This is a repost from 3/6/2014.  I thought it was a good refresher, though, since folks are already starting to warn others about the "sinfulness" of showin' ash.  ;)

Yesterday found Twitter aflutter with some of the most amusing Catholic hashtags I'd ever seen.  Things like #Ashtag and #ShowYourAsh.  It was so much fun seeing these #CatholicSelfies, because each ashen forehead was a reminder that we are ALL united in our humanity.  More than that, however, we all belong to Christ, and as such, are marked by the sign of His ransom.

Thus, I LOVED seeing these!

However, alongside this bubbling evangelism, a parallel sentiment was trying to stifle the conversation.

Folks were commenting on these posts in condemnation, suggesting that those who were posting them were doing so for arrogant purposes.

C'mon now.  Seems a little bit arrogant to take the time to make a post implying the original posters were too stupid, lazy or prideful to understand the "meaning behind the Lenten readings."

To me, that screamed "Look at me and my super-humble-but-not-overly-super-because-I'm-still-humble humilty!"

Annoying.  Very, very annoying.

The Ash Wednesday marking is a communal prayer - an outward expression of an inward faith.  Much like saying Grace at meals in public.  Much like making the Sign of the Cross as a pitcher when you take the mound at a baseball game.

We NEED more public witness, and I'm glad folks found unity - and joy -  in sharing these photos.  After all, Lent isn't just about sadness, misery and self-flagellation.  It's about the joy of knowing we have been called by Christ to join Him in Eternity.

After all, this is the same mark used by the unnamed prophet in Ezekiel who runs through Jerusalem putting the "tau" on the foreheads of the righteous.  "Tau" is the Hebrew letter "T."  Anyone not marked with this letter was slaughered while those with the mark (much like during Passover) were extended mercy by God.

That's right, folks.  The forehead mark in Ezekiel 9 was a cross, and it marked them as belonging to the Most High God.  Sound familiar?

So I applaud those joyously wore their ashen crosses.  We SHOULD be joyful.  This mark is the mark of salvation... the mark of mercy.

For, indeed, ours is a Merciful God.

<3

The garden leads you directly from one mystery into another, which I like.  There are areas for you to sit or kneel for prayer, but the path simply continues to follow in the footsteps of Christ on the road to our salvation.  

I really like that.

This set of mysteries is my favorite of the bunch.   I just love the expressions of Christ.  The artists did a fantastic job.  They really, really did.

The Scourging was a little sad and confusing for Vincent.  He couldn't understand why Jesus ("a good guy") had His Hands tied up.  Vincent went behind Him and tried to undo the rocky tethers that bound Him.  I explained that Jesus wasn't trapped anymore, but that when He was on earth, He took the beating so that His friends didn't have to.  That made Him a hero to everyone.  Vincent understood that, but it left him kinda quiet for the next couple minutes.

The Crowning with Thorns is simply Christ seated with with a simple robe, His Hands still bound, and a sad (and regal) expression on His Face.  The way the artists placed His Hands enables the faithful to leave behind flowers as a sort of scepter.  Of the mysteries, I think this is my favorite.  It's nothing like the Coronation of Mary, but the way the artists created the two, they obviously parallel one another.

Next was Christ taking up His Cross, and again the expression on His Face is remarkable.  

Walking along the path a bit father I saw a huge chapel-like shed which stood directly across from the Nativity "stable" from the Joyful Mysteries.  Obviously drawing yet another parallel, the Crucifixion placement and artistry again highlights a theological truth.  Christ was born to die on a Cross.  He came into the world to die saving it.  Incredible.

Stay tuned for the Glorious Mysteries.  Hopefully it won't take me a month to cycle back through and update you!  :)  

The outside of this church belies its spacious, breezy interior with golden sunlight streaming in from every window.  It feels like you are ambling under a gazebo during a relaxing summer afternoon.  I was surprised with how massive it felt, especially when you considered the size of the image of Mary that hung high and proud behind the tabernacle.

I grinned when I noted that the pews were very modest. There were no cushions, no padding on the kneelers.  Worship isn't about creature comforts... it's about praising God.

I captured this sacristan's head along with the tabernacle to give you an idea just how massive this piece of artwork actually is. This rendition of Our Lady of Guadalupe might be among my favorites.  She is simply beautiful, as she should be.  Above her are the words "Queen of Mexico and Empress of America."  At least I'm 99.9% sure of that, anyway.

I felt like this piece was woven or embroidered somehow.  It wasn't a painting... at least I don' think it was.  I just couldn't imagine the time it took to painstakingly stitch each glorious detail.  

Here is a full shot of the sanctuary.  Given the scope of the Virgin's tapestry, you can imagine how large the crucifix actually is.  

I didn't notice until after I'd taken the photo, but the detail of Christ's Face moved me.  I don't typically like the super gaunt versions of Our Lord looking anorexic (He was a carpenter - He would have been strong and broad from all His toil with wood), but I did not mind this one so much.  The artist did not shy away from the Blood that oozed from His wounds.  I appreciate that His shoulder wound and those on His knees were accounted for. So often they are forgotten.

St. Michael and a beautiful guardian angel flank both sides of the sanctuary.  St. Michael has the power of the Holy Spirit above him while the guardian angel protects her three native charges.  I really loved this latter stained glass image.  It was very peaceful and loving.

One of their beautiful circular stained glass windows, this one depicting the Holy Family.

Which one of you dares to disbelieve Our Lady's intervention now?!  :)

A fitting painting for above the confessional - Jesus saving St. Peter from his own lack of faith.

A couple of their stations.  I'm always appreciative when the Resurrection is included.  :)

I probably should've mentioned these last two points in my other blog entry, but here will do just fine.

Instead of having lay ministers, this parish utilizes the Brides of Christ to bring Communion to the people.  I'm not the biggest fan of women acting as Eucharistic Ministers, but if you're going to allow it, I can't imagine a better way.  

Also, the altar servers sat at opposites sides of the sanctuary facing one another (behind the altar but in front of the tabernacle).  I thought they were very much like the Seraphim who guarded the Ark of the Covenant.  It made me smile to think of them as such given their constant gaze upon the tabernacle.

Finally, a photo of me (graciously taken by my husband) with a frond of palm across from the church.  On the way back to the resort, I braided what turned out to be four long leaves into small crowns for my statues at home.  

All in all, a beautiful experience at a wonderful parish... even if I couldn't understand all the words being spoken, I could feel the love.  For me, that is enough.

My final Lenten Giveaway consists of this gorgeous resin wall plaque depicting Michelangelo's exquisite Pieta.  

Was there ever a sculpture more beautiful?

Not in my opinion.  Michelangelo's hands were guided by the angels as he chiseled away to define Our Lord and Lady's features.  

Mary's Divine Maternity is laid out upon her lap, and all who see cannot help but feel their hearts moved to pity for this grieving mother.

And Christ - His beaten, lifeless Body drained of everything for love of us.  How can we not stop to meditate on this impossibly awe-filled sacrifice?

I felt this was the most apropos prize for the final weeks of Lent.  

Here's a detail.  The plaque is simply beautiful.  

Again, I'll be hosting the giveaway through Rafflecopter.  Details on entry are below.  Easy entry for folks who are already following via FB / Twitter!

Good luck!

Not too often you hear the words "Lent" and "tripod" put together, but it was a concept I introduced a few weeks back to my CCD students.

So often you hear "What are you giving up for Lent?"  I wanted them to understand that this wasn't a futile repeat of New Year's resolutions.  Lent is a time for sacrifice. 

One of my favorite quotes about sacrifice is this:

Love transforms suffering into sacrifice.

According to this, two things must be present for a sacrifice:  Love and Suffering.

So for Lent, while they were all trying to figure out what they'd "give up," I asked them to also figure out a specific person or intention they'd be offering that sacrifice for.  Giving up candy bars during Lent is great, but if you're just substituting the candy bars with milkshakes, nothing is accomplished.

Instead, if you give up candy bars, use the $.60 you save every day and donate it to the homeless man you pass on the street each day.  Put it into a piggy bank and at the end of Lent, use it to buy your little sister that iPad app she's been dying to try.  Better yet, secretly use it to buy a slew of your favorite prayer cards / medals and leave them in the back of your parish church for parishioners to share!

Little things add up, and as long as they're adding up to love, they're perfect sacrifices for Lent.

With that in mind, my students started coming up with some great ideas:

• I'll sacrifice [Popular TV Show] and use that extra time to help my Mom clean the house
• I'll sacrifice gossiping in school and try really hard to befriend [a particular girl] instead
• I'll sacrifice the $1.00 I'm given for school and put it towards the Rice Bowl collection
• I'll sacrifice 1 recess per week and use that time to pray for Father ____________

These are my favorites.  It took a lot of leading, but when they finally arrived at their Lenten gifts (as I've been calling them), I think they really understood the purpose behind the practice.

Once they got this foundation set, I tied it together through Jesus.

We give up things, or sacrifice, for our community out of love.  However, we don't do that for ourselves.  We do it through Jesus.  We unite our sufferings with Jesus' Passion.  We don't sacrifice during Lent just because that's what you do during Lent.  We do it so Jesus doesn't have to suffer alone.  We share the burden with Him.  

I likened it to riding a roller coaster for the first time.  They all seemed to understand that. None of them wanted to ride a coaster by themselves the first time they went.  They were scared!  Instead, they asked a friend to come along so they could share the burden of fear.

During Lent, we consent to share the burden of suffering with Jesus.  We consent to take part in the Passion, because as the Church, we are members of His Body, and we want to follow where He, the Head, leads us.  During Lent, He is leading us to Salvation through the Cross.  

It was like a little light bulb clicked over their heads.  I started seeing them slowly understanding the concept of sharing in the Lenten journey.  Each Mass isn't a recreation of the Passion so much as a time-machine that brings us back to the Foot of the Cross, time and time again.  Lent helps us refocus on this by bringing the reality of Christ's Sacrifice into our daily lives (in a much more manageable way).  

Just as Christ suffered for love of us, we, too, must suffer for love of others, uniting those sacrifices to the Sacrifice of Christ.  

This is the Lenten Tripod analogy I used with my students, and I have to say, I'm really pleased with how well they took that lesson to hear.

Next week we'll check in to see how they're doing with their gifts.  :) 

What started out as a fun picture to join the #AshTag movement quickly turned into a game of "Who can make who laugh harder with the most ridiculous face?"

All funny business aside, I'm really moved by how much my son understands about the Mass.

Tonight (we went to a late Mass), the lector got up for the first reading and Vincent said, "Now we're gonna hear the Holy Spirit!"

As we got into line for Ashes, Vincent mistakenly thought it was time for Communion.  He kept asking, "Mommy, you gonna eat Jesus?  Jesus is in the cracker, Mommy, and that's how He gets into you heart beat."

He said this as he trailed his finger from my mouth to my heart.  Then he asked, "I get bigger, I can eat Jesus, too?"

I said, "That's right, Vincent.  When you're bigger."

He said, "I four years old.  I is bigger now?"

I said, "No, honey.  Not yet."

He said, "That's okay.  I still His best friend.  He loves me.  He in my heart beat, too.  We all His friends (the congregation)!"

Ha ha.  The people waiting in line were all smiling at him and pointing him out to the folks around them.  I was so proud then, because I realized if he can understand the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, there's hope for the rest of us, right?

Such a necessary reminder for me.  It really was.

I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of Walking With Jesus to Calvary: Stations of the Cross for Children.  I got it in the mail early this year and have been waiting for Lent to roll around given the nature of the book.

Here we are!

The book is written by Angela M. Burrin and illustrated by Maria Cristina Lo Cascio.  Truthfully, the illustrations are what drew me in to the story.  Colorful, fluid and expressive, they told the story of the Stations in beautiful detail.

The writing ended up surprising me.  At first, I was very put off by the "lengthy" paragraphs. Truthfully, I think this is because my expectation was that I'd be able to read it to Vincent. This book is not meant for toddlers.  It's meant for older children - at least 1st grade and up. Once I made peace with that, I found the narrative grew on me.

I especially love how Burrin pays close attention to the Blessed Mother throughout the stations.  Never is she far from her Son.  She, too, is an active participant in His Passion, and Burrin does a wonderful job keeping this in focus for us.  There are some passages that solicited heart-wrenching sadness for her.  For this fact alone, this book has become my favorite Stations book for children.  

Now for the content:

There is a brief Forward that explains what the Stations of the Cross are and why we keep this form of prayer alive.  There is also a page explaining how to pray the stations, offering suggestions for first-timers (It's okay to choose one or two Stations at a time and really focus on them.  You don't have to pray them all at once!).

There is no Table of Contents (I assume with 14 stations, it's hard to get lost).  However, given the Stations are listed where the Table of Contents usually go, I'm not sure why they opted to leave out page numbers.  That could be helpful to veterans who are looking to focus on one or two for a specific prayer intention.

Just before the Stations begin, Burrin wisely decided to explain a little about Holy Thursday, and how Jesus came to be in Pilate's courtyard.  Thus, with the kiss of Judas Iscariot, we begin our journey with the Stations.

At each Station, Biblical quotes are interlaced with imagination as Burrin tells the story of Jesus' Passion in a child-friendly manner.  At the end of each Station, there is a small reflection / prayer kids can offer that brings that footstep of Christ in sync with their own. One, in particular, calls out to the Holy Spirit.  I loved that, because normally the reflection prayers tend to focus solely on Jesus.  

Of course, each Station is beautifully illustrated by Lo Casio.  Some of the images have left me staring at them for many minutes before I realize I've lost myself in their mysteries.  I mean, just look at these two examples.  I apologize, I snapped them with my phone, but even through the grainy iPhone shutter, the powerful emotions pours through:

Oh, that last one of Our Lady cradling Jesus - it is perfect.  The tree in the background is barren and lifeless (which is poignant given how lively the background trees were in previous Stations).  The atmosphere is grey, foggy and ominous.  Joseph of Arimethea is hunched over them like an old bough weighed down by weather, protective.  Mary's mantle is unfurled to encompass Jesus' Body... an exaggerated drawing, but similar to Michelangelo's Pieta.  The effect is a brutal, gut-wrenching beauty - a mother cradling Her Baby Boy one last time as the entire world mourns with her.

Can you guess where I keep catching myself getting lost?

Finally, the Stations end with the Resurrection (since not all books contain a 15th!).  Burrin includes Mary Magdalene's joyous meeting of her Resurrected Savior, which I always appreciate.  

This book then gifts you a few surprise pages that I think are incredible resources for school-aged children.

The first is a 2 page spread on Prayer Intentions.  After all, when you pray the Stations, you should have some intentions in mind, right?  This useful list suggests everything from family and friends to doctors, politicians and the souls in Purgatory.  I LOVED this, and I thought it was very wise to add this section.

Finally, there was a four-page spread of traditional prayers used while praying the Stations of the Cross.  These pages, just as the Stations, themselves, are beautiful illustrated. These latter pages reminded me of those gorgeous illuminated manuscripts monks would create as they copied the Bible over and over and over again.  

Verdict:  This hard-cover book is a winner, all 45 pages of it.  I am so glad The Word Among Us Press sent it my way for review.  

As a thanks, I'll be giving one away to one of you fine readers!  Enter via Rafflecopter below.

Good luck!