I tried to wield Lent over my family’s heads. It doesn’t work.
My attempts to modify others’ behavior during the six weeks before Easter haven’t really been any more effective than my mother’s were.
Liturgical Year
parenting
Our bodies – and our children’s – are a gift from God.
Sexuality and gender seem unique in their capacity to elicit terror in adults and embarrassment in children.
Parenting
We observe Lent. That doesn’t make us religious?
My daughter told me, “For you being a priest, we aren’t the most religious family.” Is that because our faith is practical and immersive?
Liturgical Year, Parenting
Simeon sang when he saw the infant Christ – and we still sing today.
Our families show us God in everyday life. Recognizing these moments is critical for our faith and the faith of our children.
Lent Madness with Children
Participation in Lent Madness can be turned into a family ritual, like lighting the Advent Wreath at dinnertime or saying bedtime prayers together.
Epiphany revelations from the Old Testament
Epiphany offers us a chance to remember that Jesus was a king, but not the king people thought he would be. He was a baby, a child of God, and his life promised that we, too, would all be children of God. The prophets foretold him, God revealed him, the Three Kings honored him, and we adore him.
St. John looks for Jesus – and so do we.
As the detritus of Christmas surrounds us, where do we see Jesus?
Christ accepted Thomas’s questions. That’s a parenting lesson for me.
Jesus doesn’t scold or question Thomas; instead, he offers Thomas exactly what he needs.
This year, Christmas came early (but we were together).
This will be the first Christmas in my life I did not spend with my daughter.
Liturgical Year, Parenting
How We Keep Advent: Books, Nativity, Devotionals… and Milkshakes too.
We do not keep elves on any of our shelves to send behavior reports to the North Pole. Christ came for us while we were yet on the naughty list.
