Liturgical Seasons

7 Tips for Reverently Viewing Mass from Home

Rose of Sharon Church in Crisis, Lent, Marraige and Family Life

Family prayingWe are in a time when we cannot go to our normal place of worship and celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the rest of our church community. Yet the third commandment tells us that we are to keep holy the sabbath day! It has been suggested that we watch Mass online or on TV. This is a wonderful opportunity for the domestic Church (which is the family) to delve deeper into the beauty of the Mass.

Below are suggested tips for reverently viewing Mass from home. Be sure to read them all well in advance and have the children help get things ready. Most all the tips are very kid-friendly, and they will truly enjoy the Mass much more if they help prepare!

1. All on Board
First, discuss with your family members when you will all come together for Mass. Keeping with your family’s normal routine would be ideal, so a good idea is to choose a time close to when you would ordinarily attend Mass on Sunday. However, if you decide to watch a live stream, then your time frame might need to change. Online Mass links are at the end of the article. Another option is to watch a televised Mass. EWTN broadcast theirs on Sunday at 7:00am, 11:00am and 6:00pm, as well as every day of the week.

2. Technology Check
Check out the different options for watching Mass and see what best fits your family. Of course, viewing on a bigger screen would be ideal versus using a phone. Do a test run sometime beforehand to make sure all is good to go. Trying to figure things out right before you are scheduled to watch can really take away from the atmosphere of reverence that you are trying to establish. This is also a good time to print out the readings for the day and the Mass responses if you would like to follow along during Mass. Once again, links can be found at the end.

3. Prepare the Worship Space
Choose a space where you would have a good view of the screen and where you can set up some chairs to make a pew or two. Yes, resist the temptation to lounge on the couch or the recliner! You should not be so comfortable that you are tempted to fall asleep during Mass. (Is that why the pews are so hard in church?) Remember we also kneel and stand in Mass, so make sure you have enough space for that.

4. Set up a Home Altar
Somewhere close to the viewing screen, set up a small table. A simple TV tray would work. This is Lent and the liturgical color is purple, so put something purple on your home altar. A scarf, a t-shirt or even a purple piece of paper. Then put an unlit candle on or two on the altar. How about a crucifix? Maybe some spring flowers that are sprouting up in the lawn. This is a step that you can definitely let the children do – and the home altar can stay up all during Lent and into the Easter season! Just be sure to change out the purple color to white for Easter.

5. Shortly Before Mass
Get dressed! Put on the nice clothes that you would normally wear when traveling out to go to Mass in your church community. This is a special event, so don’t wear your pajamas, even though you are in the comfort of your home. Make sure all distractions (phones and other electronic devices) are turned off and put away. Toys should also be put away. “Arrive” at least 5 minutes early before the viewing is to start. Have the children light the candles on your home altar. Spend some quiet time in prayer.

6. During Mass
Actively participate! Sing the songs, say the prayer responses. Stand, kneel or sit at the appropriate times during Mass. Do something we have not been able to do lately at Mass…hold hands during the Our Father and give the kiss of peace to each other! Resist the temptation to talk or get up and go to the bathroom. Act as if you were truly in the large church building with others around you and quietly and reverently take part for the entire hour.

7. After Mass
Donuts? Breakfast Tacos? Go to Grandma’s? Try to do whatever you normally do after Mass on Sundays. It might mean making your breakfast tacos or donuts at home if you normally go out for those things. You could Skype Grandma for a visit. Make sure to include time to discuss the readings and homily. Also get feedback from all family members as to what went well or what might need tweaking for your next home viewing of the Mass, for this might be the new norm this for a while.

Links to help the Domestic Church:
Online Mass Options
https://www.archgh.org/onlinemass
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Mass readings, the order of the Mass text, Liturgy of the Hours
https://giveusthisday.org/Digital
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/032120.cfm

Sunday Mass Prep for Kids (coloring page and video)
https://www.holyheroes.com/MassPrep-s/57.htm?Click=6412

© Rose of Sharon

THE PERFECT LATTE – A Pre-Lenten Reflection

Rose of Sharon Lent

heart-latte“Mmm….just right!” your mouth tells you as you take a sip of the perfect latte, cappuccino, coffee, hot tea or whatever you start your day with. But if there’s too much sugar, not enough cream, or the temperature is too cold or too hot, it can throw a wrench in the works. You mumble & grumble and pour and stir until you get it just right. How do I know? Because I find myself scrupulously preparing my cup of morning brew!

We live in a society that tends to gratify our every desire. And we are inundated with soooo many choices in which to indulge ourselves. “Go ahead,” they say “You deserve it!” And a lot of times you are looked down upon if you try to exercise a little self-control and temperance.

Here’s a thought: Make a conscious effort to break your normal routine. It can be as simple as skipping the sugar in your coffee or having carrot sticks with your sandwich instead of chips. Yes, it is a sacrifice, but giving up something you enjoy is a sign of love. And what the world needs now is more love, NOT a perfect cup of latte.

May you have a love-filled and spiritually productive Lent!

 

This post was previously published on February 13, 2017
© Rose of Sharon

My Parents’ Very Unusual Christmas Gift

Rose of Sharon Christmas, Marraige and Family Life, Personal Reflections

MY PARENTS' Very Unususal Christmas Gift

A humongous box of firecrackers? A kitten in a basket? Those gifts may be unusual, but they are nothing like the very unusual Christmas gift I received from my parents. My parents’ very unusual Christmas gift was something that can’t be packaged and tied up with a string. They gave it not only to me but to my siblings as well. It was not something that we touched, but something we experienced. The very unusual gift that my parents gave was that of a slow Christmas.

Just what is that?
I’m glad you asked. A slow Christmas is the opposite of a chaotic Christmas. For most people the holidays are hectic. A frenzied rush of trying to get everything done. This frantic mode seems to permeate everything we do from shopping for presents, to decorating the house, to cooking holiday treats, and opening gifts. The hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas can easily cause us to miss the true importance of the holiday. My parents’ slow Christmas helped us to have a deeper appreciation of this special day.

Here’s what it was like:
I can still see it. The sheet that my parents hung in the opening to the living room to hide where the tree and presents were. It was Christmas morning and Christmas Mass came first. It was hard, knowing that all our gifts were right there ready to be opened and played with, but we were not allowed to go in and look. The slow Christmas had begun.

After Mass, my parents knelt and said extra prayers as they always did after Mass. I knelt too, trying to pray, but my mind kept wondering what was behind that sheet. If I prayed, it was probably that my parents would hurry up and finish their prayers.

The family had to be fed when we got home, so mom warmed up her cherry nut bread and wassail. We sat down together, said grace, ate breakfast and cleaned up. Then we were finally allowed to go behind the sheet to the tree full of presents. The lucky thing about being the youngest…I got to in go first! We did not all rush in at once. You see, my parents only let us in one at a time. It didn’t make much sense to me back then, but now I know they wanted to see the joy of each individual child’s face as they came in.

The best part!
First came the gifts from Santa, which were not wrapped. After we spent time oohing and aahing and playing with our Santa gifts, it was time to open the wrapped presents. This was the pinnacle of our slow Christmas.

First, we all had to be there. If someone had stepped out to go to the bathroom or get another mug of wassail, my parents waited till they got back. Nothing could be opened until all eight of us were there.

My dad would slowly get one package from under the tree, read the tag silently to himself, then make eye contact with the person who it was for, and drawl out the words, “to Sharon from Mark,” or whoever it was to and from.

After carefully handing the present to the person, everyone gave their full attention to the family member opening the present. We all got to experience the delight of the person opening their gift. If you were the person who had purchased the gift, it was extra special watching them open and enjoy what you had lovingly picked out for them. We did not rush right away to another gift. Time was given to enjoy the gift and of course to thank the person who gave it to you.

When it felt right, my dad would leisurely get another gift and repeat the process. One.  Gift.  At.  A.  Time. This, of course, took a while to open all the gifts under the tree but savoring the moment and being fully present during each opening was actually a gift in itself. We obviously grew in the virtue of patience, and we also learned that it is truly better to give than receive.

Something different…
As a child, I took all of this for granted. A slow Christmas was the only type of Christmas I had experienced. But as an adult, I came to see that other families did things differently.

I remember the first Christmas I spent away from home. As I watched this family open gifts I was in shock. They sat around the tree and opened their presents all at the same time. Yes, ALL at the same time! They did not open one gift at a time. They did not stop to enjoy their loved ones opening the presents they gave them. And hardly a “thank you” was spoken. It all seemed to be about me-me-me and what I was getting, not about others and the joy in giving.

Though I did not experience a peaceful and slow Christmas that first year away from home, it opened my eyes. I realized what a special ritual my parents had created. Exchanging presents the way we did, not only was a way to show appreciation and gratitude, but it strengthened our bonds with each other.

Traditions
Every family has their traditions. Put the tree up on Thanksgiving; put it up on Christmas Eve. Have turkey; have ham. Watch the Nutcracker; watch A Christmas Carol. Have a hurried and frenzied Christmas; have a slow Christmas.

My parents’ very unusual gift of a slow Christmas was intentional. The peaceful pace was a way to honor the sacredness of the day. From taking our time at Mass and breakfast to not rushing through the opening of the gifts. The method they established of opening the presents fostered a sense of altruism and was a tradition that I knew I wanted to continue as I got married and started a family.

A slow Christmas is something I have strived for over the years, and honestly, I have fallen short many times. The one part of the slow Christmas that I have managed to carry on year after year is that of opening one – gift – at – a – time. A tradition started by my parents. A tradition I have passed on to my children. And it is a tradition I offer to you.

God bless, and have yourself a very merry, slow Christmas.

© Rose of Sharon 12.22.2019

A Cry In The Wilderness

Rose of Sharon Advent, Liturgical Seasons

a-cry-in-the-wilderness

The terrifying roar woke me. I shivered with fear and pulled my sleeping bag over my head wondering what in the world I just heard out there in the wilderness of the campground.

Wolf? No way.

What woke me was NOT a bark or a howl. I waited, and it came again…a fierce roar that made me wonder if there were lions in Texas. The primal growl, I found out the next morning from the park ranger, came from the alligators that populated the camp.

That cry in the wilderness that jolted me from my slumber many years ago reminds me of the great Advent saint; John the Baptist. “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way.” John 1:23

John’s cry in the wilderness of Judea was heard by many. They came for miles around to hear his passionate preaching. John had no problem with rebuking and challenging. Repent! Repent, he cried. Those whose hearts were moved confessed their sins and were baptized.

john-the-baptist

There is a cry in the wilderness today. Can you hear it?

During the clamor and commotion of the holiday season, it can be hard to hear. Let the cry in the wilderness wake you. Let it shock you into repentance. Let that cry pierce your soul to help prepare the way and make straight the path of the Lord. And seriously consider heeding some of John the Baptist’s words, “Anyone who has two coats, should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11 

Oh, what a wonderful Christmas that would be.

feed-the-homeless-a-cry-in-the-wilderness

This post was previously published on December 12, 2016
© Rose of Sharon 12.12.2016

 

As the Darkest Day Draws Near — Find Lights of Hope Here

Rose of Sharon Advent, Liturgical Seasons, Prayer, Scripture Meditations

Light of Hope for the Darkest Days

The darkest day of the year is near. On December 21, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will have the longest night of the year and the shortest period of daylight. There will be over five hours more darkness than we had back in June. That’s a lot of darkness. Below are some quotes about light to help brighten and bring some hope into our cold, dark Advent season. Continue reading →