Ash Wednesday

As this is being published I should be at Mass and hopefully I got there early enough to get a parking spot and a seat.

Today is the start of Lent and the last Mass for Pope Benedict. It is a day of fasting and abstinence.It's the day that "the Alleluia is buried" until it can be risen again with Christ on Easter Sunday. While it is not a Holy Day of Obligation many will make it to Mass at some point during the day. Those who make it to Mass will have a cross rubbed onto their foreheads using a mixture containing last year's palms.

While the ashes are being rubbed on the you will hear one of two sentences "Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return." Genesis 3:19 or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." Mark 1:1, translations may differs.

Why ashes? Receiving of the ashes does not wipe away or absolve us of our sins, however it is a sign of our repentance. Remember all those times in the bible when people would tear their clothes, put on sack cloth and put ashes on their heads, this is like that on a smaller scale.

So today whether you make it to Mass or not, that although we aren't called to tear open our clothes and put on sack cloth we are called to tear open our hearts. To turn away from our sins, to be repentant. To grow closer to Jesus.

Ready For Lent

Lent start tomorrow and I believe I'm ready.

I picked up my copy of the Magnificat Lenten Companion a couple weeks ago. I have a meatless meal plan done to help me stay on track and not overwhelmed. I have my "game" plan together.

My goal for Lent is to get to KNOW God better, so that I can LOVE Him more and therefore SERVE Him better and more joyfully.

I ordered The Eucharist: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics by Fr. Mitch Pacwa last Friday it is currently available free shipping from Our Sunday Visitor.  
I was actually going to get Christopher West's new book for my Lenten reading
because I have been thinking about it for a while and it is already on my amazon wishlist. Then I had a thought that I wanted to do some reading on the Eucharist and then I saw a copy of Fr Pacwa's book. I told myself if it was offered free shipping I would order it otherwise I would try to get it locally whenever. Friday I got an email that it was being offered free shipping until April, I ordered it immediately.

I am currently praying the Seven Sundays of St Joseph and will start praying a 54 Day Rosary Novena from Ash Wednesday to Divine Mercy Sunday. In light of the Pope's I will be praying a Novena leading to his last day starting on February 19th and a St Joseph Novena leading up to the Feast of St Joseph on March 19th.

I will be praying the Stations of The Cross every Friday in Lent, I hope to be able to get to a church at least once, my friend's parish has it every Friday with Mass to follow but it is a long drive from my work and I will pray it once on my usual 1st Friday at Adoration.

I will continue with my daily reading of the Catechism and the Year of Faith 90 Bible Study. I have containers of books to donate to the library, there are about 3 or 4 of those white storage containers under my bed and a small box or two. I have a hard time letting go of books even if I am never going to read them again so I have quite a collection and it is time to let go.

The Year of Faith, losing a Pope in the midst of Lent, hopefully gaining a new one by Easter, I started this post before the announcement and now there are so many more reasons for us to pray during this Liturgical time and so many ways to grow in Faith and to stay Faithful.

Preparing For Lent

Every year I give up meat for the whole of Lent including the Sundays (my will power will not hold up to a "break" day) but every year half way through if that I am resentful and unhappy. I'm not very creative in cooking fish or straight vegetarian and my sister is allergic to shell fish so I cannot make that very often besides the clean up is a pain to keep her safe.

This year I am going in with a better attitude (I hope) and a better plan (thank you pinterest and blogs). I will be doing some freezer cooking on the weekend and 2 days leading up to Ash Wednesday since I have those days home anyway. I want to do some quick meals and snacks I can just grab and reheat in the evenings when I get home from work since those are the hardest anyway when I'm tired, hungry and the only things that sound good are things with meat in it.

I have more canned salmon than I hope I need (it's skinless and boneless couldn't pass that up) to make things like patties, "meat"balls, salmon loaf and empanadas or pockets. Tilapia fillets, shrimp and salmon are my usual go to proteins as they don't take much thought and are quick and versatile. Breakfast for dinner is great for those times when I need a change, while I can eat meat till my eyes turn red and still keep going, I do not have the same appreciation for fish. Canned tuna for ... well it's the chicken of the sea so I'm just hoping. Cheese because I can get through almost anything with cheese.

I'm organizing my recipes and pins, I'm working on offering it up, saying a Hail Mary or Our Father everytime I crave meat. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and I'm getting ready.

It's Carnival Time

It's Carnival here in Trinidad, that time of the year just before Lent when some people get it all out before they give it all up.

Carnival is this

as well as this 

But it can also be this

People come from all over the world to party through the streets for two days. The kids get Saturday and Sunday, while the adults have at on Monday and Tuesday.

Carnival actually has its history in the Catholic Church, hence the reason it occurs before Lent. Carne - Meat and Val(e)- Festival. Farewell to meat. It was a big celebration to consume all the rich foods and drink that was off limits throughout Lent. Trinidad's Carnival has it's roots in the slaves imitating and making fun of the masters during their celebration of Carnival.

The ingenuity and talent of the people have transformed the time from mere mimicry to the festival of colour and artistry it is today that has people flocking to the islands year after year from start to finish (although Carnival is technically that four day period before Ash Wednesday in actuality it runs much longer).

Old Mass on Friday you get a taste of the past and all those traditional characters like Pierrot Grenade, Midnight Robber and Minstrels.

Saturday and Sunday afternoon the kids take to the streets in their costumes. Some of the bigger bands have their own music trucks but there are speakers lining most streets playing soca music for the revelers in costume as well as the spectators. Thousands of people line the streets or chip along as the kids have their fun.

Steelpan which was invented in Trinidad has it's final competition on Saturday night when the best of the best to emerge from earlier competitions vie for the title of Panorama Champion. These bands have players as young as 5 with foreigners as well as locals. These foreigners are regulars who have been coming for years and are real pan lovers.

Carnival is many things to many people. A time to get away from it all. A time to be "free" and do what you want. A time to experience the beauty of our culture and the talent of our people.

To quote our Archbishop in his message for this "weekend" "It is possible to celebrate cultural events of which Carnival is one, have fun and still be faithful to what God asks of us." Carnival is part of the Trinidad and Tobago culture and it is full of beauty, talent, togetherness and history. 

7 Quick Takes Friday #10

--- 1 ---

I went to Adoration on Friday and as I was leaving a lady said to me "It was wonderful being with Him wasn't it". It was and it was wonderful that she said that to me. I go there for Adoration every month but it is not my Parish just close to my work so I don't know the lady, she was so joy-filled that she had to share it with a stranger.

--- 2 ---

On Saturday the candles I was so proud of remembering to get, I forgot them at home. I got a free one at Mass but I was still disappointed that I forgot my own

--- 3 ---

Yesterday, Thursday I had a half day at work and since I didn't want to go home and then come back out again (I had to assist at evening Mass) I went to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. It was just what I needed.

--- 4 ---

Today I'll likely have another half day, although I don't think I'll get to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel again today. It's Carnival Friday so there will be all kinds of going ons in preparation for the weekend so I might just come home.

--- 5 ---

It's Carnival weekend, that means a super long weekend, I won't be back at work until Wednesday. The kids take to the streets on Saturday and Sunday, while the adults have there turn on Monday and Tuesday. Costume pick up for the adults have been going on all week, the last of the tourists have been arriving, the schools have been having their events.

--- 6 ---

Lent starts on Wednesday and I am ready. I am going to enjoy my last few days of meat over this long weekend (not today since it's Friday). That's the original reason for Carnival, it was one big celebration to eat all the meat and get out all the "jitters" before the start of Lent. There is a bit more to it so that is just the quicktake version.

--- 7 ---

I'm rushing so no song this week, so I'll just wish everyone a great weekend.

 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Seven Sundays of St Joseph

I prayed this last year and yesterday I started praying it for this year but I almost didn't.

I had forgotten about it or at least it wasn't on my mind and then last Thursday I believe it was I thought about it. I didn't think to much about it but it crossed my mind out of the blue and more than once during that day but I still didn't pay too much mind to it. Then Friday morning I thought about it again and this time I thought I would like to pray it again but couldn't remember when it would start so I would look it up. Friday turned out to be a very busy day at work so I didn't get to look it up and kind of forgot about it again.

Friday evening I thought about it on my drive from work to Adoration so I once again said I would look it up but when I got to church their wi-fi was being spotty (I got to church early and was waiting in the parking lot) and my 4g wouldn't turn on because it was reading a saved wi-fi signal so I let it go. When I got home I had a lot to do because Saturday was a busy day and I needed to get some things started so I didn't take any time to check and before I knew it I was sleeping on the couch with a load in the washing machine and my veges for the soup that I wanted to get started in the slow-cooker before leaving for 7a.m Mass wasn't even prepped. So yet again I did not look up.

Saturday morning was just a comedy of errors with finishing the laundry and the soup for lunch going and getting ready before racing out of the house with no time to spare to make it to Mass, I even forgot the candles that I was so proud for remember to get. They usually have candles for those who forgot and I just got one of those. I spent some time in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel after Mass and thought about the prayer again and promised myself that I would definitely look it up when I got home. I ran my Saturday errands got home just before lunch, started another load of laundry and finished up the soup, cleaned up the kitchen and called my grandmother over for lunch.

I had one more errand to run and when I came home there was a road crew in front of my house so I had to park lower down, blocking other cars and carry my load home. I had told someone where I was in case they needed my car move and just as I was almost finished doing everything they came for me to move my car. It was around 3 I think, maybe a little after and I had to meet a friend to hitch a ride to another friend's house for bible study, I needed to leave around 5. I was not in the best of moods and definitely didn't look up the prayer.

Sunday the road crew was back by the time I got home from church, but the Seven Sundays of St Joseph prayer was no where on my mind, at least not in the morning. Then Sunday evening as I was settling into my evening prayer-time I  thought about it again and I told myself that I would look it up after I was done. However I think the Holy Spirit was getting a little distressed with me and putting stuff off so I got an extra urge to look it up "now". The devotion occurs during the seven Sundays leading to the Feast of St Joseph on March 19th so I checked the calendar and lo and behold yesterday was that 7th Sunday.

Times like these when God is leading you and you know and see His hand definitely in your life always makes me feel special. This is not a regular devotion for me, and definitely not one I was thinking about doing this year but He wanted me to, so He put it in my mind and my heart and kept after me with it until I did it. I don't think it is any coincidence either that I kept forgetting and remembering or that I had all those obstacles when I did remember. He wanted me to have a visible look at His hand in my life at this time and I can't wait to see where He is leading me with this.

7 Quick Takes Friday #9

--- 1 ---

It's a new month. In someways it felt like January lasted forever and in others it went by too fast. It feels like it was just Christmas and now I'm preparing for Lent

--- 2 ---

A new month brings a new position at work, maybe just temporary maybe not. We have some staffing issues to work out and I'm not even sure I want the position to be temporary or not. I've had this position before and liked it when I had it but was very happy to move on.

--- 3 ---

A new month also brings a new attitude. Due to a big project at work as well as the ongoing upheaval I have been in mainly survival and existing mode for the month, it's time I move on from that.

--- 4 ---

Last Saturday I was supposed to meet some friends for prayer and study but quite a few people canceled and only three of us showed up, well two plus the host. We ended up watching a Mass at the Basillica in Washington D.C on EWTN and then had some really great conversations about single life and marriage expectations, compromise, sacrifice, etc. It was very enlightening to see how and what other people thought as well as get a perspective that you never had before.

--- 5 ---

Tourists have been streaming into Trinidad since the beginning of January and some from even before that for Carnival next weekend. Carnival is technically just Friday to Tuesday well actually Saturday to Tuesday with Fetes and events starting at the beginning of the year leading up but there are more events every year and tourists coming in earlier and earlier.

--- 6 ---

Tomorrow is Candelmas and I actually have candles this year. Every year I usually remember the evening before or the morning of and am unable to get candles but this year I am on top of it Yay me!!!

--- 7 ---

This is how I've felt throughout January and I'm looking forward to a better February.

 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!