Will I Have Time to Write a Post Today?

I hope so. I've been thinking a lot about homeschooling methods, ideals and realities.

But we're so busy here celebrating the Octave of Easter, downing Easter candy, polishing off the last of my extraordinarily chocolate birthday cake, and finishing off the Easter dinner leftovers (including this delicious sweet treat that masqueraded as a side dish) that we may be prioritizing Sugar Comas today.

We'll see.

Alleluia! He is Risen!

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was like lightning
and his clothing was white as snow.
The guards were shaken with fear of him
and became like dead men.
Then the angel said to the women in reply,
“Do not be afraid!
I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
‘He has been raised from the dead,
and he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.’
Behold, I have told you.”
Then they went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce this to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

~~ Mt 28:1-10


Painting: Bouguereau, The Three Marys at the Tomb

Bits and Pieces of our Holy Week, Easter Sunday and the Octave

Holy Week

Full of cleaning and prepping. So good to simply take a week to get ready for the biggest feast of the year.

The Triduum 

Holy Thursday Mass together.  Lovely.   Long, Holy Week Masses are so much easier than they used to be.  When I became a Catholic mom, I wanted to focus only on the beauty,  holiness and sacredness of the Mass, but the reality always came down to this: who would need me, and in what way, during Mass? You know the feeling ... you don't want to dread the ninety minutes, or the incense, the intensity of the quiet ... but sometimes you do. Because you've got a two-year-old. Because 7:30 at night is a terrible time to try to combine a toddler with a respectful attitude. Because your husband is working late. Whatever it is.

But it gets easier. I'm in a different stage of life. Most of the time, Ramona is a dream at Mass. Last week, she was voluntarily praying decades of the Rosary before Mass began. Holy Week used to be hard in all the ways mentioned above. But it's not anymore.

Good Friday

A service that always, of course, moves me to tears. This year, as I watched the priest carry the cross forward, I thought, "This is what never changes. Jesus. What He did for us.  For me. He is the Person my faith is in, the Person my faith is all about. No matter how awful people can be to one another -- within the Church and without it -- no matter how much sin will always be rampant in the world, the constant is Jesus. He never allows the core, the essence, the actual teaching of His Church to veer from Truth, no matter how hard we humans try to mess things up. It's that Truth to which I cling. Jesus. His Truth. His Church. His Sacrifice. His Love.

Easter Vigil

It was beautiful, as always. The Exultet was exquisitely sung by one of our priests. But other than that,  I was strangely unmoved. Sometimes that happens. One year, I had been feeling strangely unmoved all through Lent but then at the Vigil, the floodgates opened and I couldn't contain my emotion, couldn't stopper the tears.  This year, I felt powerfully moved during Lent -- strongly supported by the Lord and strengthened by Him in surprising ways (and I don't mean just going without coffee....)  And yet, the Vigil did not result in tears.  Happiness, yes. Calm happiness.

And that, too, reminded me of the constant of Jesus. He is always there, no matter how I feel.  It simply isn't about my feelings, even when they're soaring out of control.  What a comfort that knowledge is.

Easter Sunday

An Easter egg hunt in the morning. Happy children. Dinner with friends -- delicious food, good beer and wine. Laughter. Love. Sweet sleep. Our Risen Lord. Glimpses of Heaven.

This week

A relatively normal week, as homeschool weeks go. The fun of the Octave of Easter, knowing every day is a huge feast.  Thinking, "Where are the tea bags?" and then remembering I can have coffee instead.  Listening to Atticus read Steinbeck to Anne and discuss it with her.  Ramona lost a tooth.  Betsy's been rehearsing lines for the play she's in.

Normal, everyday life within these great fifty days.

Normal, everyday faith.

Normal, everyday dismay at God's goodness.

"Why do you seek the Living One among the dead?"

"He is not here ...

He is risen."

~~ Luke 24:5-6

Alleluia!

He is risen indeed!

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy Easter Again!

And again and again, through the Octave of Easter! It's an eight-day mega-celebration, and a 50 day party when all's said and done.

Yes, we're back to real life today, but we're still celebrating. There's still plenty of chocolate and cake, the Easter decorations went up on Sunday (don't you always wonder if the neighbors think you're out of sync? Just as they're pulling the decorations down, yours are going up), and, we can say Alleluia again!

Sometimes the kids and I just sigh and wish that the whole world lived on the liturgical calendar. Wouldn't it be lovely if everyone saw this as the beginning of an enormous party?

My goal is always to hang on to the awe of the empty tomb.

We had a wonderful weekend -- I spent part of it previewing books for the kids and will be back with reviews as soon as I can. I also want to get back to running through my history with the Easter Vigil.

Saturday night was lovely, as always, and the Easter Bunny was good to my children.

Ramona remarked that he must shop at Target. Smart bunny.



Painting: Bouguereau, The Three Marys at the Tomb