Savoring Christmas Memories and Joyful Winter Decluttering....

Is decluttering really a word? It is a wonderful concept. A noble action. Removing clutter, a.k.a. "decluttering," is my 2011 resolution.

Webster's defines "clutter" as both noun and verb. It is "an untidy mess, a state of disorder" or "liter, things left around untidily." As well, to clutter is "to disorder, make untidy."

So, to declutter is to role one's sleeves up and put things in proper order. I like it. I need it. I was just telling the girls that I love seeing the human hope for renewal and improvement that roles around every January. All the shops showcase cleverly designed shelving, colorful storage boxes and some very nice exercise suits. In these North Atlanta suburbs, the air is full of resolution and of home and self improvement.

As Catholics, we pass on to our young the idea that "Hope springs eternal." From the Sacraments, God's grace springs forth giving us baptized faithful life, renewal, strength and reconciliation. We Catholics are called to declutter our souls regularly through daily prayer, good works, frequent reception of our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance and Confession).

We had the beautiful gift of hosting our dear family friends from Miami over Christmas week. Other homeschooling friends joined us for Christmas feasting; and, it was one of the merriest Christmas seasons of my life. My dear sisters in Christ have always shown me the joys of authentic Catholic housekeeping and homeschooling. We all know that joy is not an absence of pain. My personal experience is that joy increases where there is deep and abiding faith. We are up against a culture that challenges our faith on so many levels. But back to Christmas and grace-filled resolutions for 2011...

All of us moms enjoyed revisiting certain practical and spiritual topics; and I felt the quiet, yet powerful, presence of the Holy Spirit in all of the love and friendship of our Christmastide festivities and warm, homey visits. Along side all the festivities with our homeschooling brothers and sisters in Christ, we gathered with grandparents and much loved brothers and sisters in Christ from our parish during Christmastide, including Happy New Year 2011! It was so hard to get back to work and school, but God had a marvelous plan! We had just been back to the "daily grind" for a week when we got a HUGE and wonderful SNOW. We were trapped and I was about as far from "cabin fever" as you can get (I was hoping for more snow!).

As the snowstorm hit ten or so days ago, I was surprised at the blessing of this gift to stay put for a number of days. My houseguests had left the house cleaner than when they came, so I kept the cleaning/decluttering ball rolling. I also gave much more time than usual to quiet and to prayer. I realized how much shopping that I had been doing and how exhausting and depleting that can be for me. With our middle child's 13th birthday this week, we finished our snow days making merry with friends and family again over these past few days.

I know God speaks to us through our friendships and our daily duties and our family ups and downs. The good news for us Sullivans is that 2011 is already, and I pray it continues, a year of rolling up the sleeves and decluttering our souls, our home and our schedule. I learn every year that our sweet Savior and His Blessed Mother, draw us in to their Holy Hearts. Jesus and Mary want us to help them save souls.

An act of housekeeping, a home-cooked meal,a warm embrace from a loved one, a listening ear or kind remark can all be little works of redemption. Wow and Alleluia all at once! We must keep house for Christ and build a strong Mother Church from our little domestic churches. God will bring us guests and make us guests of His awesome Love and Mercy. Jesus burns for love of us, fallen creatures that we are. He wants us to give every possible effort to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with His Eucharistic Heart. We must, in earnest, ask the Mother of Mercy to hide us in her Immaculate Heart so that we will be properly disposed to receive her Son in a spirit of truth and light. I am reading an excellent treatment of this, The Passion of the Infant Christ, by Caryll Houselander.

Read this book. It could change your life, and we must pray for the grace to be constantly changing and growing. May we all bless God in thought, word and deed. I look forward to all of us making Confession soon, knowing in my heart that Holy Mother Church will declutter her children. I am learning more and more about our Heavenly Father's plan for all of His children. He wants us all to be a new creation in Christ Jesus. We have only to ask our Blessed Mother for her help, and grace will do the work in our souls.

Thank you, Lord Jesus and Mother Mary for all of our many blessings! May the Infant Christ reign in our hearts -- Amen.

Expanding our hearts

After I read about St. Lydia over at Catholic Culture (click on last link below), I went over to the blog Catholic Fire and am amazed at such faith. Often we feel nearly helpless when it comes to increasing the theological virtues. We feel like we are trying so hard and have so little control. I know this is our weak humanity chaffing against the demands of authentic Love. Well, here are some links to lift us up: go over to Catholic Fire and know that -- whether you feel it or not -- the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus will strengthen Faith, Hope and Love within us. Pray for the Holy Father's intentions and review the liturgical season for the month of August.

To Jesus through Mary! Amen.

The Road of Faith and Its Difficult Intersections

Last Friday nite, I asked the Lord to wake me early on Saturday, so that I could get to the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist. He woke me up at 5:20 a.m. I went and received what I could never make up on my own -- our Savior and His Mercy. I can only cooperate with Mercy. I am like someone sitting at a very busy intersection with the traffic lights wiped out, after a dangerous thunderstorm. I need the prayers of my friends. I hope to grow in faith, hope and love.

Soul cleaning, house cleaning

JB and I went to Confession this morning; and then, we came home and all of us did some needed house cleaning/yard work. The weather was fair and lovely here, and we enjoyed ourselves out on the deck for a while. My husband and I have a babysitter coming soon, so that we can go out on a date. May our Guardian Angels guide us as parents. With just about 12 weeks left in the academic year, I hope we can inspire our young scholars to learning that is wholehearted and oriented toward growing in holiness. Our scholars are rising 2nd, rising 5th, and rising 8/9th. This is a general indication of their progress, as each scholar works on different grade levels in different areas. Our J, for example, would be given an A in art by a 4th grade teacher. JB reads and writes at least one grade level above her age. M worked ahead in science and math. This is one of the biggest gifts of home education -- that the young can follow their God-given talents when they are most alert. This happens in good schools too. It is not an "either...or".
Learning notes: When I plan things without everyone on board, we are weaker in our resolve. Family meetings work great for us. We need to have more of them. I'd also like to propose we create a fairly large-sized prayer journal to use during our evening family prayer times. Nemo liber est qui corpori servit (No one is free who is a slave to his body.)was the maxim for our 2nd Latin lesson.

Getting rid of our sins...

I was just watching a little EWTN via the Internet, as I cleaned up the kitchen (We have not had cable t.v. for nearly 4 years. Can you tell I miss the good part?), and the priest from England who was giving a little Advent meditation mentioned that when G.K. Chesterton was asked why in the world he wanted to become a Catholic, he responded, "to get rid of my sins." As any practicing Catholic knows, the gift of priestly absolution in the Confessional is from God and it is absolutely meant for us. We are called to be saints. We are called to love others as our Lord and Savior has loved, and continues to love, us. I think I could go to Confession once a day! I so desire to love God. So often, I find myself falling short, and I am in awe at the power of the sacraments to restore my soul.

Thanks be to God, my husband and I got what we sometimes call a "spiritual shower" (We went to Confession) on Saturday morning before the first Sunday of this lovely season.

Lord Jesus, thank you for Mother Church which continues to save us as often as we are willing to be open to our salvation. Our salvation is not complete until we see you face to face. Then, we will see ourselves and our earthly pilgrimage as they truly are. Help us, during this time of waiting, to examine the state of our souls. Help us to love ourselves, not judge others (as we never know the "whole story"), and love You as You have loved us. Amen.