and embark on a new self improvement kick, Lent is so much more. We aren’t simply meant to deprive ourselves of a few of our preferred vices temporarily but rather to allow God to fill those empty places left behind. In these 40 days we are to prayerfully seek Him just as Christ did in the desert through our fasting and almsgiving. 

Here are the lenten offerings which my husband and I have settled on this season and which we hope will bring us closer to Christ. 

  • We will avoid sweets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and avoid chocolate throughout the entire 40 days of Lent. On the whole, my husband and I already work to maintain healthy eating habits and usually only enjoy a small sugar wafer after dinner for dessert. We also already avoid chocolate except on the weekends as a small sacrificial offering throughout the year. However, during Lent we hope to extend these offerings further and keep the new practices formed during this lenten season. 
  • With the exception of religious lectures and homilies, we will both forego time spent scrolling for funny or interesting videos on Youtube. This is an unnecessary time suck for us and we look forward to filling that time with new prayers in addition to our current daily rosary, evening prayers and an episode of the Bible in a Year podcast by Fr. Mike Schmitz.
  • Instead of Youtube, we will say a scriptural rosary and a divine mercy chaplet at least once a week. The scriptural rosary is a beautiful and in depth meditation on the mysteries of the rosaries as they follow the miracles and happenings which occurred throughout Christ’s life, from His conception to the death and assumption of His blessed mother. My husband also taught me the divine mercy chaplet while we were still courting, but due to busy schedules we fell away from saying it everyday. Although we still may not always be able to say it as often as we’d like, I hope to revive this particular devotion during Lent. 
  • We will orchestrate our parish Tuesday night lenten soup dinners and Vespers services. This was a tradition begun at my home parish by a former associate priest and one which resonated incredibly well with me. The simple soup dinners before each Vespers service are a means of coming together in fellowship while still remembering our lenten promises. The candlelit Vespers services are now something I look forward to every year as times of deep reflection, meditation and closeness to Christ. 

Wherever you are, I pray that you are able to draw nearer to Christ during this holy season of Lent.  

Gondola Ride

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Although it’s not quite the same as a boat ride through Venice while being serenaded by the gondolier as one might see in the movies, even in Colorado one can still savor God’s blessings and a romantic afternoon on a scenic gondola ride. This particular picture comes to you from the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

Heaven Can’t Be Bought

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I think most Catholics would agree that filling up the parish collection basket or donating expensive likenesses of the saints count for very little unless they are accompanied by regular and genuine prayer and acts of service for our neighbors. There is no currency for heaven. However, this concept can be easily blurred when we speak of indulgences. Many devout Catholics talk about accumulating these indulgences just as one might acquire earthly wealth. This can lead new or potential believers to mistakenly conclude that perhaps heaven does have currency after all.

Partial or plenary indulgences are afforded us by our church leaders through our recitation of specific prayers or acts of service. These remove either part or all of the punishment, on earth or in purgatory, for our sins due to the spiritual fruits we accumulate through holy living. These can be given during times of crisis, such as COVID lockdowns, or for particular holy devotions and they can be applied to ourselves or the souls of the deceased. They are NOT brownie points for getting into God’s good graces. There is no elevator or express lane to enter into heaven. Indulgences can only be obtained by those in a state of grace who approach them with sincerity. Simply going through the motions is not enough. 

As Catholics we believe our prayers and good works have a real effect in the world or for the souls of the dead, whether we see it for ourselves or not. We do not pray aimlessly or hopelessly but believe these efforts can and will be used for some good purpose. The reward of additional graces for ourselves or those in purgatory may entice busy people to participate in extra prayers and service they wouldn’t otherwise have time for but with the understanding that there’s no Bank of Grace, there’s no harm in this. There’s nothing scandalous about encouraging Catholics to fully and genuinely partake in holy living, especially in times of turmoil when some may be unable to receive the sacraments regularly.