Hang this wall scapular on your wall as a reminder of the precious scapular, its story, and Mary’s promises to those who wear a scapular and obey God’s commands. Download the Scapular Images and Instructions Here ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the scapular:  A scapular is part of a monk’s or nun’s habit. It is the strip of fabric that has a hole in the middle so that it could hang over the shoulders and cover front and back. Its name came from the Latin word for shoulder; ‘scapula’. In the fifteenth century, Third Order members were required to wear the scapular. The Third Order are laypeople so the scapular was reduced in size, and it was eventually miniaturized in the sixteenth century. Today, the scapular is typically made up of two small double squares of cloth (sometimes only one). They are normally 2-inch squares with two long strings between them so they can be hung over the shoulders, with one square in front and one in back. The scapular is usually the same color as the habit of the religious order to which it belongs. The scapular can have an image of Our Lady or a symbol that relates to the particular devotion it recalls. Scapulars are sacramentals, they give the wearer God’s protection. There are approximately 18 different scapulars, most of them have an origin that stems from a vision. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Short Skit Our family does a lot of short skits to help the kids learn and remember the things we are talking about. Here is one about St Simon Stock, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the scapular: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  The story Rachel wrote for the play/skit: Our Lady, St. Simon Stock, and the Scapular Simon was born around 1165 A.D. At the age of 12, Simon traveled to the Holy Lands where he met a group of hermits who called themselves the successors of Elijah. Simon joined them. His last name Stock, which means “tree trunk”, is thought to have derived from his behavior of living in the trunk of an oak tree as a hermit. When the Muslims began to take over the Holy Land, Simon and his friends fled to England. There Simon started many Carmelite Communities in areas like Cambridge and Oxford. He also started some in Paris and Bologna. He changed their ways from being hermits to Mendicant Friars. Years later the Carmelite Community wasn’t doing so well. Then on July 16, when Simon was in Cambridge, he decided to go to his room and pray to Mary. While in his room, Mary suddenly appeared to Simon holding the brown scapular in one hand and she said: Many years later both religious and ordinary Catholics have been able to wear the scapular. The church has approved 18 different kinds of scapulars. But the most popular is the woolen brown scapular which Our Lady gave Simon Stock. Simon’s feast day is on May 16 and Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s feast is July 16. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brown Scapular Enrollment: Years ago, many Catholic parishes enrolled the children who were to receive their first Holy Communion in the Brown Scapular. Today it’s not as common. If you want to be enrolled, talk to a Catholic priest. Here is a link for the enrollment prayers. Take a look at the entire site for even more information on the Brown Scapular. May God’s peace be with you, ~Jen-Marie

How do you like the new Mass? I’m young enough to not remember how the Mass was done years ago, but I’m excited to see that the wording is being returned to a better translation of the original Latin. Sadly it can make responding at Mass a bit difficult for people like me who are just accustomed to saying those old prayers and phrases. And my kids have a hard time with it, too. But Monica, at Equipping Catholic Families , has created   to help the kids learn the new Mass. This kit includes 20 black and white templates to copy, color, and then create 10 mini books. The pages of these books go over the new phrases in the new Mass. They also cover the different vestments, symbols, church furnishings, parts of the Mass, sacraments, and sacramentals. The pictures are very well done and interesting to look at and color.   The books were a help to my older kids and my younger kids. I homeschool and I have two second-graders this year who will be receiving their First Holy Communion. These books also helped me to teach them about the Mass and all the items they see at church. Thank you, Monica! Visit Tracy at A Slice of Smith Life to read her review. Or Visit  Laura’s at Day by Day in our World  to read her review. Or Visit Monica at Equipping Catholic Families to read more about her kit and consider purchasing one for yourself. God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

St. Isadore ‘s Garden Sign and Prayer A  Short Story about St. Isadore St. Isadore, who worked for a farmer, would go to Mass each morning but the farmer he worked for threatened to find someone to replace St. Isadore because he kept coming to work late. The next day St. Isadore went to Mass anyway and to the surprise of the farmer, an angel was seen tilling the field with two white oxen! The farmer then allowed St. Isadore to go to Mass before starting his daily duties. Dedicate your garden to the saint who is the patron saint of farmers. St. Isadore’s feast day is May 15, which is the perfect time of year for planting and starting a garden! -Just don ’t expect the angels to do your weeding while you ’re at Mass! Print the image, cut it out, and laminate it. Be sure the laminating is properly sealed around the edges so the rain cannot damage it. Then attach it to a stake or hang it on a gate or post at the entrance of your garden. (If you are using nails or staples to attach the sign, puncture only the clear laminated areas where there is no picture. Otherwise, the rain may damage the picture through the small puncture holes.) Make your own St. Isadore garden sign with wood and non-washable paint! St. Isadore, intercede for us!

Elizabeth and I had a great time creating this staff!  It was fun one-on-one time for us!  And now she won’t quit making lilies of every color!  A Story about St. Joseph’s Staff Some images and statues of Joseph show him with a staff which is topped with lilies. This is a symbol to remind us of a possibly true story which told of how Mary’s spouse was chosen: Walking sticks of widowers in Israel were collected and one was to be chosen from among them. The owner of the chosen staff was to marry the young virgin Mary. Joseph’s staff burst into blossom, thus identifying him as divinely chosen. The Craft: Supplies: 5 or more green pipe cleaners 5 yellow pipe cleaners (orange will work, too) 5 sheets of white paper 1 sheet of green paper A walking stick from outside (A wooden rod from a craft store will also work, but you may want to paint/stain it brown.) Pencil Scissors Tape and/or Glue Hot Glue (maybe) Download printable instructions here. Instructions: The yellow pipe cleaner will be the center of the lily flower. Cut the yellow pipe cleaner in half (should be about 3 to 4 inch pieces). Crisscross and twist the two halves together at the center. Curl the ends down just a little to make a small ball on each of the 4 ends. The green pipe cleaner will be the stem. Take the green pipe cleaner and twist one end around the yellow pipe cleaners at the center. The yellow pipe cleaners should be up and the green down. Trace two hand prints side-by-side on a sheet of white paper and cut them out. (I stacked the 5 white sheets together and cut them out at the same time.) The fingers are the flower’s peddles. Wrap one hand cut-out around the yellow pipe cleaner with the green coming out the bottom. Tape it together. Then wrap the other hand cut-out around in the same way. Use a pencil to carefully curl down some of the peddles of the lily Repeat the above steps to make more lilies. Make about 5 lilies total. Wrap/twist the green pipe cleaner stems of your lilies around the top portion of the walking stick. You may need to hot glue them to the stick or use an extra green pipe cleaner to help secure the lilies to the staff. If you have any extra pipe cleaner ends hanging out, it looks best if you curl the ends using your finger or a pencil. Cut out and hot glue or tape some long narrow leaves to the green pipe cleaner stems. Now you have St. Joseph’s staff blooming with lilies!! Makes a great prop to go with a St. Joseph costume for All Saints Day, too! God bless! ~Jen-Marie

Every year on March 17 our family watches a movie about St. Patrick! It’s been a wonderful tradition and we look forward to it every year! St. Patrick’s day often gets lost among the  leprechauns  and Irish glamour and this has been a great family event to help us stay focused! St. Patrick: The Irish Legend (2000) Patrick Bergin, Luke Griffin, Robert Hughes St. Patrick: The Irish Legend (2000)  an excellent made for TV movie.  While it does have a bit of the “made for TV” look, it wonderfully tells St. Patrick’s story and explains his life in a way that makes me want to watch the movie again and again! There are a few parts that may be a little scary for young children – if they are easily frightened, b ut all in all, we love this movie! I recommend seeking it out and buying it!

“Minute Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary”   — By Rev. Thomas M. Feeley I found this book to be a wonderful help to focus on while praying the Rosary. If you are like me, you can’t stay focused on prayer and meditation, and your mind just keeps jumping to all the things you need to do. This book has been a great help to me. Another good book to use while praying the Rosary is: Rosary of Praise” — By Larry and Connie London This is a good book to read when praying the Rosary with young children. Both are excellent for young and old!

“Do you love me?…Feed my sheep.” John 21:17 I created this toss game for our All Saints day party. The kids stood behind the fence and tossed the grassinto the circle to feed the sheep. I made this with a stuffed sheep, wire ring, and foam balls wrapped with green felt. The felt ends were cut into strips to resemble grass.

~Jennifer’s Thoughts I’ve been told soooo many times…I’d love to homeschool, but I don’t know if I can. Well, I have a few suggestions and thoughts….. If your kids are not in school yet it’s easy to see how things might go if you get a few cheap pre-K books and try teaching now before they are school age. But don’t make a big deal out of it! Just try to make it fun!! Kindergarten is only to get the kids ready for the idea of structured learning. Most kids age 8 and under can’t sit for too long. Only work with them for about an hour or less each day. The best way to teach is to teach so they don’t know they are learning. Reading to them is the BEST way to teach them. It’s sooooo amazing how much they pickup when you read. Even if they don’t sit still it’s still working a little bit. Don\’t get discouraged. Every little things helps more than you would think. Keep cool and well tempered. Kids learn better from a happy, Mom/Dad!!! And yes, it can be very hard at times to act happy even when you want to scream!!! If you feel frustrated, even a little, they know it!! Just stop and try later. You can take lots of breaks if you need to. During the breaks you and the kid(s) can do a few jumping jacks, draw a picture, play with trucks, or try fake laughing or being silly. All these things are just meant help you feel happier and it gets your blood moving which helps your brain think better. But if things get really bad; STOP AND PRAY!! Then I get asked the question… Do your kids miss going to school and spending time with other kids? All the kids will eventually understand that some go to school and others don’t. My kids have lots of cousins and friends who go to school. At first they questioned it and wanted to go, too. Then they understood what was happening and now they don’t want to go to school! They love the fact that they can finish school work before lunch then they can play. If they went to school they wouldn’t get home till much later. Plus, they would still have homework to do! They still see friends, not everyday, but weekly or more, through homeschool get-togethers or co-ops. They are happy with that and I’m happy they don’t feel the daily stress of trying to fit in. It makes kids more stress free and happy with themselves. Another question: What about missing out on school plays and parties? School plays and parties were an issue with me when I was deciding whether to homeschool or not. But there are many home school opportunities that cover those problems. One of the home school groups I’m in has a “Fine Arts Night” every January/February. It’s a art and talent show. The little artists can bring in art work they have done and also they can preform whatever they wish on stage. Some kids read poems, preform plays, sing, dance, baton, play many types of musical instruments like the piano, and all kinds of other amazing talents. I like it better than the Christmas plays at school! Plus, your child can do whatever they like and can be the center of the show. They are not lost in the group. As for parties, the catholic home school group has a All Saint’s Day Party. The kids dress up like a saint. Other home school groups have Halloween parties. We have Valentine day parties too. So the kids can exchange valentines. We participate in Science fairs, Geography fairs, and lots of field trips! There are many activities that will substitute for what the school kids do. I can\’t even begin to name them all. Simply put: Studies have shown that if a child starts his education at home he will have more self-confidence and have a better foundation to his education. The longer they are home schooled the better self-confidence they have and the better they can read and do arithmetic. They also do better in high school and college, socially and academically! Many parents complain that their kids become more aggressive or lose self-esteem after they start going to school. The other kids are often not good influences. A child, no matter how good, will pick up the bad traits of other kids. Once they pick up bad traits, it’s hard to undo it. No one family is the same as another, and we are all different so while home school may not be for everyone, I do feel that if a family has the deep desire to homeschool they can make it work. With a little bit of will and determination!! May God bless you with true discernment, if you are trying to decide whether or not to homeschool. ~Jennifer

Originally published in “The Evening Sun” on June 25, 2010, by  Jon Lawernce Going out in public with my wife and eight children normally causes reactions from those around us. From the casual onlooker, their the wordless mouthing and bobbing index finger as they count. However, from the insatiably more curious, we get comments. “Are they all yours?” Yeah and from the same wife, too! “You have enough for a (enter sports team here).” That’s not our goal. “You know what causes that, right?” Yup. Love. But the most common is “I have only one. How do you handle eight?” The answer to that one is really a handful of things. Both husband and wife having the same beliefs and goals for the family. Putting the best interest of the family before self. Eating meals together. Praying together. And lastly, there is the line in the sand that can never be crossed: “please” and “thank you” From birth, every parent knows that children don\’t come with owner’s manuals. Which makes sense because we don\’t own them. Slavery ended generations ago. But what every parent should know is that teaching of children starts early. From the first times they ask for something to eat, drink, or play with (that can be one and the same!), it’s important to establish a very simple expectation. Every request needs to be accompanied by “please’. And so long as this is continually reinforced, they will pick it up and adopt it as the standard operating procedure. Please is about respect. It teaches the speaker that they are in need and they have to be a little bit humble to have that need filled. They grow up realizing that they, like everyone else, have limitations and that the people who can help them won\’t be ordered around. There are people in authority over them who deserve to be respected. And respect that is given is normally rewarded. Children are lovable but not born polite. They come into the world basically selfish. So when their diapers need to be changed, their bellies filled, or their hearts hugged, they cry to have those needs fulfilled. And that’s perfectly fine. Otherwise, they\’d be smelly, malnourished, and not near as fun to hug. But if that “me” attitude is not one day changed, their world view quickly becomes slanted. They “blossom” into demanding, uncaring people who think that others exist to serve them. They go through life with unrealistic expectations and look for immediate gratification. Please is one little word that is a great course correction. It crushes that self-centered worldview and reinforces the need for others. It\’s a loving discipline meant to help them grow into balanced people who are emotionally ready for the world. “Thank you”s, on the other hand, are about gratitude. They compliment “please” and finish the job that it started. When we receive something or some action from another, we have an obligation to respond. “Thank you” fulfills the debt that comes with all kindness. Any well-intentioned action done to us deserves this bare minimum response. Equally, these two words confirm the sincerity of please. Without them, the hearer is left questioning if the speaker ever even meant it. Perhaps the “please” was just a tool to manipulate the other person, leaving them feeling used. But when “thank you” follows with nothing more to be gained from the other person, the hearer is touched by the respect shown them. The earlier that it’s learned, the happy the individual is. Respectful and grateful people are more likable and make better friendships throughout life. Their relationships with others are more meaningful and genuine. Others are seen as equals and not mere two-dimensional shapes that only have value when they are needed. As they grow into polite individuals themselves, they go out into the world not only ready for it but prepared to improve it. Just as bad examples can lower the bar in society, these good individuals help others to gravitate back toward politeness. Since human beings are influenced by what they see, these respectful words can and do touch people. And the need for it is great. Parents have a short window of opportunity to properly influence the young children in their care. While our little ones are blessings, they come with an obligation. They have need of our guidance. Left to their own devices, they will have a harder road to travel. But when we instruct them on how to conduct themselves, their way is smoother. Any parent who holds their ground on these words is rewarded with politer children and a happier home. Been there. Done that.

…people count the number of your children out loud when you’re in public …people ask, “Are they all yours?” …you start counting your children when you’re out in public …you have at least three bunk beds set up in your home …almost everyone you know has less children than you do …people say, “Wow! How do you manage?” …people ask you, out of the blue, if you are Mormon or Catholic. …you buy your pots and pans in the restaurant supply store …supposed “family size” food portions seem awfully small …you complain, “Doesn’t anyone make large dining tables anymore?” …you outgrow your mini-van …you\’ve heard “Don’t you know what causes that? ” more times than you’d care to remember …you\’ve forgotten what it’s like to be alone anywhere else but in the bathroom …your children never run out of playmates among their siblings …everything you buy is in bulk …people ask, “Don’t you get overwhelmed?” …you and your husband can no longer hold each child’s hand while crossing the street …it takes a wonderfully long time to hug and kiss everybody …one of your children looks wistfully at the newborn and asks you, “Can’t you have another baby really soon? I hardly get to hold this one because everybody else is taking turns.” …you realize that few houses are designed with your family in mind …people ask you if you’ve ever accidentally left any of your children behind …life around your family never seems boring or dull …your tent is the largest one in any campground …you feel sorry for people with only two children …you sometimes wonder what on earth mothers with only two children do with all their spare time …whenever you set your dining table, it looks like it used to look when you were expecting lots of company …you read a cookbook and joke, “They call these meals? Sounds like a little snack to me.” …your gratitude at the abundance of God’s blessing moves you to tears unexpectedly …you start thinking of yourself as “rich in children” …you secretly think that life in your family might possibly be a much more joyous adventure than life in smaller families …you are vastly amused at much modern parenting advice, realizing that it is unnecessary, impossible, impractical, or simply silly to try to apply it in a large family setting …you and your husband laugh, “And to think that when we got married, we wanted only four children!” …your husband sighs happily, “I’ve finally got my dream car”–and it’s a used 15- passenger van. copyright 1996 by Rebecca Prewett

Jacob as “St. Andrew” Jacob is wearing a brown robe I bought from Oriental trading. The beard is also a Oriental trading purchase. I tied a fishing net around his waste. These can be bought in most craft stores. I printed out two fish pictures and taped them on to the net. NOTE: This information and the images are meant to inspire you to make your own costume. I’m sorry, these are not for sale. Without the beard:

Joshua as “St. Sebastian” I used permanent red and black markers to make red lines on Joshua’s white shirt to resemble arrow wounds. His “skirt” is piece of white material with brown felt stripes sewed across the top, like the Romans wore. Joshua held homemade arrows, which I made from sticks. The pointy ends were gray felt with red tips (permanent red maker) and the other end were brown felt “wings”.

My daughter, Hannah, even created a new coloring page for our St. Joseph page! She’s excited to share! So take a look! Download the St Joseph Coloring Page Here: I hope you all stay healthy and safe! May God bless you! ~JenMarie

Hi Everyone! Happy Advent! I know it’s been a while since I have posted; life has been keeping us busy! Jon and I have been working on a project that we wanted to share with you. We created a printable 4-page explanation of the symbolism of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It’s been simplified and organized to help children and teens see the meaning and beauty of the miraculous tilma that helped to convert millions of people! I also created a coloring page with instructions for drawing a rose! My girls had a great time coloring the picture and drawing the roses! Download the Guadalupe Pages Here: I hope you can use and enjoy these two downloads! Have a blessed week! ~Jen-Marie

Today is a big day. It’s actually a really big day. It probably doesn’t seem like much but it is. It’s about beginnings and endings. A long time ago, in a garden far far away, God made Adam and Eve. It was our beginning. From them, all humanity came. At first, everything was perfect, peaceful, and holy. Humanity was in harmony with God and nature. And it was good. But then something happened. The first parents went along with Satan and fell away from God. They disobeyed and something else began: sin. It’s a dirty little word but that’s a good name for it because that is what it does. It makes us spiritually dirty. It stains us and it’s a stain that lasts! Sin didn’t stay with just them, it was passed down to those who came after them. Original sin became like a “spiritual gene”. Those who came after Adam and Eve, were now going to be born without grace. Every child God created, baby after baby after baby, for thousands of years, was condemned to be born with Original sin. They would be born into the kingdom of darkness. They would be born disordered spiritually. You can almost hear Satan say, “That one’s mine, and that one, and that one….they are all mine!”  His influence was easy to see, too. Cain killed Abel, Noah got drunk, Moses kept himself from the Promised Land because of his anger, David allowed one of his soldiers to die so he could have that man’s wife, and the great king Solomon worshiped foreign gods. All big name men, all big falls.  And Satan smiled. Until one day, over two thousand years ago, something new began. The end began. Amidst the darkness of Satan’s kingdom, a single little light shined out. It wasn’t a light any human could see, though. It was the light of a single little baby girl in the womb of Saint Anne. To this one, Satan could NOT say “mine”. This one did NOT have Original Sin. She was not in his kingdom. She was in God’s kingdom . Just as the fall and sin began with Eve, the victory over sin would begin with the new Eve: Mary.  Today is about that day; the day that the first human person was kept from the kingdom of darkness so that she could be the holy, clean, pure mother of the savior and Son of God: Jesus. Today is Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Today is the day when the ending of sin would begin. Last night before the vigil Mass of the Immaculate Conception I saw a bumper sticker. It seems really appropriate for what God said to Satan when He made Mary.  Thank you and God Bless!— Jonathan Lawrence

As many of you know, we have a growing online Catholic jewelry business. It started small but didn’t stay so small! Through this, God has certainly blessed us and our whole family (and our children’s orthodontist)! More importantly, it’s been a blessing for us to provide necklaces, bracelets, and bangles to families all over the world. And it’s more than just a medal and chain. Far more! We are blessed to be involved in important times in people’s lives: the birth of a child, baptism, marriage, Confirmations, First Communions, fighting cancer, the death of a loved one, and so much more! We are extremely grateful to all of you who have allowed us to provide jewelry during these very important times in their lives! THANK YOU! But… At times, we have not been able to provide an item that has been asked of us. We don’t want to let people down and never like disappointing anyone! One of the requests that we had received MANY times was for a tiny St. Cecilia medal. While we certainly could provide larger size ones, smaller sized ones were not available to us. We had to tell many of you “no” because it was one that we could not provide…until now! Working with our supplier, we were able to have one produced in Italy exclusively for Catholic Inspired ! We waited for 4 months while they were created! We had high hopes for how they would turn out and we were not disappointed! Wow! Very nice craftsmanship! Please check out our shop to see these beautiful medals! If you are looking for something unique for a loved one or friend who loves music or is a musician, then please consider this since St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, especially church music, as well as musicians, singers, composers, instrument makers, and poets. She is also the patron saint of the blind. And now that we have this new tiny St. Cecilia medal in our armory of medals, we can use it to create all kinds of custom designs, too! We can add it to a bangle, put other charms with it, and make it fit your personal taste! We currently only have one shop listing with this medal but we will be adding more designs. If you want to personalize this, feel free to contact us! To commemorate this, we are offering a 10% discount on EVERYTHING in our shop from Nov. 22, 2017, until the end of the day on Nov. 28th, 2017! Please use the coupon code: CECILIA10 Thank you and God Bless!

Lent, the time for prayer, giving, and sacrifice, is upon us yet again. It seems to come around faster every year! Well, to be honest, I have NO CLUE what I want to do this year for Lent. I have had a crazy few weeks leading up till now and the idea of Lent feels a bit overwhelming. I mean that it’s really adding more stress to my already stressful life! Right? No, I actually don’t think that’s what it’s meant to do.  As I sit here in this rare moment of quiet and think about the meaning of Lent, I realize it’s about giving everything over to God. It’s about not focusing on the stress of life, but just living in the very moment you are in and allowing God to handle it while you take the next faith-centered step to do what make the most sense in your situation, family, and home. Lent is about showing God through prayer, giving, and sacrifice that you’re okay with His plan for you. And that even though each day of your life is a stress and a struggle, you believe that every minute of each day you can still show God that He is your center. Lent is about finding peace in the rat race of life and being okay with not getting everything just right or not being perfectly comfy. Because life is not about being a perfect human and it’s not about comfort; it’s 100% about trying your best to stay on the path to holiness. It’s about pushing yourself farther than you have up to this point. It’s about taking a humble step each day toward becoming a saint. So what is the meaning of the uncomfortable Lent? It’s about humbly and happily showing God that we are not of this world and will do something faith-centered, difficult, or uncomfortable to prove it! At this time of year, there are countless lists of things you can do to offer a loving sacrifice for Our Lord. I’m going to offer a few more suggestions: Physical Sacrifice Deal with the cold (if you live in a cold climate like me) -No gloves, just put your hands in your pockets -No heat in your car. Cut back or give up sweets or tobacco products Turn off electronic devices and spend more time talking face-to-face with those around us Give up empty television – If you must watch TV, then watch spiritual shows: Movies about the lives of the saints, Bible movies, EWTN, or shows that educate you about the faith – anything that helps you think more about God and His plan. Stop selfish grumbling. Humble Sacrifice Say “thank you” (not just “thanks” because saying “you” means more) to those who are kind to you or have done kind things in the past Take better care of the children or parents in our lives. Be more attentive and involved with them (talking, playing games together, work on projects together) When someone wrongs you, offer it up as a sacrifice in your heart because God frequently allows bad things to happen so we know that the person(s) involved need prayers Don’t be so quick to make rash judgments. Always try to think of other reasons a person may have done something rude or mean. Always try to think of their side of things and consider multiple reasons why a person acts they way they do. No one is perfect – NO ONE – so stop giving harsh criticism. “Do unto others…” … never refuse to help a person in need (as long as it’s safe for you and those around you). Pray & Meditation: Pray sincerely for someone you really don’t like Make a good examination of conscience and go to confession Go to daily Mass or read the daily readings at the USCCB website Talk to God daily like He was your best friend! Stop grumbling about the failings of others and pray for them instead. Say the Angelus each day of Lent. If you already do, pick a different prayer to add to your daily routine. Say a daily Rosary or at least a decade. You might like this article: HERE  If you already do pray the Rosary consider adding the Divine Mercy Chaplet to your daily prayers. Faith Learning: Spend time learning and researching questions which you have about the faith. Visit Catholic Answers Website or the Catholic Answers Forum Read the catechism! It is online HERE Read books about the faith. For Example, books by Mike Aquilina , Scott Huhn , Donna-Marie Copper O’Boyle ,  Matt Leonard , or Steve Hemler are a start. Visit The Catholic Book Blogger for more Book ideas. Finally, learn more about the meaning of Lent. Here’s a good list of frequently asked Lenten questions: HERE I don’t believe that this list is even close to being a complete list. Nor is it a list that a person should pick only one item to sacrifice. We are all called to more! Strive to make Lent as full as possible. Focus more on God and others and less on yourself.

Last year I took a closer look at the Liturgical candle that was in our church. While the candle was beautiful and ornate, I couldn’t help but notice the inverted cross. In recent times, the upside down cross is used as an anti-Christian symbol. It is meant to turn the tables on Jesus’ victory and show the devil’s victory. In reality, this upside-down cross is actually a very old symbol that goes back to Saint Peter, the first pope, who was crucified as Jesus was but upside down. Peter was fleeing the growing persecution in Rome and along the way meets Jesus. He asks our Lord, “Quo vadis (Where are you going?)” His reply is a gentle rebuke: “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” Peter understood what Jesus meant. Turning around, he returned to the city to later be crucified, as Jesus had previously, but for Peter it would be upside down. So just as the cross is the symbol of Jesus’ death and triumph, so too the upside down cross is about Peter’s death. There is even a church in Rome called “Domine Quo Vadis” which is dedicated to this meeting! Since then, the Catholic church has used this upside down cross to refer to either Peter himself or subsequent popes after him. Another symbol of the pope is keys. The origin of the keys goes back to when Jesus made Peter the first pope. This found in Matthew 16:13-19: When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” To understand the importance of what a key meant, you’ll have to go back a little further to the book of Isaiah 15:15, 19-25. This is the part of the Bible which Jesus was actually making a reference to: “Thus says the Lord, the GOD of hosts: Up, go to that official, Shebna, master of the palace,(say) I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah I will clothe him with your robe, gird him with your sash, confer on him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open. I will fix him as a peg in a firm place, a seat of honor for his ancestral house; On him shall hang all the glory of his ancestral house: descendants and offspring, all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs. On that day, says the LORD of hosts, the peg fixed in a firm place shall give way, break off and fall, and the weight that hung on it shall be done away with; for the LORD has spoken.” Each year, the church celebrates the feast of The Chair of St. Peter on Feb. 22nd. In fact, cathedra is the Latin word for “chair”. Cathedral comes from this word because that was where the Bishop’s chair was. However, while there is a true piece of furniture by that name, the significance of this feast is about the role of pope. The Lord knew that we would always need to have a father in charge of the Christian family on earth; someone to shepherd and guide us. The chair of St. Peter is about the role of pope, his authority, and his mission to help protect and care for the church. Ultimately, it is about the pope being a father (which is what the word “pope” means). Beyond any one pope in particular, we celebrate that we have had an unbroken line of popes back to the first pope, Peter. By God’s love and grace, we always have had a father for the church militant here on earth. Happy Father’s day! Written by Jonathan Lawrence – A cradle Catholic, a husband, and a father of 9 children. He enjoys teaching his children about the stories in the Holy Bible and is happy to share a little with you.

Here are a few pages of printable valentines. I made these  last year , but this year I made a new version of these. I was able to update them to look more like I wanted them to look last year. I\’m adding links to both here so you can choose which ones you like the best! How to use them: Simply print the Valentines onto stock paper.  Color them if you printed the black and white cards  Fold the ends over the picture.  Add a sticker or tape to keep it closed.  Write who the card is to and from on the back. Download the Valentines here: There are three versions of this Valentine:  Heart-Cross version in color (ready to use), the  Heart-Cross Version in black and white, and t he *NEW* Crucifix version. Here is a view of the pages: Feel free to download these free files above! God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

As Lent moves along, kids (and grown-ups) forget that it’s still a time for sacrificing. I see my kids (and myself) lapsing on the sacrifices. So, to get us all back on track my kids and I made a “cross tree” as a reminder to keep it up.  Our tree is full of  “no complaint crosses”. Each cross has a task written on it. These tasks are things the kids should do without complaint! The key point here is “without complaint”. I don’t know about all of you other moms out there, but my kids will do the task given to them after they voice their complaint! I remind them that Jesus took his sufferings without complaint and we all need to do our daily duties without complaint, too!  Each of the crosses have a daily duty listed on them. The daily duties are things that we have to do each day, but they are things that we should do without complaint. Some of the things that we wrote on the crosses were: “doing our chores”, “helping our brothers and sisters”, “brushing our teeth”, “cleaning our room”, plus, things like “no wining, instead asking nicely”, or “no complaining about others”, “don’t complain when you are bored”, “no complaining about the temperature in the room” (that’s a hard one for me) etc… We easily added 20 crosses to our tree. It was a great reminder for the kids to keep the Lenten sacrificing in mind throughout the day and to not complain about the things we can do as a sacrifice for God! How we made our tree: I printed the crosses onto purple paper. (purple for sacrifice) Just cut a piece of purple construction to a size that will fit into your copier. I printed the second and third pages onto red paper.(red for Christ’s Passion) The kids made a list of daily activities, which they should do without complaint. I wrote them on the crosses for the younger kids and they hung them on the tree. We made our tree with sticks and an old glass jar filled with rocks (to weigh it down). They can even add a cross whenever they think of another situation when they shouldn’t complain. Download Preview: Download the Tree Ornaments Here: I think kids need to be reminded that complaining is not good. And hopefully I won’t have to say, “I’m sure Jesus never complained to his mother when she asked him to sweep the floor.”  lol! Really, my kids are pretty good kids! But we all need to be reminded to do our daily duties without grumbling – even me! May God Bless the remainder of your Lent! ~Jen-Marie