Spiritual Journeys

One of the first things I learned when going to graduate school studying theology was that everyone is on his or her own spiritual journey. There is no one right path to God and God can certainly work with the messiness of life and bring some amazing things out of it. I'm doing a project that involves researching thousands of saints. While there are some similar stories among them, each one followed God in his or her own way, in the midst of different vocations, and in spite of some rather colorful pasts. Some of the greatest sinners have gone on to become the greatest saints. With God, all things are possible.

Of course, as parents, we have the responsibility to raise our children in the faith. Going to Mass is NOT optional. Instructing them in the faith and forming their consciences is an important duty not to be neglected. Yet, even with children, the day will come in which they choose to make the faith their own, or even though it will totally break my heart, choose not to. At which point, all I will be able to do is pray and entrust them to God.

The same goes for other adults I love, whether they be family members or friends. I want all of them to be the people God wants them to be and to ultimately find joy with Him in heaven. Yet, I do not have the ability to "force" any of these people to obey the commandments or have a personal relationship with God. All I can do is live my faith as best I can and pray and pray and pray for those I care about to make good decisions.

I know I am far from perfect. I need God's mercy as much as anyone. I trust in God's mercy for those I love as well. In the end, it is all in God's hands. He can work miracles. I only see one tiny piece of the puzzle. He sees the whole picture. I need to trust in Him.

Summer Programs at The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Someday, I really want to go to one of these! Find out more here: http://www.thomasmorecollege.edu/summerprogram/

Way of Beauty Summer Retreat
July 6 - 8 or August 3 - 5

This residential course in prayer and culture will transform the spirit and direct you to the via pulchritudinis, the “way of beauty” – the divine path to creativity, love and joy.

Through this Retreat, you will learn about traditional culture – art, architecture, music – and how it reflects the rhythms and patterns of the cosmos. You will also explore how the cycles and rhythms of the liturgy – the formal and public worship of the Church – participate in the same heavenly standard.

In the chapel, you will learn to chant the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is a simple and beautiful prayer that enables you to “breathe” with the Church. It is so simple, in fact, that you can take it back to your family or your choir so they can chant it too. Apart from the Mass, the Catechism tells us, the Liturgy of the Hours is the most powerful and effective prayer.

You will also receive an introduction to the traditional ‘quadrivium’, or ‘four ways’, of studying the pattern, harmony and order in nature and mathematics, viewed as a reflection of the Divine Order and perceived by us as beauty. They provide the basis for a tradition of harmony and proportion in design and for a tradition of beautiful geometric art used, for example in tiled floors. Along with Church Tradition, these principles also provide the model for the rhythms and cycles of the liturgy.

Christian culture was patterned after this ‘cosmic order’. Literature, art, music, architecture – all of creation and potentially all human activity – are bound together by this common harmony and receive their fullest meaning the Church’s liturgy. Tradition tells us that when we apprehend beauty we do so intuitively, so an education in beauty is also an education in intuition and creativity. This results not only in more ideas, but also better ideas.

Previous training in art or music is not required for the Way of Beauty Summer Retreat.

Iconography
July 23 - 28

Forty-five years ago, Pope Paul VI said to artists from around the world, “You are masters. It is your task, your mission, and your art consists in grasping treasures from the heavenly realm of the spirit and clothing them in words, colors, forms—making them accessible.”

Through the Thomas More College’s Iconography summer program you can enter into this tradition of beauty that is so central in the Church. You will begin to learn the skills of a master painter giving you the ability to make the truth accessible through the beauty of your masterpieces.

During the week long course you will come to thoroughly understand how the theology and philosophy of the Church gives iconography its form and how that is reflected in its stylistic elements. After achieving some knowledge of the iconographic tradition, you will be instructed in creating them: drawing the icon, transferring the drawing to a panel, making the paint with pigment and egg yolk, and finally, the painting process itself.

As icons are religious art, the process of creating them is not only artistic, but also spiritual. Icons, when worthy of veneration, are like sacramentals. Although they are not themselves a channel of grace, their value is that they predispose us to grace. As you learn to paint icons, you will grow artistically, intellectually, and spiritually.

Thomas More College’s artist-in-residence, internationally acclaimed and Oxford educated Professor David Clayton, will carefully guide you through the entire iconographic process, and you will graduate with a certificate of completion—and an icon you produced with your own hands.

Previous training in art is not required for the Iconography course.

Places where the Catholic Church is Booming

I live in New England, where the Catholic population is declining. Schools and churches are closing because there simply isn't the economic support to keep them going. Looking out my narrow window, it would be easy to claim that the Church as a whole is in decline. But, there are places in this country that have the opposite problem - the churches are overflowing!

U.S. Catholic ran an article on Catholic megachurches in the April 2012 issue: Where 20,000 or 30,000 are gathered

Book Review: Catholicism

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith
by Fr. Robert Barron
New York: Image Books, 2011

“Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith” by Fr. Robert Barron is a book to accompany / complement the series by the same name. Having not seen that series, this book is being judged on its own merits. Fr. Barron states that, in writing this book, he wanted to show “how God uses Catholicism to utter his Word.” In very poetic language, he describes how God has spoken through the pages of Scripture, the sacred liturgy, missionary travels, the lives of the saints, the beauty of cathedrals, in Catholic writing and art and theater, and most importantly in the person of Jesus Christ.

In many ways, this book could function as a Catholicism 101 text, although there are many items within its pages that even those well-versed in the faith will find valuable. Fr. Barron examines the teachings of Jesus, explores proofs about God, the problem of evil, the person of Mary, the beginnings of the Church, the mystery of the Church, the communion of saints, prayer, and the last things.

“Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith” goes beyond a traditional exploration of Catholicism in that it not only explores the person of Jesus Christ and the tenets and roots of the faith, but also its integration into the life of its followers. Barron shows how the faith has influenced culture and changed the lives of those who have chosen to give their lives to Christ. While no one book could ever hope to encompass all of the Catholic tradition and influence, Fr. Barron has provided interested readers with a highly-readable overview. Readers will come away with either a new-found or renewed appreciation for the Catholic faith.

Vatican approves new "Blessing for a Child in the Womb"

How great is this!

The Vatican has approved the publication of the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb," which will be printed in English and Spanish in a combined booklet and should be available for parishes by Mothers' Day. The U.S. bishops who collaborated on the development of the blessing welcomed the announcement of the recognitio, or approval, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

"I'm impressed with the beauty of this blessing for human life in the womb," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). "I can think of no better day to announce this news than on the feast of the Annunciation, when we remember Mary's 'yes' to God and the incarnation of that child in her the womb that saved the world."

Read more here: Vatican approves new "Blessing for a Child in the Womb"

New Information on October Baby Showing in Springfield

October Baby will be opening Friday, April 13th at the Entertainment Cinemas at the Springfield Plaza (Can be accessed via Liberty St. or St. James Ave.) in Springfield, MA.

Bulk tickets are available from the cinemas - 50 tickets at $5.75 each. Call the cinema at 413-858-8800. These tickets may be used at any showing. Single tickets will also be available at the theater when the movie is showing. Movie times for the first week will be at 1:10, 4:00, 7:05, and 9:35 p.m. Single ticket prices are $5.75 for matinee and $8.75 for evening shows.

If you need more information, please contact Karen at kfordwork@comcast.net.

Thank you!

The Great Courses on Sale Now!

I recently got a sale catalog in the mail from The Great Courses. My local library has a few of these available for take out, so this was the impetus I needed to actually check them out for preview to see if they were something I was interested in purchasing for my children. I checked out two: The Foundations of Western Civilization and A History of European Art.

My children and I watched one lesson of each just to try them out. They did not appreciate The Foundations of Western Civilization. It was straight lecture with an occasional map thrown in. At 11 and 9 1/2, this is not their idea of a stimulating lesson. A History of European Art fared better. Being as it is art, it featured lots of illustrations and the lecture was explaining them, so all was well! I have ordered that one for school next year, along with The Secrets of Mental Math as a "fun class" for my younger son.

I can definitely see many of these courses being wonderful for high-school aged homeschoolers, however. There are a wide variety of courses taught by some of the best college professors in the country. The courses come with a suggested reading list along with a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied and free replacement if a disk gets ruined. They are pricey normally (although certainly less than actually taking the course at a college), but right now the sale prices are very reasonable. If you use the coupon code TVF4 (good through April 1st), you can get free shipping as well. Check out their full listing of courses here: Great Courses