Thoughts while walking (or driving :))...

The Walk with Fr. Roderick

Hello to you all on this fine spring day! I'm super perky today, which is aided by the fact that I'm wearing a short sleeved top for the first time since September. And it's pink! Life is grand.

As I was driving in to work this morning, I was thinking. You know, about STUFF. I do that a lot. ;-) My little mind is always awhirl while I'm driving or walking by myself. Or when I'm in the shower. :0 Anytime my mind is allowed to wander from the task at hand, it will, it seems. At any rate, in the background I had on Fr. Roderick's The Walk podcast. As you already know, I completely adore that precious Fr. Roderick. I've been listening to his show The Break for, let's see...probably about 6 years now. In that neighborhood of time, at least. When he added in The Walk, I thought maybe it would be duplicated content just targeted at another audience, so perhaps it would be redundant to listen to both. I was wrong, and I happily subscribe to both shows.

The Break has a structure: he talks about current events both in his life and in the news, movies and TV shows, books that he's read, and then a segment that he calls "The Peculiar Bunch," in which he'll address a current Catholic topic. The Walk is totally different. It's complete stream of consciousness as he goes out for a walk to get some exercise. He just brings his audio recorder and chats with his audience about whatever is on his mind during that hour.

I *really* love this format, and I think that part of it is that I relate to it so much. This is pretty much how I write in this blog. :0 I know that there are blogs out there that are more polished and helpful than mine (AKA: better ;-)). And thank goodness for them, because we all benefit from them! But my approach to blogging has always been that this is an online journal that I choose to share with others. Sometimes I plan posts ahead of time, like the Catholic Book Club or the Church Triumphant posts. But usually, I just await inspiration each morning, and then write about that topic, whatever is on my mind in that moment.

And so, this morning I was listening to Father talk about some projects he's working on, and how they're not turning out the way he expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, right? God is always working in there. :) And he mentioned how there are so many things he's been able to do that he strove to achieve, but that there are so many others that he'd like to accomplish. As I listened, I related this back to my own life, which is such a pleasing byproduct of this type of informal style. There are LOTS of projects that I've always wanted to try (writing, podcasting...), and yet I often hesitate. I'm worried about...oh, let us count the ways, shall we?

(1) Time. I don't want things to take me away from Mike and the kids too much.

(2) Money. Some projects require a small investment in new equipment, and then I'll shy away from it, which is silly. I buy yarn, dance costumes and books with abandon, why shouldn't I invest in technology that will bring joy and meaning?

(3) Fear of failure. I really should have put this first. ;-) Because this really is a hindrance on me trying new things. Why do you think it took me *years* to work up the nerve to dance solo at a performance? And this is closely related to...

(4) Fear of looking stupid. :0 There it is. I really do fear this. A lot.

But life is short, you know? Not that we should proceed with things full steam ahead without fully thinking them through. But I shouldn't let surmountable fears hold me back so much. So maybe I'll try moving forward on a few projects I've always wanted to try. I'll keep you posted. ;-)

I'm glad that Fr. Roderick's show this week got me to thinking about these things. Do you brainstorm or otherwise wax poetic while you walk or drive? When is your most creative thinking time? Anytime there aren't little voices in the background asking you to assist them with wiping in the bathroom, you say? I can relate to that. :)

Tomorrow will be a DANCE POST! Make sure to head back over if you enjoy such shenanigans.

Thriving in fellowship and welcoming back insects, on Divine Mercy Sunday...

Morning all, and happy continuation of the Easter season. ;-) The Octave is over, but nevertheless, we are still celebrating Easter, and I love it. And I absolutely adore Divine Mercy Sunday. I always pray the novena leading up to it (at least, in recent years I have), and it harkens me back to 2005, when I was newly pregnant with Henry and Pope John Paul II passed away on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. He always emphasized this feast, and that is one of the reasons that I am so drawn to it, because I love HIM so much.

And so Divine Mercy Sunday dawned bright and beautiful in Western New York. I think about 95% of our leftover snow has finally melted. People, this is *epic*. Never in my lifetime of living in the Northeast have I ever been more happy to see spring. As the kids and I headed out for Mass, I noticed something in our small backyard. Something fragile and beautiful that I feared I'd never see again: flowers. Real ones. Growing out of THE GROUND:

See them there amongst all the dead and shriveled things? I don't know exactly what they are, they may actually be weeds, but I CARE NOT. They are pretty and colorful, and we worship them. As I was over there snapping this photo, I even saw a bee hovering nearby. A REAL LIVE BUMBLE BEE!! Normally, I steer clear of such creatures, but I practically threw this one a party:

"Welcome to our yard, dear bee! I'm so glad to see you! Go tell your friends to come pollinate as well!"

And things were looking even livelier in the front yard:

Tulips baby! They're on their way. We'll have a party for them as well.

Then we left for Mass, and I am just in love with my parish community. Mass was as beautiful as ever, I loved the first reading from the book of Acts (4:32-35). It harkens back to my parish theme: a sense of community:

"The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, but those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need."

I just love that. Not a complete analogy, of course, but it is so soothing to me to think of all of us, our communities of faith both local and around the world, in this thing together. We're here for each other, supporting each other and doing our best to give witness to the Lord Jesus Christ.

After Mass, we sat and chatted with our friend Kendra for a bit. She has an art show coming up featuring her work, and we're planning to attend. While we discussed the details, Fr. Joe came over and sat with us. What chatted about his upcoming vacation and how he was going to a party later in the day to watch the Masters. I mean...I love this guy! He's the sort of congenial priest I could imagine inviting over for dinner with the family. He's very social and approachable, and I'm so grateful that we have him.

When we got back home, Henry went to a friend's house, so Mike and I took Anne out for a walk with her tricycle. Before she got on, Anne laid flat on the bare driveway:

"Mommy, look. The sun!"

We have been so, so deprived, my poor children. :0

How was your Divine Mercy Sunday, dear reader?

7 Quick Takes {Take 76} Sorrow, joy and consolation this Easter Octave, edition...

Happy Easter Friday everybody! It's a gloomy day here in WNY, but April showers bring May flowers, right? We're going with that. April showers also melt record February snowfall, so we'll take that too. :0 It's been an emotional start to the Easter season for me, so let's chronicle.

-1- In your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of a friend's husband...

The husband of a dance troupemate of mine had been ill for well over a year, in need of a liver transplant. Earlier this week, he passed away. He was just 43. :( Would you take a moment to say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Mike, and for strength during this tragedy for his lovely wife Lara? It's such a heartbreaking situation.

-2- But things are going better for young Julia...

I mentioned last Friday that the daughter of a friend is going through a trying bout with cancer right now. Well, initial results for her first set of treatments are in, and they are *excellent.* Although she still has a long road of chemotherapy ahead of her, the fact that her body is responding so well to the treatment is a tremendously good sign. We are all quite thrilled about this. Keep up the prayers, good prayer warriors!

-3- It's a Marian Consecration start date!

April 10th marks a potential start date of the 33 day preparation period to consecrate oneself to Jesus through the intercession of His mother. That makes the consecration date May 13th, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. This is the first time I've ever used this time window during the year for a Marian consecration renewal, I usually start on January 9th and pray the consecration prayers on February 11th, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. But..., this year I forgot. Oops. :) I was on a second honeymoon trip with Mike, so I had a good excuse. At any rate, I use the book 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley:

If anybody is interested in this, please do join in! I see that it is now available for Kindle, and I don't think it was several years back when I purchased my print copy. Instant gratification! And quick-like-a-bunny joining in with Tiffany in prayer! ;-)

-4- Summer plans are taking shape...

I often dread the summer heat, but this year, after the winter we had, I'm actually looking forward to it. Exhibit A being the fact that I'm voluntarily going to Atlanta in early June for the Catholic New Media Conference. ;-) And I can't wait! But in addition to that, Mike and I talked this week about some dates that we want to reserve for summer activities with the kids. Baseball games, hikes, fireworks, all good stuff.

-5- And speaking of good stuff...

Summer dance gigs are lining up, and I look forward to this all year long. Especially with our Lara going through such a tough time, we are all rallying around her and trying to raise her spirits. She's looking forward to the coming rehearsals and performances as a way to get her mind off of things a bit, and we certainly have an interesting repertoire this year. Saidi canes, gigantic veil wraps and Shaabi folk dance... Betcha can't wait for the stories that are to come. ;-) It's almost certain that I will at some point become engulfed in the gigantic veil and nearly fall off the stage. Almost.certain. :0

-6- Anne's birthday gift!

As I mentioned yesterday, Anne's birthday is next month, and she has asked for a St. Kateri doll. Ta da! She has been ordered:

This would be from Saintly Silver, on Etsy. I can't wait til she comes in the mail! I'm hoping she arrives in time, since they are made to order and I know the wait list can be six weeks, so we'll see.

-7- New spiritual memoir alert!

This morning on Twitter, I happened to see someone tweet about Rachel Held Evans' new memoir, which is slated for release next week, on April 14th:

I absolutely adore memoirs like this. I read and enjoyed Rachel's A Year of Biblical Womanhood, and while I don't agree with her on everything, she is an excellent and interesting Christian writer, and I am pleased to support her work. I plan to download this book to my Kindle the instant I'm caught up on my book club reading. It's currently perched on my wish list. :)

All right everyone, have a fantastic weekend! I have to work the reference desk tomorrow afternoon (insert groan) so I'll be tweeting a lot, I presume. ;-) Other than that, I'll talk to you on Monday!

And head to This Ain't the Lyceum for more 7 Quick Takes!

Need a quick gift for someone receiving a sacrament in May?

I just love this time of year, don't you? Springtime, new beginnings, Easter...and sacraments of initiation coming up in May. Last year, I just reveled in Henry making his First Communion, I enjoyed that so thoroughly. This year, we don't know anyone receiving a sacrament, and it'll be quite a while until Henry reaches Confirmation age (at least the way they do it in our diocese) or for Anne to receive First Reconciliation, so I'm living vicariously through others. :) I *am* however, on the prowl for birthday gifts for Anne, whose birthday is May 18th, so I was looking and had a few ideas that will work for those needing a gift for First Communion or Confirmation.

Saintly Silver on Etsy, whom I've mentioned before *heart* has a section of Quick Ships of already assembled dolls, ideal for anyone needing one in early May.

She's got 32 dolls listed in the Quick Ship section right now, which is pretty awesome. They usually are on a 6 week schedule to ship, since her order queue is so long and her shop so popular. But she prepares ahead for her rush periods, of which the May sacraments are one. She has boy and girl First Communion dolls (like the one pictured above), with the Anima Christi prayer on the back and a "In Honor of your First Holy Communion" notation. She also has angels, St. Patrick, Mary, and the Holy Family ready for immediate shipment.

Allison also has her rosary shop stocked with rosaries, most of which are ready to ship (just make sure to check for the "Made to Order" indication and avoid those if your deadline is pretty tight). This one in particular is ideal for First Communion, no?

I love the chalice center. But she has a ton of in-stock selection, all beautiful! I like the availability and selection given that First Communions are a mere 4 weeks away.

Do you know anyone receiving First Communion or Confirmation this year?

How is your Easter season going?

Morning all! I have a busy work day today filled with meetings (let's all groan together in harmony, shall we?) so this will be somewhat brief, but I still wanted to touch base with everyone. I was listening to Monday Morning Catholic's Triduum episode on my commute in, and thus dwelling on our current place in the Easter octave, that is the eight days we celebrate a monumental feast such as this one...

Easter is a time of new beginnings, it seems that way to me every year. Everything feels fresh and new. The weather (hopefully; we still have some snow here, but the piles are getting smaller every day), new baby birds and animals, the return of flowers and green things, and the liturgy. We're singing the Gloria again, and saying "Alleluia" for the first time in what feels like forever. And fresh from a Lenten visit to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we all feel revived in our spiritual lives. Hopefully. :)

The spiritual life is never predictable, no? I know this very well, as I'm sure you all do too. I did get to Confession this year, but there have been years where I planned to but didn't make it. Or maybe right after visiting the Sacrament, a spiritual struggle ensued over something you thought was long behind you. Or maybe you feel inexplicable spiritual dryness where just days before you felt vibrancy and renewal. It's never an easy thing, to be sure.

This Easter I'm reflecting back on my experiences during the Triduum with much gratitude. I'm so grateful that I was able to, for the first time, attend all of the liturgies. I'm certain there will be years where that does not happen for any number of reasons, but we do what we can. I enjoyed my experiences very much, and I love that I got to share each of them with someone else - Henry, Anne, Mike and my mother-in-law. It was truly beautiful.

Now, though, we're in Easter and I'm thinking: what's next? It's never boring, that's for sure. I'm excited to see what is to come. Anne's birthday is next month, and with her turning 4, and Henry turning 10 later this year, I feel like life has shifted a bit. Oh right, and I'm older too, yes? :0 It's a gentle shift, but there it is. Am I finally a grown up now? ;-) I feel responsible, but I don't always feel like a *grown up*. When I was Henry's age, and saw adults who are mine and Mike's age now, they seemed SO much older than we are, ha! In many ways, besides acquiring (please God!) a bit more wisdom and experience, I don't feel a whole lot different than when I was 20. But I know that I am different. I just don't feel older, if that makes any sense. But I'm happier, and just as excited for whatever lies ahead.

Those are my reflections early this Easter. How about you? As we embark on Easter season, what do you suspect or hope God has in store for you?

Fun spring knitting, and what's that in the garbage can? Oh. Winter knitting gone horribly awry :0

Good day to you all, and as you can see from the title, I decided to pen a light crafting post for today. It's my first day back at work since the Triduum began, and I'm feeling a little blue. I need a pick-me-up! And I always enjoy writing these posts.

So, what have I been working on craft-wise in recent weeks? Things that are springy, to be sure. I used the basic egg pattern from Easter Knits to make this fetching little guy for Anne:

Anne has named him "eggy." :) There are some lovely Fair Isle egg patterns in that book, but I was low on time and went the easy, self-striping route. ;-) Anne also received her much demanded penguin:

He's a baby Emperor penguin, hence the gray body. And I gave him a scarf to hide a slightly wonky neck, don't want him getting a complex. ;-) Anne loves him:

He's already showing signs of giving in to his wonky neck, he's been cuddled and squashed so much. I'm thinking of performing a little surgery and giving him some more stuffing, but Anne expresses much trauma whenever I mention this, and she sleeps with him every night, so no hope of me doing this on the sly. That remains an option though, we'll see how he holds up. The important thing is that she loves him.

Henry has requested a stuffed alien from that same pattern book, which is this one by the way:

I'm hoping to get to him this spring as well. Henry also loves handknit socks, and I have a pair for him in the queue, as soon as I finish the Easter pair I'm working on for myself:

I love self-striping sock yarn, as does Henry. :) This is a specifically Easter colorway, Henry's is called Gingerbread, so obviously leftover from Christmas, but this bothers him not in the least. He's such a good boy, and truly appreciates his knit socks.

So, those are all the GOOD crafting things I've had going on. :) There has been one unfortunate project leftover from the winter, and well... Let's just say that that one went so badly, I don't even have any photographic evidence of it, that's how much I hated it. :0 I rather wish I had saved the photos I took, because they would have provided endless amusement at this point for both you and I, but I was so traumatized I deleted the entire project from my Ravelry gallery, and so my Sunset Cardigan is lost to history.

*everyone breathes a sigh of relief*

This was one of those projects that I felt duty bound to knit because during a sale, I had bought some unfortunate yarn that I later regretted. Has this ever happened to you?

"Oh wow, what a great price on a high quality fiber! The color isn't really something I'd usually pick, but it's very...eclectic! It's different, and I like it. And the price is amazing! I really should buy this."

So I do. And then it sits in my yarn stash. And it sits some more. When the year point rolls around, it glares at me each time I dip into my worsted weight wool bin and don't pick it up. I think to myself that I just need to find the perfect pattern for it, given it's eclectic nature, and it sits some more.

Finally, I make the decision that this yarn has to go. Far too stubbon to try and list it for sale on Ravelry, I find a simple cap sleeved cardigan pattern and get to work, telling myself that I canNOT buy more yarn until this stuff is used up. I feel virtuous.

And so I knit. And knit. And knit. Stockinette stitch, back, and forth, back and forth, until I fear that all creativity has been sucked out of my very soul. But I heroically soldier on. I bought this yarn, gosh darn it, I'm going to use it up. The body looks weird by time I finish, but I add the ribbed trim anyway, and well.

I hated it. :0 Hated it, hated it, hated it. I have some knitting friends who, when they hate a project, angelically pull the yarn back out so that they can reuse it to make something else. Not I, my friends. I hope you're not disappointed in me. :0 But once I hate something, I hate it, there are no second chances. I never wanted to look at that yarn again, and now that it's not here to glare at me any further I'm just going to say it: IT WAS UGLY. It was ugly, and I'm not apologizing to it any further. It had to go. It was so ugly, I couldn't even donate it to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, because nobody else should have to wear something that ugly either.

I suppose I feel a little guilty, but I'm just glad that that torture is over. ;-) Lots of bad mojo removed from my yarn bins. All of the other yarn has already thanked me.

Have you ever had a project not turn out the way you envisioned? Are you making anything this spring? Do chime in. :)

He is risen! Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Monday to all of you! Indeed this day dawns so much brighter than Good Friday. Although her situation is still quite serious, and she has a long and difficult road of treatment ahead, Julia's family got some good news over the weekend that an MRI of her brain revealed no cancer cells, and that is cause for rejoicing. Keep those prayers coming!

And in other good news, Easter was simply beautiful. Granted, Easter season is far from over. We're only on day 2 of the Octave, and Easter season lasts until Pentecost, so much Easter celebrating to continue! :) But as for Easter weekend, I am left feeling so very grateful for my family and my faith. Henry and I attended the Easter Vigil with my mother-in-law, and oh! That is officially my very favorite liturgy of the entire year. I can't imagine ever missing it again.

We entered our parish just before 8 pm Holy Saturday to find the altar beautifully decorated with flowers:

...and we were all clamoring with excitement. :) There were 3 people entering the Church this Easter, one Catechumen and two Candidates. We started with the blessing of the fire, and then the beautiful procession in the darkened church, where we all lit our small tapers from the large Easter candle, and then cantor sang the Exsultet. Henry elbowed me:

"Mom. This is a very long song."

"I know, Honey. It will be done soon."

It wasn't. :0 But hey. It's *magnificent*. As I looked around in the darkness at all of those lit candles, I was reminded of our larger worldwide family of faith/communion of saints, and how no matter what happens, I always have that. And God.

We made our way through the Old Testament readings, and for the first time I realized (probably because our pastor mentioned it before we got started) that all of the Easter Vigil readings are about important events in salvation history. The creation story, the sacrifice of Abraham, the Exodus of the Israelites to the Promised Land, etc. And the Psalms! It was a joy to sing them. I'm not really a singer (that is to say, I'm not very good at it :0) so I sometimes shy away from singing in church. Not Saturday. I joined right in. And the Gloria!

*swoons*

The bells throughout! So, so joyful.We moved through the Epistle and the Gospel, a short but powerful Homily, and then on to the baptismal liturgy. MY FAVORITE PART. I cry here every year, despite the fact that the people receiving the sacraments are total strangers to me. So, so moving to see people enter the Church and our parish community. I was in heaven during the Litany of the Saints, and then the sacraments of initiation were administered. We all renewed our baptismal promises and were dutifully sprinkled with holy water. :) By the time we got to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we were about an hour and a half in, but Henry was holding up like a champ. I absolutely LOVE this liturgy. I hope to never miss it again. All told, it was just under two hours. Well worth it.

Easter morning dawned with snow on the ground here in WNY. :0 But even that did nothing to damper my Easter joy.

Easter selfie

I had a new dress, as did Anne:

New Elsa dress :)

Henry also looked very fetching in a polo shirt and nice pants, but declined to be photographed. ;-) The four of us headed to the 10 am Mass, where we kibbutz-ed with our new friends and were present for another glorious liturgy.

Our return home heralded Easter baskets, and both kids received chocolate (of course), a few small toys, two new saint dolls, and a rosary. Anne has St. Blaise and Our Lady of Lourdes:

Henry received St. Blaise and St. Stephen:

...who went on to hang out with St. Isidore the Farmer and Henry's other saints that he keeps on a shelf:

And then Mike and I got to work baking a ham, mashing sweet potatoes, and whipping up a dessert. By the time our sets of parents arrived at 4 pm, we were ready for celebratory Easter wine and cocktails. ;-) A fabulous time was had by all.

This Easter in particular I am counting my blessings, of which there are many, and feeling grateful for every moment that I get to enjoy them.

How about you dear reader? How was your Easter? I demand that you tell me all about it in the comments. ;-)

Good Friday sorrow...

Bare altar on Good Friday at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Diocese of Buffalo

I hope that you are all having a very blessed and holy Good Friday. I am feeling quite melancholy today, and it ties into the suffering theme of the day, I suppose. I've known for a few weeks that the daughter of a good friend was diagnosed with cancer. It's been heavy on my heart, and the news coming out from the hospital via Facebook has been increasingly difficult, particularly today. They received some bad news yesterday. I'm just beside myself, and I can only imagine what her parents are going through. She's just 14, and her name is Julia. Would you wing up a prayer for her health and healing on this Good Friday? It is much appreciated.

On that solemn note, I'm not really in my happy writing place like I usually am when I compose these posts. So I'll keep it brief. But I did attend the Holy Thursday liturgy yesterday, and Henry accompanied me, which meant so much to me. It was an absolutely beautiful Mass. And my very favorite part? The end, with the Eucharistic procession, incense, and repose of the Blessed Sacrament in the side altar. And then the dramatic departure of the priest and deacon without a word. WOW. Powerful stuff, right there. I know that when Anne and I arrive for the Good Friday service at 3 pm, the altar will be bare and the main tabernacle open and empty. Very stark, and fitting.

It's a very gray and dreary day here in WNY, which also seems fitting. If you're able to attend your parish's Good Friday liturgy, that takes the place of Evening Prayer, should you be praying the Liturgy of the Hours this Holy Week. Magnificat, special Holy Week issue, to the rescue. ;-) I hope that you're able to take part in at least one of these beautiful Triduum liturgies, and write in and tell me all about it if you do. :)

I'll be home with the kids again on Monday, but I'll be sure to post about Easter weekend. I'm aiming to attend both the Vigil Mass and Easter morning. #Catholicnerd Until then, I hope that you all have a prayerful end to the Triduum and a beautiful start to the Easter season. Talk to you all on Monday.

A blessed Holy Thursday to all of you!

We have grass! Could spring finally be sprung?!

Hello all, and I hope that you're as excited about the start of the Triduum as I am! I'm home from work for the duration actually, through Easter Monday. A mini staycation of sorts. :) And I'm loving it, it's been a beautiful day here. So far today, I crammed in Morning Prayer, worked a bit on a pair of Easter socks that I'm knitting, then got ready so that the four of us could run a few errands. Mike's car needed a new battery, so we took care of that, and then went to Dinosaur BBQ for lunch. I'd never been there before, this franchise is new to our city, and HELLO! We'll be going there again. :0 Awesome beer on tap plus barbecue sandwiches? Yes, on all fronts. The kids liked it too, getting small barbecued sliders with homemade macaroni and cheese on the side. It was a huge hit.

Now we're home, Anne is napping, Henry is over at a friend's house, and I'm thinking ahead to the Mass of the Lord's Supper at 7 pm. This will be my very first time attending this liturgy, and I can hardly stand it, I'm so excited. My Triduum Fever has rubbed off on Henry and he has volunteered to go with me tonight, which should qualify as a miracle for somebody's cause of canonization, I'm thinking. I'm looking forward to that very much, and I'm hoping that I don't forget about Evening Prayer tonight, because that little enterprise has been going very well so far for the week. I attempted to pray a rosary in the car today while we were running errands, but with interruptions every 15 seconds of...:

"Mommy! What's that? Why is it taking so long, Mommy? Where are we going again? Mommy, Henry made a face at me! ARE WE THERE YET, MOMMY?!"

...I got through two mysteries. :0 Sometimes, that's all you can do. But I'm feeling spiritually bright eyed and bushy tailed for tonight's liturgy. Tomorrow, I doubt I'll do 7 Quick Takes, because I just won't have time, but I will check in with all of you briefly about how Holy Thursday Mass went. And then Anne and I will be attending the 3 pm Celebration of the Lord's Passion and Veneration of the Cross. Oh! And don't forget about the start of the Divine Mercy Novena tomorrow. :)

How is your Holy Thursday going, dear reader? *heart*

The Catholic Nook: Spy Wednesday

It's Wednesday of Holy Week, and suddenly we're on the heels of the Mass of the Lord's Supper! Time flies. Thus today, as I scrolled through my social media feeds, I noticed several mentions of Spy Wednesday. I thought to myself:

"I wonder what that means?!"

And this is one of the many things I love about being Catholic - it doesn't matter how many years I've done this thing, there are still always new and fascinating tidbits to learn!

So, Spy Wednesday. The explanation was simpler than I anticipated, but no less profound. As this is the day prior to Holy Thursday, it is the occasion on which we remember how Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus by going to the high priest and negotiating information in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. The Synoptic Gospels record this scene in Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, and Luke 22:1-6. Ominous music is playing in the background as we draw closer to the Last Supper. :) It is also the day the Scriptures note (Matthew 26:613, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-19) that Jesus was in the home of Simon the leper, and anointed with expensive perfume by a woman who was also present. Lots of foreboding right there. As I was looking for information on Spy Wednesday, I read on several sites that this day is marked in Poland with a tradition of dragging a three dimensional representation of Judas through the streets.

We now all know what Spy Wednesday is all about, horray! For my part this Holy Week, I've been like the Little Engine That Could with my Divine Office app, trying to squeeze in Morning and Evening Prayer each day. I'm on the reference desk right now, and I forgot to pray Morning Prayer before I came down (oops!) so that will be prayed when I get back to my office at 11 am. Not exactly on a monastery schedule, but for a laywoman I do what I can. ;-) I've also been trying to think more deeply about the mysteries of the rosary as I pray them, but yesterday as I prayed in the car, I managed to get my Bl. Mother Teresa rosary entangled in my *steering column* as I drove. Right, I was turning a corner, it was REALLY bad timing, *and* was I trying to rewind the Catholic podcast I had on in the background. Is God trying to tell me that I do too much multitasking? I wouldn't be surprised. :) At any rate, I broke my rosary, and had to make a trip to JoAnn's for replacement chain to make it up to poor Bl. Mother Teresa. I've promised her that this will never happen again. :0

How is your Holy Week going dear reader?

*Photo from Patheos