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My Domestic Church: Catholic Culture at Home
“The world is thy ship and not thy home.”-St. Therese of Lisieux These words are a stark reminder from a saint who knew this message all too well. Therese lost her beloved mother to cancer at the age of four. She lived knowing four of her siblings never made it past childhood or infancy. Finally, she watched her father lose his faculties to dementia after suffering a stroke. All from the confines of her cloister. “The world is thy ship and not thy home.” In other words, we are pilgrims, travelers, sojourners in a strange land. We are passing through to our heavenly home, don’t get too comfortable! In many ways,…
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My Domestic Church: Parents are the Models
Have you ever noticed how young kids are like tape recorders? You really have to watch what you say around them. One day I was driving Lucy somewhere and I was getting really frustrated. At one point, I said “Geez people!” in a very frustrated tone and a moment later I heard that little voice from the back seat “geez peee-ple, geez peee-ple.” Little ones don’t limit themselves to what they repeat, however. Hence the reason it’s so important to watch what you say. Children absorb so much from their parents. When they are young, it’s important to watch what you say, but this doesn’t change as they get older.…
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My Domestic Church: Jesus in the Toilet
My toddler went through a phase where she threw everything in the toilet. Wash cloths, headbands, diapers, toys, you name it. She probably tried to get it into the toilet water at least once. One particular morning I was getting ready in my bathroom and Lucy was playing. This day, I watched her out of the corner of my eye grab something off my night table. She then ran with it into the bathroom, opened the toilet lid, and threw said item in with a plop. I looked down and saw my St. John Paul II crucifix in the toilet. The one-sided conversation that ensued was something like this, “WHY…