Back Into The Swing

Happy Fall Ladies!  Our last post (or more accurately my last post) was in the Spring and now we find ourselves getting ready for cooler weather, pumpkins, and the holiday season.  To say that a lot has happened since April would be a massive understatement.  Babies have been born, pregnancies have been announced, and God has continued to Bless us all!  In MYC news, we grew in membership and filled our summer with group play dates, MNOs (Moms' Night Out), and engaging discussions during our meetings.  A big thanks to Julie Gavin for leading a discussion about "The 5 Love Languages," to Maureen O'Connell for creating, organizing, and distributing our "Feed the Hungry" MYC cookbook, and to the entire group for contributing to discussions about "Homegrown Faith for Little Ones," "Balancing Our Lives and Our Selves," and "Submission to and Reliance Upon God's Will."

"Jesus has chosen to show me the only way which leads to the divine furnace of love:

it is the way of childlike self surrender, the way of a child who sleeps,

afraid of nothing in his father's arms."

St. Therese of Lisieux

The latter of these discussions was part of our September meeting just yesterday and proved to be one of our most engaging talks to date.  We shared examples from our own lives in which God's Will for us turned out to be better than any plans we could have imagined on our own.  Going along with God's plans; however, wasn't always easy and many also shared the challenges that go with submission to God. As I reflected more on our talk last evening, another example of the difficulties and fruits of discerning and submitting to God's Will came to mind -- the formation of this ministry!  I remember just 3 years ago sitting in the Cry Room during Mass with two then-toddlers and thinking, "Why doesn't OLL have a Mom's Group?  Why won't anyone just start a group already?"  I prayed about it for a few months and began to hear God's Will.  As is often the case, I wasn't thrilled with what I was hearing.  "Me?  You want ME to start a group?  Don't you know I'm super-busy with these two little ones, God?  Surely there is a "less busy" mom out there who can head this up."  But no, God was calling me.  And, like Marybeth said in our meeting yesterday, sometimes if we don't take up God's offer, someone else will.  I'm surely glad I decided to go with God's plan on this one!

The first meeting of MYC was in October of 2011.  I expected to have a few moms show up and wondered where we would do from there.  What would they be like?  What would they want from a group like ours?  Why hadn't they started a group?  Surely they weren't as busy as I.  Then I met them... and quickly realized that I wasn't the busiest mom on the block!  I also started to realize that we are all busy - in our own ways and with our own lives.  But we all prayed for and needed a forum in which to grow as mothers, wives, and women of God. These 3 moms (and you know who you are) each helped mold MYC into the substantive, enriching, and encouraging ministry that we are today.  And all of you who have joined over the past two years bring life and love to our group. I guess what I'm trying to say here is "Happy Anniversary MYC" and "THANK YOU" members!

-- Maria File

Grace Before Meals

"In my experience, nothing creates a better environment for a

great conversation than time shared in the kitchen." - Fr. Leo

March's MYC meeting included a presentation on a recent mission held at Our Lady of Lourdes.  Angela Augustine led a discussion about Fr. Leo Patalinghug's Grace Before Meals, a program designed to bring families closer to each other, and to God, through the making and sharing of meals.  Angela outlined the underpinnings of Fr. Leo's three presentations - The Call to Sainthood, Mary's Role in Our Faith, and The Importance of Prayer.  On the first night of the mission, Fr. Leo reminded us all that while our idea of what a saint is, does, or looks like might be radically different than how we view ourselves, we are all nonetheless called to sainthood in a very real way.  He encouraged us all to be proud and open about our Catholic faith, especially in a time when it is so misunderstood and misinterpretted by others.  Not only should we know what we believe, but we should embrace and reveal it to others in public settings.  Fr. Leo pointed out that this could be as simple as making the Sign of the Cross when out to dinner with our families, rather than simply saying the Blessing without doing so, or even worse, omitting the Blessing alltogether! 

The second evening of the Grace Before Meals mission revolved around a discussion of Mary as our Spiritual Mother, Intercessor, and Mediatrix. Perhaps nothing is more misunderstood about Catholicism (both by Catholics and non-Catholics alike) than this particular aspect of our Faith. Fr. Leo employed the analogy that having a strong and vibrant relationship with Jesus's mother allows us access to the Son in ways only a Mother may provide.  Praying the Rosary is like "looking through Jesus's baby album and scrapbooks;" we are led through His miracles, victories, struggles and ultimate Redemption in a very real way!

The final night of the mission dealt with the importance of Prayer.  Using a culinary anacroynm, Fr. Leo shared the power of the PB&J - Patience, Balance, and Joy.  Our prayer time should be focused and regular, and bring with it the joy of knowing Christ. Fr. Leo reminded us of the benefits of the Sacraments of Reconcilliation and the Eucharist in providing us with the ongoing grace needed to deepen our prayer life and relationship with God.  Many thanks to Angela for sharing this information with the group!  To learn more about Fr. Leo and Grace Before Meals, visit http://gracebeforemeals.com/.

- Maria File

A Lenten Invitation

"Lent invites us, through the traditional practices of the Christian
life, to nourish our faith by careful and extended
listening to the Word of God and by receiving the Sacraments,

and at the same time to grow in charity and in love
for God and neighbor, not least through the specific practices of
fasting, penance, and almsgiving."

 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, for Lent 2013

Our February discussion on the importance of Lent, led by Nadia P, opened with the above invitation to "nourish our Faith" as we prepare for the joy of Easter.  Nadia skillfully navigated the group through each aspect of Benedict's call - Prayer, Fasting and Abstinence, Penance, and Almsgiving.  We discussed the many forms our daily prayer might take, including saying devotionals such as the Rosary or Angelus, visiting the Blessed Sacrament in our parish's Adoration Chapel, reading and meditating on the Word of God, and blessing our food.  As busy mothers and wives, it is crucial that we carve out time for God, His Word, and Prayer each day.  Nadia reminded us that we need not wait for a consecutive hour or more of silent time to speak with God (although if we are provided with such it is ideal) - we can pray with our children in short increments during the day, we can devote 10 minutes to reading Scripture as we drink our coffee, or we can simply have a conversation with God as we go about our daily chores.

During our discussion of Fasting & Abstinence, which are habits especially honed during Lent but also those which we are called to in spirit throughout the year, we focused on the big picture.  Nadia summarized this well by stating in her presentation, "The more profound sense is fasting from sin, from evil, and being able to reorder our passions in order to achieve reconciliation with oneself.  It is to do things in as much as they bring us close to the Lord, and stop doing them in as much as they distance us from Him."  We teach our children every day (many, many times over) to master themselves and their emotions, to understand what "no" means when it's said out of love, and to care for others as well as themselves -- Lent helps us remember these lessons ourselves.

Equally as important as fasting & abstinence is the concept of penance.  Our group explored how mortification and self-sacrifice help us live in the Lenten spirit each day.  To offer a proper penance, it should come from love (rather than being a reaction to fear and/or a mechanical response to a rule imposed by the Church).  It is about accepting our crosses with humility and joy, and facing the setbacks that are presented to us each day with a purity of spirit.  Bluntly put - "It is living detachment."  Group members offered common ways in which we can achieve such penance, including working harder to give more to others, putting the desires of others before our own, and acting humbly when conflicts arise in our homes.  Surely God doesn't want us to be doormats (they're passive and unresponsive, after all) - Rather, we are called to act as Christ did and do all for the love of the Father and this people.

Our Lenten discussion ended with a reminder that Almsgiving means more than financial contributions to our parish, Diocese, and the like.  Almsgiving springs from fasting, abstinence, and penance -- as we shift our focus away from our selves and toward God, we are instantly directed to love Him through his people.  Material gifts and gifts of the spirit involve us in the salvific work of Christ.  Visiting the sick and elderly, helping a friend or stranger in need, and giving our time to those who need it most are just a few ways in which we can prepare our Hearts for Easter.

Let us keep these benchmarks in mind as we approach the final two weeks of Lent with contrite and joyous hearts!

Mothers' Night Out

MYC will be hosting a Mothers' Night Out (MNO) on Wednesday, March 6th at 7pm.  We will meet at Casa Carbone for fantastic food, drink, and conversation.  Hope you all can join us!

Catching Up - NFP Testimonials and Gratitude

The final two meetings of 2012 complimented each other nicely in their focus on both the struggles and rewards of living in accordance with God's Will and His Church. October's meeting centered around a discussion of the logistics, benefits, and challenges of practicing Natural Family Planning (NFP).  The group reviewed the theological underpinnings of the Church's requirement that married couples remain "open to the gift of life" and considered what such a call means in our current day and age.  Many of the misconceptions about NFP were highlighted and the open and comfortable forum allowed practicing NFP members to offer answers and encouragement to those interested in learning more about this topic.  Additional information, including a schedule of upcoming classes, may be found at The Couple to Couple League, and more resources about Marriage and Family may be found on our Favorite Resources page.

One of the benefits to practicing NFP and opening your hearts and your Marriage more fully to God's Will comes in the deeper sense of gratitude we experience with such surrender.  In this way, November's discussion on the concept and importance of gratitude in our lives was a perfect tie in. Julie Gavin centered this discussion around the lyrics to Paul Simon's "Call Me Al."  The group considered what the song's message truly was, then carried it into their own lives.  We identified times in our lives when we felt the most grateful, and many of us realized that it was often during the times when we had "little," or when we were actually struggling the most.  Therefore, we reminded each other that gratitude itself is a gift, and that we are called to be grateful every day for all that God presents to us -- even when His "gifts" seem more like punishments or failures.  Thank you so much to Julie for helping MYC end its first year on such a positive note!

- Maria File