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A Kid’s Liturgical Year Journal 2012/2013

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In the Catholic church we have a liturgical year.  This year is marked by the special “seasons” of the church–Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time, as well as other holy days mixed in throughout the year.

The “new year” begins on the first day of Advent, December 2, 2012 this year.  The idea of this calendar is not to show the passage of time but rather to understand more fully the life of Jesus–from his birth to the crucifixion then our waiting in glory for his final coming.

Ok, I’m not gonna lie–it is a lot to understand, process on any level and apply it to our lives.  Then in order for me to teach my kids or write about it I needed to have a way to work through it with them.

So I came up with the idea to have a weekly journal that followed the liturgical year.  I love color so I thought I would coincide the weeks with the colors of the liturgical year.  Thank you God for the gift of colors!  God knows how to brighten our days!

My goal is:

  • a new fun way to keep a gratitude journal
  • incorporate the colors of the liturgical year
  • be able to see Holy Days ahead of time and prepare to celebrate more fully
  • mix up our way of learning religion–I can teach multiple ages and a multitude of subjects!

Colors:

White:  joy and victory

Red:  blood and fire

Green:  life and hope

Purple:  coming of Christ and penance and renewal

Rose:  the joy of anticipation

This how the weeks break down:

4 weeks of Advent (3rd week can be pink)

2 weeks of Christmas

6 weeks of Ordinary Time

Ash Wednesday

6 weeks of Lent

1 day of Red–Good Friday  Tridium

8 weeks of Easter

1 day of Red Pentecost

26 weeks of Ordinary Time

I’m trying to keep it simple and “learn as we go” so I will begin with paper in this order:

2 purple

1 pink

1 purple

2 white or gold

6 green

Ash Wednesday–not sure what color to go with on this day

6 purple (I will use a different shade from Advent)

1 Red–Good Friday

8 white or gold

1 day of Red for Pentecost

26 green

I used what I had in the house! I think it looks pretty cool!  For Christmas I found some white paper with gold stars!

Ideas for study:

  • at the beginning of each week write out the Sunday Psalm and see how that speaks to your heart over the next week
  • Take a message from the gospel and apply it to each day of the week.
  • Be mindful of where the mysteries of the rosary will be throughout the year.
  • keep it simple and create a gratitude journal–counting each one–I think my kids will out do each other in gratefulness
  • write a special prayer for each “season”

I am creating 4 of these journals–one for each child.  I will let them determine what they want the focus of the year to be.  For my youngest son I will have him pick one word (a concept word like-peace, hope, love, change  . . . ) to be his focus for the year.

My intention for this form of study is that it will foster a way for the kids to develop their own walk with the Lord this year–but it has specific boundaries.  I would hope that it will be a wonderful devotional for them to look back on.  For the kids that I’m homeschooling it will fulfill religion, writing, handwriting, math (time, months, weeks, visually represent a year), reading (we will share our stories/prayers), art (either drawing or exploring Christian artwork, putting on plays), computer skills–if they want to type a week or two or print off artwork from the internet), social studies (where in the bible are we?), science (what was the weather like in the areas, were their bodies of water?, mountains, what did people eat, what plants were plentiful in different areas)–hopefully you get the idea.

I’m hoping that this idea takes on a life of its own and is a wonderful experience for everyone–but I have been homeschooling long enough to know that it will grow and change into something else.

Please let me know if you decide to embark on this activity and how it works out!   If doing an entire year seems daunting than try just one season.  Or if you read this half way through the year . . . start then!

Be Blessed.

A merry meaningful Christmas

“Who do you say that I am?”

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I inherited four really big pictures of Jesus–they are the 4 gospels of Jesus and the image of Jesus is created by the words of the gospels.  Word pointillism if you will.

These pictures have been moving through the house as I still try and figure out where to put things after our move.  One picture in particular I like and it says

“Who do you say that I am?”
I look at it as one of those conversation starters–Jesus asking me, really asking me–who do I say that he is and how do I express that.  Will my actions reflect that I had this conversation at all?
The other way that I read this is “who do I say that I am–now?”  Lately, I have been referring to myself in the past tense.  I used to play basketball, I used to run 1/2 marathons, I used to quilt, I used to have 3 dogs, I used to have my own business, and the list goes on and on.  If feels somewhat strange to look at my life as it was and even try to compare to where I am now.
I look at my life now and minimize the fact that I do breakfast, lunch and dinner, laundry–sorted, folded and put away (at least once a week), my house is clean for about 1 hour a week, and I spend the rest of the time with my kids.  That is a lot of stuff to keep up with and in my happy heart I know that it is enough. 
Then I see the skinny mom at the gym, the business mom making the deal, insert any mom doing anything that is NOT what I am doing–and then I hear those words “who do you say that I am?” and I wonder about so many things:  do they wish they were home?, wish they could run a 1/2 marathon, make awesome whoopie pies, do they spend as much time as I do thinking about what they were and where they are going? 
During this Lent I have been striving to live more intentionally.  I want to stop thinking about what I was and what I hope to be (by swimsuit season) and live in the NOW.  Enjoy the moment as it is not what it will be or should be or could have been. 
I find it difficult to have such a busy schedule and still live with intention.  It is all a work in progress with starting being the hardest step.
Thank you God for this season of Lent, a season to pause, a season to take a long hard look at what dying on the cross means for us individually.  Help me understand that where I have been, what I thought I was, or hoped to become has brought me to this moment.  Help me to live each day to the fullest and not define myself by what was, but what is yet to become.

Psalm 51

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In Mass today Father Ron’s homily was centered around the first sentence of the first reading from the prophet Joel “Even now says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart”.

The Psalm response was “create in me a clean heart oh God” as I enter Lent I want to let these two simple ideas to take hold of my heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
— Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, open and receptive, so that I may embrace the many ways you choose to visit my life.

Create in me a clean heart, cleared of the refuse of old battles with others and deadly opposition with myself.

Create in me a clean heart, purified through the daily disruptions and the life encounters that take me beyond my grasping control and ego-centeredness.

Create in me a clean heart, freed from the clutter of cultural enticements, so that I can enjoy the beauty of life’s simple things and relish the gifts I so easily take for granted.

Create in me a clean heart, bathed from harsh thoughts, shame, and perfectionist tendencies, warmly welcoming with others with the embrace of nonjudgment.

Create in me a clean heart, brushed free of frantic busyness, so that I will have time to dwell with you in the listening space of solitude and silence.

Create in me a clean heart, rinsed of the residue of false messages about my identity, enabling my inner goodness and light to shine through all I am and do.

Create in me a clean heart, cleansed of anxiety and lack of trust, restoring in me an enduring faith in your abiding presence and unconditional love.

Create in me a clean heart, scrubbed of racism and prejudice, drawing me toward all as my sisters and brothers.

Create in me a clean heart, washed with your mercy and strengthened by your love, helping me to move beyond whatever keeps me from union with you.

Create a clean heart in me, God. Dust off the unmindful activity that constantly collects there. De-clutter my heart from harsh judgments and negativity. Wash away my resistance to working through difficult relationships. Rinse off my unloving so the beauty of my generous and kind heart can shine forth. Remove whatever keeps me from following in your compassionate footsteps. Amen.

From Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season by Joyce Rupp