Mark 1:15
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
As we approached Lent, it seemed like I had obstacles in the way of my goals. Brett and I intended to head to Mass early on Ash Wednesday, to beat the crowds. It worked out well for us, schedule wise, since we could then drop the boys off at school and head home.
The morning did not go as smoothly as I had hoped – despite me getting up early. I fought my tendency to yell and scream, and we finally got the children rustled up and out the door.
There are days when I’d love to take a picture at Mass, so everyone can see how crazy my children can be. Brett compares it to going to the dentist and having teeth pulled.
I gave myself another patience trial on Friday, when we packed up the whole Kaboodle, and headed out to church again. We managed to make it through Vespers (a totally new experience for me) and Stations of the Cross without me losing all of my hair.
Taking all of my littles to church is certainly a challenge for me. I’m trying to stay focused and have reasonable expectations — even though it’s a little bit out of my comfort zone!
Want a saint who exemplifies taking those big steps out of your comfort zone? This week marks the feast day (March 3) of Saint Katherine Drexel.
She is one of only two American born saints, who came from a millionaire banking family. Her family placed a high emphasis on travel, faith formation and a compassion for the poor and needy.
She became a philanthropist, paying particular attention to the plight of Native Americans and African-Americans. After a meeting with Pope Leo XII, she became a missionary, giving more than twenty million dollars to build a religious order committed to continuing her ministry.
When I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself, and think, “What good am I? How can one person help?”, I’ll be reminded of her amazing story, and the effects that live on today.
Let me know how your Lent is shaping up! Are you keeping your commitments?
Looking for more faith filled posts? You’ll find me visiting Soli Deo Gloria,Sabbath Moments,Scripture and a Snapshot, Sunday Snippets, Spiritual Sundays, Hear it on Sunday, Playdates with God,Titus 2sday,On Your Heart Tuesday,Domestically Divine Tuesdays,Gratituesday,Word Filled Wednesdays, Walk With Him Wednesdays, iFellowship, Planting Mustard Seeds, Good Morning Girls,and Journeys of Faith Fridays.
Church with a bunch of preschoolers can be tricky. Persevere though- the only thing that helps is continued practice going to church! Special services that don’t follow the usual order are much harder for them too. I try to review what’s going to be different ahead of time and it seems to help.
Some behaviors can be practiced at home too- songs and responses that are commonly used, sitting still for 5-10 minutes at a time etc. Keep on taking them to church as calmly as you can, don’t be afraid to take them out of the service if needed (I had to remove our three year old from the front pew of the Ash Wednesday service this week!) and remember that in the long run if they come to love God and His Church that is the goal.
Blessings!
Kyndra
I know you have loads of great tips! My patience is thin at this point in my pregnancy. I know you can empathize.
Thankfully, we’re in a church that is very child friendly. I’ve never gotten any complaints, thank goodness. How are you feeling?
Doing fairly well, with ten weeks to go, although I did just have to do the three hour glucose test. Hoping that I passed it and haven’t developed gestational diabetes!
My patience can be terribly thin too. I try to remember that nothing is as much the “end of the world” as I feel it is…and God gives grace daily and even from minute to minute…K
I’m a screamer too. Sometimes the devil tries to tell me “Hey, at least you’re not a hitter! That’s gotta count for something!” and I have to remember to tell him to get the heck behind me. I have a Kathryn who loves to read about St. Katherine Drexel. I’ll try to remind her to do some extra reading today 🙂
You better believe Satan tries to tell us things …. most often I hear, “You’re a pitiful mother!” Sigh. Argh.
Thanks so much for linking up today!
Holy cow….you have just given me a light bulb moment. I might have to write about it. If I do, I’m going to lavish you in praise for this bit of wisdom!
Thank you for your truthfulness about your struggles w/ your children on getting to mass and during the service. It is helpful to know my children aren’t the only crazies!
Thanks for coming by, Sarah.
I try to put up a good front when we’re out in public, but boy, oh boy, it’s rough around here at times!
I’ve been taking my 3 year old and 9 month old to church by myself the last few weekends because my husband has had to work. Today, I spent the entire time praying for God to give me patience and realistic expectations.
My 3 year old is definitely getting better, but my 9 month old is difficult because she’s at that babbling stage and she always seems to get really loud during the most solemn and important moments. I never know when I should excuse us.
We keep doing it though!
Babies are easy – when they are in the stage where they don’t talk much. I’ll take babbling over crying any old day!
You’re exactly right — I need to have realistic expectations as well. I tend to stay longer than my husband will, before bolting to the cry room. It’s hard to exemplify any kind of good behavior in there. My deacon calls it ChickFila Church. 🙂
Thanks for sending me the reminders to join you here. I enjoy your posts and will, at some point, get my act together to participate.
No pressure, Barb! We’re happy to have you stop by!!
Thank you for joining me in Sabbath Moments! Love your post here. Reminds me of those long ago years when I had the same struggles!
Katharine Drexel is my parish’s patron saint! God bless!
You’re more than welcome! So happy to have you stop by!
I loved reading about her – I learned a lot, for certain!
I enjoyed the video. What a beautiful church and sounds like a wonderful place to worship and serve. Hang in there with those kiddies. They will be grown before you know it and things they experience at church will be with them for a lifetime.
Blessings,
Charlotte
Saint Martin is STUNNING — seriously one of the crown jewels in our area.
Some days are easier than others. We try to attend a lot of Daily Masses, since they are shorter than the weekend ones.
Thanks for stopping by!
I echo the words of the others about church and the littles. It’s just one of our burdens ;). But when they get it…oh, my, what a blessing. Adding another saint to my repertoire!
You’re exactly right — I was taking Thomas back to the bathroom (for the third time!), and he looked up, noticing the statues and stained glass. He says, “Oh, LOOK, momma! There’s God!”
You betcha, buddy!
Thanks for coming by today! Great to see you again!
Such truth spoken, thank you.
Thanks for your kind words, Denise!
This is very interesting – The saints are so inspirational. Thank you for sharing.
I had never heard of that saint. Thanks for sharing her story. Your comment about one person making a difference reminds me of the man on the beach throwing starfish back out to sea. When asked why he did it—he couldn’t possibly save them all. What difference did it make? He picked one up, threw it back, and said, “It makes a difference to that one.” I don’t know who the author is, but I love that story!
I love learning about all of the Saints….I wanted to be a philanthropist as a child…still do…