I've never been one for new year's resolutions. They always end up being either too vague ("I'll be healthier! Nicer! Better at Life!") or too rigorous (Get up at 7 am/ exercise for an hour/ lose weight/ write something EVERY DAY!) for me to actually put them into real practice. I work better with short term goals, perhaps. The priest from my parish, however, suggested a very good one that could be put into practice on a weekly basis: do one extra act of penance in secret every week in atonement for our sins and for God's mercy on the world. (You can read more about his sermon on the Te Deum blog of a Grotto parishioner). This started me thinking: as great as it is to improve our physical and mental health through more exercise, healthier eating, or more edifying reading, wouldn't it be great to start out the calendar year with spiritual health in mind?
Thankfully, the Church heaps feasts on us in the Christmas season (still not over until Candlemas, February 2nd! Cheers!) that provide excellent inspiration for spiritual resolutions. There's the Solemnity of Mary, January 1st which raises our eyes to the mother of God as an excellent role model: greater devotion to her can only lead us to the heart of her son. The Tridentine feast on the same day is the Circumcision, which shows us the beginning of Christ's sacrifice in the first shedding of His blood; as well as St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother faithfully observing God's laws, something we could all do more often, and God's fulfillment of the law in Christ. The Epiphany offers an example of sacrifice, dedication, and gratitude in the worship of the wise men. A great resolution could be to follow their path of seeking out the Christ Child no matter the personal cost.
This Sunday's feast of the Holy Family struck me particularly, however, in my situation as a new mother. What better way to start this new year in my family, then to re-invite the Holy Family into my family. Like writing J + M + J over the letterhead of my life. This year I want to dedicate myself and my home to the Christ Child, His Blessed Mother, and His foster father, Joseph. (A quick side note: I was thinking lately how I don't really like referring to them as His earthly parents; although I appreciate, of course, the importance of remembering His Heavenly Father as well as Chirst's place in the Holy Trinity. Parenthood, I have realized, is not just for this lifetime. Parents are responsible for their children's eternal well being. Thus, Mary is truly called the Mother of God and remains so in heaven. So is St. Joesph the patron saint of all Christ's Church. But, as usual, I digress. . .)The visiting priest where I attended mass for this Sunday's feast pointed out something very striking: when modern people think about starting a family, they worry a great deal about physical preparation- having enough money, the right job, a house etc, but very little about spiritual preparation: that is, personal holiness. How many young people, he wondered, have personal holiness as a qualifier for their future spouse, co-founder of their future family? It should be at the very top of our lists! . I know from my own wedding planning and baby planning days how easy it is to get caught up in the physical details of preparation. Yet the very best thing we can do to prepare to be a good wife, husband, mother, or father is to seek personal holiness. When God choose the Mother and foster Father of His Son, He chose not on wealth, experience, knowledge, or connections, but on personal holiness. If we are seeking God's will, as they did, will we not found our family most securely?
Dedicating our families to the Holy Family means being willing to live like they did: submitting ourselves first to God's will, then to one another. Mary's submission to God helped to bring about the salvation of the world, Joseph's submission to the will of God enabled his participation in protecting the Savior of the world. Christ himself submitted to His Father's will to live as a child and to live under Mary and Joseph. He "submitted himself to them" as the Gospel reading says. The Church fathers remark on the extraordinary character of this fact: the God of the universe submitted himself to a poor carpenter and his wife, lived as a child under their roof and rules. Obedience and submission are very difficult things to tout in today's culture of self-definition, self-importance, self-improvement, and self-serving behavior. It is hard for us sinful creatures to obey and submit to God, yet alone other humans. But that is what God calls us to do: to bend our wills to His and to submit to one another.
The Epistle reading gives us an example of what this life of submission would look like, and what life in the Church should be: "Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience. Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection:" This is surely the atmosphere I picture in the home of Christ, under the gentle rule and protection of St. Joseph surrounded by the humble grace of His loving Mother; it is definitely what I want for my own home.
This is quite a tall order for any family. Remember how I said that New Year's resolutions are usually too difficult and long term for me? This certainly seems to fit the bill. But having the Holy Family as your role model means that not only do they give an example to live by, they also are available daily to help us, to intercede for us, and to guide us. (One way I hope to begin living out this resolution will be to increase my prayer life and to take advantage of the practice of daily examining my conscience which puts the eternal goal into a temporal perspective.) Through constant recourse to their aid, I hope to make this a resolution not only for this month, or this year, but also for the rest of my life as a daughter, wife, and mother.
There's been a lot going on with my little mister over the Christmas season as he grows and learns every day. Here's a couple new things:
Finn has finally realized that cereal is, in fact, food and not [just] a strange mush invading his mouth. He eats his bowl of rice cereal at least once a day. He gets excited when we eat and signals that he wants his food too by making chewing faces. I've started making baby food in preparation for the doctor's okay to move on to other solids. Hooray for blenders and my Christmas present, The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet.
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| Yes, there is cereal on his eyebrow. How? Beats me. |
Finn has finally gone back to taking naps in his crib. At least some of the time. Thankfully, his Aunt Emily got him a sound machine for Christmas, which helps drown out the noise that carries so easily in our small apartment.
Also, he is sleeping in his own room and his own crib at night. I was a little (ok, very) worried at first about not having him right next to me, but my over-protectiveness was soothed by a monitor, seeing our baby fit better in a crib than in a bassinet, and the delight of having our room back.
Finn has rolled over now from his tummy to his back, and shows perfect signs of being able to roll the other way (he gets up on his side and gets a little stuck), but right now little inclination to do much of either. He scoots backwards and around, but not forward yet. I'm perfectly happy to have him less mobile for the time being, as our entire life will have to be changed once he can reach things.
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| He is trying to figure out what is under the rug. Just wait until he can get into things for real. |
He is steadily moving into 12 month size clothes and giving plenty of indication that teeth are on the way. I really cannot believe he is so big. Its amazing to watch how he changes so fast --you can literally watch him learn something every day, whether its how to make the loudest noise by dropping things or how to push a button to make a toy work.
Today is: The Feast of St. Aelred of Rievaulx
Finn is: 3 days from his very first half birthday
Mama is reading: The Ode Less Traveled by Stephen Fry
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