Catholic resources for the family
I don’t know about everyone, but for me I can’t believe
it’s already 2014; and it seems that the older my children get,
the faster time flies. Here we are, school is back in swing and
I feel like the days just seem to run into each other. From the
moment we wake up, until my feet hit the bed I’m moving;
but how often do I stop to reflect on what God has called me
and my family to today?
My name is Jessica Maddox, I’m a mother of 4 (one more
on the way) and I’m Catholic -- just like you. I watch my
family and our Parish grow, and I’m constantly asking myself
“What does it mean to be a Catholic family today?” What do
you think it means? I would like to enter your family through
our paper, share stories of life, and grow together.
So what does it mean to be a Catholic family today? Our
Holy Father, Pope Francis, said “How precious is the fam-
ily as the privileged place for transmitting the faith!” We are
called to be the first teachers of the faith to our family. We care
called to transmit the faith and by doing so, get our children to
Heaven. Wow, that’s a lot to ask! In today’s world things are
going nonstop, how can we do this? I think that even though
it is hard, it’s easier than it seems. We must stop, reflect, and
introduce Christ in our lives and in our homes.
We need to make our faith something that is everyday, not
just on Sunday’s. Start today, if you’re not saying the blessing
before meals then start, if you’re not saying prayers before
bed, start. You know that Calendar your Parish gives out every
year; put it up, look at it -- it is a wellspring of knowledge.
Talk about your patron saints, guardian angels, The Blessed
Mother. But even more so, make sure that what we’re put-
ting in our homes is bringing us closer
to Christ; books, movies, tv shows, car-
toons. Everything matters, even the small
things!
I have the great privilege to lead a
Bible Study at my Parish, and one of my
favorite things is to see someone’s face
light up when they learn something new.
It’s the highlight of my week! Most of the
women in my study have been Catholic
their entire lives, went to Catholic school,
and they have said multiple times “I had no idea this is what
we believe!” It’s because our faith is so vast, so beautiful, and
yes -- Heavenly! Pick up a book if it’s been awhile since you
learned something new about your faith, its amazing how that
book will transform your conversations with your family; no
matter what age they are.
Here are some of my favorite recourses for bringing
Christ into our home:
Books
-- Oh, the books, I love books, but if I have to
choose an author to get you started, look up Scott Hahn; you
just can’t go wrong with him and I promise you will learn
something new in every book!!!
Television
-- EWTN (if you can not get it, they of course
have a website). This is not only for adults, though many
programs are geared that way. In the middle of the afternoon
there are a handful of Catholic children’s programming (Cat-
chat and The Doughnut man are my favs!)
Crafts/activities
-- Yes, I said crafts! For those moms
and dads out there with little ones, this is for you! There are
so many great Catholic websites for your children. Why not
color a picture of a saint, on their feast day!
-- you can find all kind of craft
ideas, and even a pre-school program
-- you can download free
coloring pages and activities
-- pretty much a great site for all
things Catholic and mom (hence the title)
-- This is awesome, a great Catholic
family, putting together a great website with activities, color-
ing books, and every week the children make a Mass prep
video that you can watch and prepare you own kids for Mass.
Marriage and family
-- I am addicted to a podcast called
More2life. It’s a Catholic psychologist and his wife, they
teach about family life through the Theology of The Body
(the teaching of Blessed Pope John Paul II). I can’t tell you
how much I love listening to this, but that’s not all. They have
written books on raising Catholic families, happy marriages,
so forth and so on -- and all Catholic based!
Their website is
Check
it out, I promise you won’t regret it!
These are just a few of the amazing ways that we can
transmit our faith to our family. God Bless and have a won-
derful week!
Jessica Maddox is a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Van-
cleave.
Faith and
Family
Maddox
In George Lucas’ first-ever
“Star Wars”
film,
“Epi-
sode IV: A New Hope,”
there’s a compelling scene late
in the movie where our heroes, Luke Skywalker and Han
Solo, escape from their captors in the Death Star using
Han’s spaceship, the Millennium Falcon. Their speedy exit
is impeded by the evil Empire’s enemy ships shooting at
them, so Luke and Han rush to the Falcon’s gun turrets to
fight back.
Luke is a farm boy who’s always dreamed of fighting
in a war, but this is his first time in battle. When he shoots
down his first ship, he gets excited and yells, “I got him!”
Han, a veteran of space battles, responds, “Great, kid!
Don’t get cocky.”
To me, that line symbolizes the message of Ash
Wednesday.
Though some priests use the words “Turn from sin and
follow the gospel,” when putting ashes on people’s fore-
heads, I was raised when the Scripture cited was Genesis
3:19, “Remember, that you are dust, and unto dust you
shall return.”
In other words, “Don’t get cocky.”
It’s easy for us to get so wrapped up in ourselves and
life in general that we forget about the bigger picture.
That bigger picture includes the fact that each person is
known, loved and created by God. Not
just you, not just me. Everybody. Like
it says in Psalm 139:13, “You formed
my inmost being; you knit me in my
mother’s womb.”
We’re also each given different
gifts and talents to play a role in God’s
plan. Father James Keller, the founder
of
The Christophers
, once wrote, “God
wishes you to be His instrument in re-
newing the face of the earth…Your ef-
forts will bear fruit from now into eternity.”
Then someday, we will pass from this life into that
aforementioned eternity, hopefully to a place of union
with God as opposed to the “wretched hive of scum and
villainy” that is the other option (to keep the
“Star Wars”
analogy going).
Ash Wednesday is the reminder of that last step in the
process because we often get detoured in the middle step.
Human beings have a tendency to get hung up on power
and possessions. That’s not just true for politicians, celeb-
rities, business leaders or the super-rich; it’s true of us all.
Sometimes just a little bit of power or material advantage
over others can turn someone to the dark side. We need
constant reminders to be humble, and Ash Wednesday fills
the bill every winter.
It’s also important to remember that the Falcon ulti-
mately gets away from the enemy ships not because of
Luke and Han’s fighting and flying abilities, but because
the chief bad guy, Darth Vader, lets them get away so he
can track them to their secret rebel base. So our heroes
could potentially be responsible for the destruction of an
entire planet full of people. Pretty humbling, no?
As we begin another Lent, keep this in mind. No matter
what we accomplish on this earth, no matter how power-
ful we are, no matter how much cash we have in the bank,
our physical bodies will eventually all meet the same end.
Therefore, strive to live the best life possible in the knowl-
edge that “God so loved the world that He gave His only
Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not per-
ish but might have eternal life.”
That’s great news! But don’t get cocky.
Tony Rossi is the radio host/producer for The Chris-
tophers. For a free copy of the Christopher News Note,
GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers,
5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail:
.
Light One
Candle
Rossi
Why “Star Wars” reminds me of Ash Wednesday
Gulf Pine Catholic
•
February 28, 2014
7
