Don’t let one day just bleed into the next until time becomes one mind numbing mass. Stay the course, and the reward will prove that the effort was worth it in the long haul. During this we will go through toys, cloths and craft supplies and get rid of anything that we can. With prayer and love our families will navigate moving forward. You should also schedule regular breaks throughout the day, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. I have no idea why so many people are so against the very simple act of wearing a mask when they are out in public. A life coach is a professional who helps you to be happier, reach your goals, and find your true purpose in life. We can only live a holy life through the power of the Spirit; thus, the first step to living a holy life is to accept Jesus as Savior (Ephesians 1:13). The first school to reopen this year had to worry about infect students after the very first day. The family enters the church and Bobby places a finger into the holy water and makes the sign of the cross, he touches three pews on the way to his seat, he runs his hands over the back of the pew in front of him. Get this FREE 5-step guide to simplify your life so that you can focus on what actually matters. They are missing their friends, activities, milestones – life. The truth is that I don’t believe I’m holy or that I have the best advice for living a holy life. Remove all rubbish, recycling, broken things and borrowed things 3. This lesson is much more difficult for some than others. Who really wants to run the risk of passing an infection to someone else? I think so often we tend to be harsh critics of ourselves while approaching others with more compassion. If this is Friday dinner you are missing the point of fasting. There are some very few people that due to allergies, skin or breath issues or past trauma have problems wearing masks. Who knows tomorrow will happen OR not? suspend offering the Eucharist under both species (no communal cup), cancel all church events (including religious education), Attend a less popular mass and sit well away from other parishioners, Wash your hands before and after mass and when you return home, Do not attend mass if you or a family member are ill, Don’t touch anything you don’t have to (this includes touching or kissing images and statues), Stay close to home (if you attend mass while traveling or travel to attend mass you can spread germs either to the new location or bring them from the other location to your community), Pray that this passes quickly and that the situation is not as bad as experts are currently predicting. We also buy non-perishables that we will need for baking and cooking and anything that is on our shopping lists and of course, Thanksgiving dinner shopping.Week 4. His name was St. John Bosco. I also like to do a walk through of the house and add any small fixes or repairs that need to happen for next week. you might want to try a wonderful prayer tool called Pray More Novenas. You might think the COVID-19 concerns are panic and overblown – or you might think that we aren’t doing enough fast enough. Let’s face it — we’re all busy. If you, like me, struggle with getting through a novena (it still counts if you skip one day and double up the next, right?) However, it is so easy to get caught up in the research & understanding of the faith that we forget how to live it. See how a simple shift in your thinking and attitude towards life can make you feel a whole lot happier. Make sure we have Advent candles. Sure we all want to think we belong to the one fabulously vibrant youthful parish, but the truth is that you have a lot of the 65+ crowd in your pews every Sunday. 1. Neither of those are true! So this is my two cents (despite the coin shortage) based on the fact that I have two children who work in grocery stores. Live in the presence of God during the day by calling to mind that God is always with you and lift up your mind and heart to God during the day. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. This is also the week for taking inventory of what we have and what we might want to let go of and what we might want to add. Don’t you think others deserve the same? Begin keeping like with like 4. And it is so hard. But this situation has been so hard on so many kids. Ask parents to keep a watchful eye on their small children and ask them not to touch anything, Ask parishioners to stay home if they or a family member are ill. Clean surfaces in the parish between masses. Jeannie Ewing is a Catholic spirituality writer who focuses on grief, redemptive suffering, and waiting. “In the evening of life,” says St. John of the Cross, “we shall be examined in love.” It is the only exam we must pass. It can also have varying extremes. I just want them to live a simple life.” Lino’s father was stunned at that answer, but it was my father’s vision for life. Maybe God is calling you to grow in this “long-suffering.”. We get curve balls and interruptions to the cozy comforts we would rather have, but if we are patient with the process of navigating the kinks and obstacles, we will discover a wellspring of interior peace that does not falter when the tides and tempests rage around us. This is a great place to start and it’s the area I talk about most on this blog. It would be natural to think that leading a ‘full’ life was a bit different from leading a simple one. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. Get help if things are really bad 2. So you have decided to take your Catholic Christianity quite seriously. Summer camp and team sports have been cancelled. If you are in a parish and your priest in not taking measures like this what can you do? You will learn more about the life of Christ, and how to live the Christian life. The plethora of wildly popular self-help books shows that we are hungry for guidance on how to live well. Mom and dad are busy talking about the fact that the big game they have tickets to this weekend was canceled – no one thinks to wash their hands before entering the chapel. Check emails once a day. This process helps you to cultivate a sense of true appreciation for all the wonderful aspects that are already present in your life. my lover–here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. Why not do everything you can, especially when it is something so easy. Thank you for helping to make The Simple Catholic a top blog (#92) in 2020! Back to the question is it simple to live a Christian life? 19 Shockingly Simple Ways to Live Your Crazy Catholic Life- HOW DO YOU DO IT? Together, we explore simple, exciting ways to live the beautiful, happy life of Jesus – today! Let’s challenge ourselves to truly listen not just to hear words, but to listen with the ear of the heart. Much wisdom can be obtained from listening with openness and without judgment. You want to be completely dedicated to your faith. Life is too short to become sad, stressful, depressed etc. Our fellow citizens. Here you will find all of my posts on the changes I am making in my life. Take some time to immerse yourself in something that refreshes and enriches your life, something quiet and conducive to reflection and rest. 25. A corporal act of mercy to protect those who are medically fragile. Think about your past, your childhood. He is found in the depth, in the hidden crevices of the heart. Visit her at JeannieEwing.com. People touch things and each other at Mass, they sneeze, they cough – they spread diseases. They are deemed essential workers and they go to work. I am shocked to see that some of the same people who will not vaccinate their children because of a 1 in a million rate of vaccine related injury rate will blithely yet firmly assert their right to not wear a mask. While you’re at it, love yourself with the same level of mercy you give to those around you. If your Bishop has not taken the brave and prudent step to suspend mass what can you reasonably do? He is asymptomatic, but he is carrying the virus. Find out how to live the ‘new normal’ in our post-pandemic world. Coronavirus and the Catholic Church – here’s what’s coming, As COVID-19 spreads, Catholic entities worldwide take precautions, Make prayer part of your hand-washing to fight virus. You can use a formal prayer as the link suggests and/or pray in your own words. And that young man or young woman checking you out at the grocery store could bring home a virus and infect a medically fragile sibling or a grandparent. If you skip the politicians and just look at the best science information that we have here is what you know. Perseverance has not been a strong suit of mine, and yet I’ve discovered — especially with this journey of building my writing career — that pursuing your dream takes time.Â. We just don’t always hear his voice, because we aren’t paying attention to the “still, small voice” within our hearts. The reality is probably somewhere in between, but I want to take a minute here to plead with our church leaders to think through what coronavirus can mean for your parish. Menus, cookie baking, candy making and Christmas giving as well. Thanksgiving week is basically set aside for the big feast, and making Advent wreaths, setting up the Advent calendar and family time. What we have been doing the past few months is as close to Remote work and homeschooling as getting washed up on a desert island after the boat had sunk is to going on an island vacation. What can your parish do to prevent spreading COVID-19? You will feel more centered, grounded, and enlivened to tackle the rest of the busyness of your life. It takes work to make real changes in life. If Catholic Online has given you $5.00 worth of knowledge this year, take a minute to donate. Any parties we are wanting to host and what we need for them. (Bonus note: Both perseverance and longanimity — the ability to wait for what is good — are also sub-virtues of fortitude!). For, the school of Christ is the school of charity. Life truthfully is not fair. The good life should allow people to work at things that are personally satisfying and expressive of themselves. Besides, God doesn’t speak to us in the thunder or flashes of lightning. He sneezes into his hands on the way to mass because he is 6 and six-year-olds do that sort of thing. Even veteran homeschoolers have had a hard time. This is a beautiful and peaceful video exploring the world through a Coptic monk. Arrange a picnic, a bike ride, a couple of friends over. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. © 2020 - Catholic Digest. Lizzy is doing her part to keep people healthy (even though she hates wearing the mask). And they have to check out your groceries. (weather permitting we will put lights on the house but not start turning them on until after Thanksgiving. ) This doesn’t bode well for us being able to go back to any semblance of normal anytime soon. If you donate just $5.00, or whatever you can, Catholic Online could keep thriving for years. Read a book about the saints or something to deepen your understanding about Catholicism Spend a few minutes with your Bible and a journal Every time you feel the urge to judge someone, pray a Hail Mary for them Take a few seconds throughout the day to … Jesus told us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. Don’t give in to the “committee in your head” (to borrow a Matthew Kelly term) that distracts you from following your heart’s desire – or, even more, God’s will for your life. He shakes Susan’s hand at the sign of peace. You can be contagious and not feel that sick or even know you are. I encourage you to remember your Guardian Angel today, and every day. That just isn’t fasting. If you are going to get ill it will most likely be because you touched a surface and then your face. Sometimes I take my dog for a leisurely saunter around the neighborhood, and it’s as if the natural world comes alive in my soul. Avoid debts, if at all possible. In his encyclical on the subject, Laborum Exercens, Pope John Paul calls this the "subjective" value of work. Find out how to breathe new life and passion to your daily routine. So you go out and if you are not wearing a mask every sneeze, every cough, every wheeze could be “sharing the plague”. And act of Christian self-mortification for the protection of others. Join us in an online conference and community! Shopping week we will go through our lists and order any gifts that we need. One of the dangers of being a traditional Catholic is getting stuck on the superficial (exterior) elements of our Catholic faith and worship. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. I haven’t met one person in the past five years who has told me that they lead a laissez-faire life. You bring people in the community who normally aren’t together into the same space every mass. You will also join 4,100+ other subscribers to receive weekly encouragement to see eternity in your home and to live in its light. Patience is a sub-virtue of fortitude. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: God speaks to us all the time. You haven’t been remote working and you haven’t been homeschooling since Covid-19 broke out. . Families who have shifted their plans to homeschool in the fall are actually in a better place at this point than families that are waiting for the schools to figure out what is happening. Have a … St. John Bosco was so happy that he could hardly contain it. Today make an intentional effort to notice people — strangers and friends alike — and love them in the way they need right now. Those who live such a monastic life do so only after many years in a monastery and only with the blessing of their monastic elder. We are used to play dates, field trips, enrichment classes and dances. Learning how to live simply isn’t always so simple. And they are stuck at home trying to follow lesson plans and do zoom meetings in a vacuum. A main requirement for all desiring to become a Catholic hermit remains professing the three evangelical counsels and striving to live the eremitic vocation as set forth in sections 920 and 921 of The Catechism. But how often do we take the time — even a minute or a few minutes — to pause each day and choose to be kind  to someone who crosses our path? You don’t have to extend yourself too far each day to create a positive, lasting impact in someone’s life. This website uses cookies to provide you with the best browsing experience. Her books include "From Grief to Grace" and "Waiting with Purpose." Living a Catholic Life in the Modern World, Advent 2020 begins on Sunday, November 29th. Blessed Simplicity. Most people donate because Catholic Online is useful. I’m participating with a group of other bloggers to simplify our homes, schedules, mealtimes, and more! Your environment is where you live. A really wonderful question. Your mild symptoms might be dismissed in your need to buy cereal or laundry soap. Covid-19 will likely not kill you if you get it, and you probably won’t get it in the first place. Susan lives in the retirement community across the street. Once we have taken that step of salvation, we are declared righteous (Romans 5:1). Among the members of the Catholic Church, there is a small and noble group of people that stand out as shining examples of holiness and goodness. Begin your day with a Morning Offering to offer the day to God. ... and protecting us as we journey through this crazy thing called life. Life can be difficult, especially a life without Christ. You trade in superficiality, crowdedness and chaos for simplicity, mindfulness, gratitude and meaning. There was no plan, no structure, no real support and no idea when you would be rescued or how that would happen. Deep cleaning and Organizing is pretty straight forward. Jesus said, ‘I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.’ John 10.10. Right now we are facing a very uncertain health situation, and while you might be certain that this is a “plandemic” or “over-blown” the fact remains that we have a public health situation that is possibly deadly to a portion of the population. It is not a government conspiracy to get control and impliment the new world order and start herding Christians into camps – wearing a mask is a simple kindness you can perform for your fellow man. Prayer flourishes best when engaged in this disciplined solitude. Is it possible to lead such a life? Socialization is suddenly a real concern. Create rituals – baked cookies on Wednesday, make Friday Divine Mercy day, and Sunday afternoon family game time. And there are a lot of bumps, curves, and roadblocks along the way that will frustrate your dreams.  But don’t give up. Which gives me more or less four weeks to get ready. Currently, I am on day 3 for the St. As Janet Luhrs said in her delightful book, The Simple Living Guide: "Simple living is about living deliberately. This might not be over yet. The answer is simple on the surface, but often takes a lifetime to explore, because while Catholic teaching remains the same, we change over time so we end up having to go back to that question often during our lives. May all of us work diligently in this life to prepare for this truly final exam. What you have been doing is trying to work from home in a crisis and trying to help your kids finish the school year (or start an new one) at home with no time to prepare. To make this fall better that difficult yourself with the simple answer to... 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But not start turning them on until after Thanksgiving. but simple you should schedule! Say I’m a sage in the truest sense of the busyness of your,. Haven’T met one person in the past five years who has told me that they lead laissez-faire. People were able to do this ; life was hard but simple with more compassion they may have life passion... School of charity, leisure is the illuminative way, where we grow this!