Reading Catholic

Reading Catholic and catholic

Seasons

Do Sundays “count” during Lent? Good question!

by

Bringing back and updating this popular post of mine from Lent 2011!

Do Sundays “count” during Lent?

This issue comes up every year. Do you do your Lenten penances on Sunday?

I’ve heard varying opinions on this. Sundays are not counted among the actual 40 days of Lent, so some say Lenten penances should not apply on Sundays. Others think the whole season is penitential, and so therefore we should continue our disciplines. I read once a commentator say that Jesus didn’t take a break during his 40 days of fasting in the desert. Katherine of Team Whitaker falls firmly in the “Sundays count” category.

Here’s a link to a Q&A on Lent from EWTN, and it includes an answer about Sundays. Basically, there’s no official rule, so you are free to choose.

Here’s also another interesting article from a blogger with the Archdiocese of Washington who offers insight on celebrating Sunday.

Count me in the “celebrate Sunday” camp. At our house, we tend to mark Sundays as a day of Resurrection. I might have a piece of chocolate (or not) on Sundays, but my husband, who goes meatless for Lent, usually doesn’t eat meat on Sundays during Lent. Since I’m giving up my Fitbit during Lent (and still sad), I put it away and I’ll bring it out on Easter. (Update: I now go grayscale for Lent, and do not go grayscale on Sundays).

That “Sundays don’t count” wouldn’t apply, obviously, if you were trying to break a bad habit, like smoking or swearing. But if you’re giving up sugar in your coffee or tea, it seems appropriate in some ways to celebrate the mini-Easter that is every Sunday (yes, even a Sunday in Lent) by having it then.

We also celebrate feast days during Lent. In recent Lents, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), St. Joseph’s Day (March 19), and the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25). We especially celebrate St. Joseph’s day, as we have two in our house (and both granddads were Joseph), with homemade savoiardi and usually a special dinner. To me, they are not just a little “break” during Lent, but a way to really celebrate those important holidays in the liturgical year.

And I know we weren’t alone last March 13, right in the middle of Lent 2013, when we heard “Habemus Papam” and Pope Francis became our pope? We had beef and red wine and chocolate that night, even if they weren’t Argentinian, and I hope you did too.

But when it comes down to the end of the day, Sundays definitely “count” because they are the most important day of the week!

So what about you? At your house, do Sundays “count” during Lent, or do you celebrate a little? How is your Lent going this year?

The Essential Things: “Through the Year with Jesus” Offers Lovely, Useful Resource to Growth Faith & Community

by

Following is my book review column that appears in the current print edition of The Catholic Post. I welcome your comments!

Basics or Essential?

I wanted to write that Katherine Bogner’s new book is a “back to basics” approach to living out the Catholic faith, using liturgical seasons and weekly Gospel Readings as framework.


But that would underestimate the rich and multilayered resource that Bogner, a local teacher with a global reach online, has created in Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Reflections and Readings.

“Essentials” might be a better term.

Katherine (Katie) Bogner is a multi-talented creative—she’s an artist, writer (she is a fellow member of The Catholic Post book review team), and religious catechist.

Locally, she serves as Junior High Faith Teacher at St. Philomena Parish in Peoria. But some may not know that Bogner is widely known and esteemed far beyond central Illinois.

That is because Bogner has spent the last decade creating excellent art, content, and ideas to countless teachers, catechists, and families (worldwide! that is not an exaggeration) at her website Look to Him and Be Radiant. Bogner also has a popular Instagram account (@katherine.bogner), sharing these web resources and her art.

Because of her wide influence and reach online, Emmaus Road Publishing editors reached out to Bogner to consider writing a book. Through the Year with Jesus is the fortunate result of this.

Through the Year with Jesus

The book contains seven sections—two for Ordinary time, one for the Sacred Triduum, and four for the remaining liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.

Each section includes pages for the holy days and Sundays within that season, including weekly Gospel reflections, and at least one “Visio Divina”—a print of a classic work of sacred heart, along with a description and reflection questions.

Each Gospel reading is followed by several short elements: “Tell the Story”—describing the reading in context and incisive questions; “Live it Out,” with suggestions for incorporating the season into one’s daily life, and a “Lectio Divina” sidebar offering helpful prompts for the ancient practice of reading, meditating, praying and contemplating Scripture.

Visio Divina for Reflection and Prayer

The “Visio Divina” is one of my favorite parts of the book, offering helpful ways to engage with the Scripture art prayerfully.

So, for instance, in the season of Easter, one of the Visio Divina pages is at 17th century painting called “Landscape with Christ and His Disciples on the Road to Emmaus.” After an introduction, one question reads, “Would you want to get to your location quickly and invite Jesus to stay, or would you hope to linger and spend time together on the journey?”

Bogner’s appealing hand lettering and what she calls “liturgical doodles” appear sprinkled throughout the chapter titles, headings, and other places, lending a winsome touch. Readers of her website will be familiar with her distinctive style and appreciate the book’s similar feel.

Not just for families & classrooms

Bogner’s creative work online mainly assists families and fellow catechists and teachers for religious education and formation. But Through the Year with Jesus is even more widely relevant.

Though the book is family- and classroom-friendly, it is not family or classroom exclusive. Groups (such a small Bible study groups), individuals, and couples would also find Through the Year spiritually fruitful.

The book is easy to implement. Simply reading the Gospel, the “Tell the Story” reflection, and the “Live it Out” section, along with the Lectio Divina sidebar (perhaps while contemplating the artwork) itself would be a great preparation for Sunday Mass. Individuals can do this on their own or with a small group; classroom teachers can implement it, and families (and not just of young children, but all ages) would benefit enormously from this.

This kind of multi-faceted resource is especially important when people cannot attend Mass in person, as is common during our current time.

Catholics can derive spiritual benefit from developing the practice of reading and reflecting on the Gospel and readings ahead of Sunday’s Mass. Through the Year with Jesus makes it enjoyable, comprehensive without being overwhelming.

What’s great? The book is not pegged to a particular calendar year or cycle, so is flexible enough to allow readers to engage with it as much or as little as time allows, year after year.

Bogner’s book is a beautiful gift to everyone!

“The Fourth Cup” a Great Read for Lent, Easter Seasons {My March column @TheCatholicPost }

by

Following is my column that appears in the current print edition of The Catholic Post.

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land is an aspiration of many Christians. It won’t surprise you to know that I am among those who have that desire.

Years ago, my husband and I were watching an interview on EWTN with Steve Ray, the Catholic convert and apologist, I mentioned that I would love to go on one of his “Footprints of God” pilgrimages that he and his wife Janet lead to the Holy Land. In the interview, Ray mentioned especially that bringing the entire family to the Holy Land, especially teens and young adults, is unparalleled for growing in faith for a range of generations. We haven’t quite come to an agreement about when and how the pilgrimage will take place, but I’m still hoping it will happen someday.

Your Holy Land pilgrimage, like mine, may be far off in the future, but that doesn’t mean we can’t benefit, especially during Lent and Easter, from meditating on early Jewish & Christian customs, culture, and place.

I hesitate to say it, but it is true that while we wait, books (and videos, too) can be the next best thing to an actual Holy Land pilgrimage.

In the past, I’ve reviewed several books that inform or inspire, like Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage, or Jesus: A Pilgrimage, Fr. James Martin’s musings on visiting the Holy Land over the years. Even local son Venerable Fulton Sheen wrote a book (with fascinating vintage photographs) called, This is the Holy Land.

One of my favorite aspects of these books is their ability to put readers in the time and place Jesus lived, and help explain some of the aspects about our faith that we take for granted.

The most recent book by Scott Hahn, The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross while not a Holy Land pilgrimage book, has a similar effect and scope.

Scott Hahn is well-known to many as a Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism in the 1980s, and has been tirelessly writing books, giving talks, and otherwise spreading the Catholic faith, ever since. He’s best known probably for his most popular book, The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth.

Most people in the early 1990s, like me, learned of Hahn through an audio version of his conversion story, which was widely distributed during those years. I recall a friend giving me a cassette tape of Hahn’s first conversion story. (Yes, young ones reading this column, there are still people alive who listened to things on audio cassette. Don’t even get me starting on how people back in “my” college days painstakingly made song mixtapes on audio cassette).

But back to Scott Hahn. He was such a convincing and powerful speaker, and helped me to understand the riches of the Catholic faith that I, as a cradle Catholic, had never understood or appreciated.

Hahn is best at that—helping Catholics and non-Catholics alike, discover or re-discover the richness of the Catholic faith; how our practices—especially the Mass—are rooted solidly in Scripture; and how early Church Fathers point towards what we now practice and believe as Catholics.

As he writes in the preface to the book, when he began giving talks on his conversion to Catholicism, it was often titled, The Fourth Cup, after the fourth cup of the Passover, that Jesus omitted during the Last Supper. The “why” of that, and how Hahn discovered it over the course of his conversion through study and prayer, together make for an engaging, informative read.

The book is organized into 14 chapters, almost all directly relating to the Passover in the Old Testament, and how that directly prefigures Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. The first chapter is “What is Finished,” when the young Protestant seminary student Hahn was challenged by a pastor to find out why Jesus said, “It is finished” just before he died; and the remaining chapters help explain how he discovered it, and how it led him directly to the Catholic Church. the rest of the chapters a range of chapters that help explain how the Passover is a type, or prefiguring, of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross; to the final chapter “The Paschal Shape of Life,” how we can apply that in our own lives.

One clever aspect of The Fourth Cup are the dozens of sly puns in nearly every sub-headings of sections sprinkled throughout each chapter: such as “Pasch, Presence, and Future” or “A Lamb is Bread for This,” or “Greeks Baring Gifts.”

I found myself writing down multiple quotes from the book, such as:

“God taught Israel to sacrifice not so that his Chosen People would be humiliated but so that they would learn to lay down their lives, to turn away from sin, and to live in the covenant. ‘The sacrifice acceptable to God is broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.’ (Ps 51)”

As I’ve written before, I’m a lay person when it comes to theology, and so I appreciate a straightforward, manageable read to help me grow in my knowledge and contemplate some of the riches of our faith. The Fourth Cup is just such a book.

Meet a Reader: Kimberly Lange

by

Following is the “Meet a Reader” that appears in this month’s print edition of The Catholic Post.

 

How You Know Me:

I live on the border between Washington and Morton with Philip, my husband of 27 years, and our five children.  I am the High School Faith Formation Coordinator for Blessed Sacrament Church and am a member of the Bishop’s Commission on Women. 

Why I love Reading:

My parents were always big readers, and I grew up with a rule that I had to read for a half hour each night before bed.  However, I did not fall in love with it until I became a mom and had the responsibility of cultivating a love of reading in my own children.  Teaching each of my children how to read was also a boost for appreciating this skill that opens up so many doors.  If you can read, you can pretty much learn about anything you need, and I cannot resist living vicariously through the lives of the characters I  meet, and appreciate the lessons I learn (the easy way).  Reading enhances my everyday reality, and makes even the most mundane of days brighter. My favorite literature genre is historical fiction, but I am ALWAYS happy with a cookbook in my hands. Makes the mundane tastier, too!

What I’m reading now:

I have slowly been working through a 10-volume series of private revelation called Direction for Our Times as Given to Anne, a Lay Apostle.  While it must be understood that private revelation is not considered part of the “deposit of faith”, it can be recognized as a help to live the Catholic faith more fully in a certain period of history.  This series carries the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur which declare the book free of doctrinal or moral error and declare that ecclesiastical permission has been granted for publication.   he books are a collection of teachings and exchanges between Anne, a lay apostle from Ireland, and both Jesus and Mary (as well as various other saints in volume seven), that took place between June of 2003 and October of 2004.  Many times as I struggle through prayer at mass or during Eucharistic adoration, I wish I simply had a direct hotline to Heaven.  These books make me feel as if I do!  These recorded conversations with Jesus and Mary exude all the love, tenderness, care and concern of a groom for His bride and a mother for her children.  They are comforting, reassuring, inspirational, and educational, and bring peace to my heart.

I am also reading A Philadelphia Catholic in King James’s Court by Martin de Porres Kennedy.  It’s an emotionally charged apologetics novel that makes me not only feel good about being Catholic, but invites us to study and understand our faith so that we may joyfully share its truths with others! 

My Favorite book:


The first time I thought to myself, “This is my favorite book,” was when I read Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls in junior high English class.  This book made me laugh out loud, cry real tears, and took me through every emotion in between.   I remember being so amazed and delighted  by its power to do that. 

 

On a different note,  Henri Nouwen’s Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World ranks as a favorite because it somehow took what I knew (God loves me unconditionally) but did not yet fully believe (when I get this part of me cleaned up, God, then we can REALLY be friends) and turned it into an unquestionable reality for me (I’m His bride. Now.  As is. Trust Him).  This understanding, of course, changed my life, and I re-read this book every year, lest I forget who I am.

Lent is On the Way; What’s Your Spiritual Reading? {My February column @TheCatholicPost }

by

Following is my column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of The Catholic Post.

Call me contrarian, but I still give up chocolate for Lent.

Yes, I know, there are innumerable online articles how you “shouldn’t give up chocolate” for Lent. And surely I’m not the only one to have heard more than one sermon during Mass on not giving up chocolate, but instead doing something extra, or focusing on more spiritual practices.

Giving up chocolate may be the Lent equivalent of Mom jeans, but I’m sticking with them (and Mom jeans, incidentally). It may be considered outdated, insufficient, not especially spiritually fruitful. At best, it’s considered a “good start” by Catholic writers and priests.

But for me, giving up chocolate is still hard! And that small (or big) mortification reminds me every day that it is Lent, and I should focus on growth in holiness this beautiful liturgical season. It’s also a good start to other practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that we are meant to do during Lent.

One of my other Lent non-negotiable is spiritual reading, especially re-reads. That is why during many Lents over the past 20 years, I delve into my dog-eared copy of St. Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life. This year I might add in He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter Ciscek as it is such an important spiritual classic that I’ve discovered a few years ago.

Lent begins February 14 (yes, it’s Valentine’s Day–maybe celebrate on Fat Tuesday instead?).

Consider browsing your local Catholic bookstore for ideas to start or continue this tradition on your own. Here are also a few recently published books that might be good for a Lent focus:

*Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life Marie Baudouin-Croix and translated into English by Mary Frances Mooney, has been recently reprinted by Ignatius Press. This spiritual biography of Leonie, the sister of St. Therese of Lisieux who bore many burdens in her life, is both moving and inspiring.

Reading about Leonie’s mental health issues and special needs, as well as how she persisted in trying to fulfill her vocation, brought me to tears several times. If she had been born in this century, she and her family would have many opportunities for special needs services, counseling, and other coaching. But she wasn’t, and so her path was more difficult. But she and her family never gave up, and that offers hope to anyone who struggles in any way to live out our Catholic faith.

Leonie Martin tried on four separate occasions to enter religious life, and finally succeeded in becoming a Visitandine sister in Caen, France.

Leonie Martin is largely a chronological biography, taken from the voluminous correspondence of her mother Zelie Martin, as well as the sisters among each other. It would be hard to research and write this kind of book today, because the letters provide a window into her development into a “faithful disciple” of Therese.

As Baudouin-Croix writes in the introduction, “This book is not intended to bring Leonie’s hidden virtues to light; as Pauline (a sister of Therese and Leonie) said, ‘the Holy Church is not obliged to canonize all God’s friends.’ Quite simply, it is comforting to everyone to know about one woman’s struggle to conquer a difficult, intractable temperament.”

We normally reflect on her famous sister the Little Flower, and her recently canonized parents, St. Zelie and St. Louis Martin, strove for holiness. But in some ways Leonie could be a better patron for those who struggle with persistent faults and even disabilities.

“She teaches those who are overcome by loneliness that no human intimacy can fill the void in the human heart; that God alone can fill it with His infinite tenderness.”

…


*The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre, is a highly readable and well-researched book about the historical sources of the truth of the Gospels. Pitre’s principal concern is refuting the popular cultural view promoting the false idea that Jesus was simple a “good teacher.”

Pitre, a professor of Sacred Scripture, writes about his own evolution from cradle Christian to questioning and doubting graduate student to professor and scholar. His studies and research of ancient sources led him to see that the evidence amply supports traditional Christian belief, rather than the modern skeptical approach that could be summarized as “the case against Jesus.”

The Case for Jesus in Pitre’s accessible and narrative style, covers the authorship and the dating of the Gospels, the “lost Gospels” that are non-canonical and why; the Jewish background for Jesus’ life and teachings; and many more topics.

The Case for Jesus demonstrates the solid historical basis for the truths of Scripture. It’s an edifying read in a culture of relativism and uncertainty often at odds with Christian life.

….

*Mother Angelica, founder of the media ministry EWTN, may also be considered “old-fashioned.” But if you’ve ever stumbled upon video of her online or on EWTN, chatting away with guests on her show, or answering questions from the audience in her entertaining, no-nonsense style, you’ll find that she is not just timeless, but relevant for right now.

Mother Angelica on Suffering and Burnout reprints a series of six “mini-books” first published in the 1970s by Mother Angelica’s Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, and this small publishing concern grew over time into the media ministry EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network—which has grown immensely over the years to include video, radio, online, and print ministries to share the Catholic faith.

Mother Angelica wrote these reflections on a pad of paper during times of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The book is a handsome small size hardback, which includes three sections—suffering, burnout, and consolation. Mother Angelica writes of her own personal experiences, shares many real-life examples of all sorts of people, and offers hope and solace to those enduring any form of suffering or burnout.

You might also be interested in:

The Extraordinary Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux: Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin by Helene Mongin (translated by Marsha Dangle-Williamson) is another book that relies heavily on the extensive letters and correspondence of the Martin family and their circle.  This book is also a fascinating read, and was published the same year that the married couple was canonized. 

Diversions with Catholic Themes Offer Recreation & Knowledge {My December column @TheCatholicPost }

by

Following is my column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of The Catholic Post.

When the “end of the world” was predicted for earlier this year by some Christian fundamentalists and others because of the solar eclipse and other “convergences,” our family had some interesting discussions about what makes that impulse very human and yet not praiseworthy.

We spoke of how Christians could try to avoid getting caught up in these apocalyptic pitfalls and maintain our sense of perspective. We can recall that we belong to Jesus, and so need not worry about “the end.” It’s also a healthy reminder to remember to stay close to Jesus and the Church always.

I love the story told of St. Charles Borromeo, the great who was playing cards with two priest friends. Someone near them asked what they would do if they knew the end of the world were to happen within an hour.

One priest said, “I would run to Church to be with our Lord.” The other priest said, “I would call upon the name of the Lord.” St. Charles Borromeo said, “I would finish this game of cards.”

I don’t consider this an indictment of either of the other priests or their answers. Perhaps they did need to spend more time with our Lord, or call on His name more. But St. Charles’ answer demonstrated his sense that, “anywhere you go, there you are.” That we can serve the Lord and be holy in the daily activities of our lives.

If one’s life is well-ordered, whatever we are doing at the moment can be for the glory of God, whether serving the poor, being at Mass, or, yes, playing cards.

In fact, leisure and “fun” pursuits can be a way to refresh our spirits and help us get a break from work, school, and endless “things to do.”

Several recent Catholic books offer that kind of refreshment, and would be great for fun Christmas gifts or activities during Christmas break.

For those with a kitchen inclination, there’s a great new book by Peoria native, Benedictine monk, writer, and baker Father Dominic Garramone. Father Dominic is a monk of St. Bede Abbey in Peru, Illinois. He is nationally known through his PBS baking programs and cookbooks.

But Fr. Garramone’s new Baking Secrets from the Bread Monk: Tips, Techniques, and Bread Lore is not a cookbook, though it does include recipes.

Rather, Baking Secrets from the Bread Monk offers short, cleverly titled—“He Scores” and “The Unkindest Cut” for example—chapters of information about the history, practice, and ideas for those who love baking, or eating, breads and other baked goods.

I’m an experienced baker (thought not fond of bread baking—sorry Fr. Dom!), but I found many good new techniques and ideas, to incorporate into my kitchen. Fr. Dominic’s enjoyable writing style makes it fun to read the history of many types of bread and practices.

Baking Secrets from the Bread Monk is sprinkled with charming illustrations and a healthy dose of fun, well-designed recipes, from sour cream donuts to soft pretzels.

My favorite part was Fr. Dominic’s “Secrets of My Bookshelf,” a sharing of his favorite cookbooks, books about food, and spiritual classics that have informed his baking and praying life. I’ve read or skimmed some of them, but added a few to my list to explore and learn from.
—-


Matt Swaim’s newest venture, a two-volume set of Catholic Word Games, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers, is an engaging concept.

Several of us in our family really enjoy puzzles and word games. We tried out some of the puzzles in Volume 1, and we found them just the right amount of challenge and fun. It wasn’t so easy that we could finish the book quickly, nor were any of them so challenging as to be impossible.

The book includes many types of puzzles, from code scrambles, fallen phrases, missing letters, and quote tiles. There’s a helpful answer key at the back of each book.

—-

Finally, A History of the Church in 100 Objects by Mike & Grace Aquilina is a clever book of history and culture of the Church, told through the “stuff” —material things—in our world that signify the Church or explain in some way. It’s inspired by the History of the World in 100 Objects project (a radio program series, museum exhibit, and book) in 2014 which took 100 items from the British Museum to tell the story of civilization.

Each of the “objects” in A History of the Church in 100 Objects is categorized in one of seven chronological groups; The Church of the Apostles and Martyrs; The Church and the Empire; The Dark Ages; The Middle Ages; Renaissance and Reformations; The Age of Revolutions; and The Global Village.

Objects range from architecture gems such as the Dome of St. Peter’s in Rome; to saint belongings (St. Francis’ tunic; Cardinal Newman’s desk; St. Therese’s curls); to non- religious items such as fetal models that helped explain the development of unborn children; and banknotes in Poland that commemorate Pope John Paul II.

At the end of each object’s description are one or two further resources—usually books— to learn more about the item, and the “stuff” of our faith.