Striving for Good Deeds

Here we are, almost one week into Lent, and this is the first actual reading post I have done for St. Teresa of Avila! Reading sacred books or books on faith and spirituality is always a challenge with children around. No sooner do I pick up my book to begin reading than someone has a question or the little one needs me. This makes my reading come in small pieces. Which is okay, as it gives me time to reflect on what I have read.

Speaking of children . . .

I am starting with St. Teresa's "The Book of Her Life", which is to St. Teresa what "Story of a Soul" is to St. Therese. St. Teresa begins with her childhood and a few observations on parenting children.

"I sometimes reflect on the great damage parents do by not striving that their children might always see virtuous deeds of every kind." (Ch. 2, 1)

Do my children see virtuous deeds of every kind? Do I expose them to stories of great men and women, inspiring children as often as I can? Do they see their father and I doing good deeds? Scripture tells us to do our good in secret, to not boast of our prayer or good works, so we sometimes go to far and pray or practice kindness in such hiddeness that we forget our children learn through example.

If, because my spiritual reading is interrupted by my children so often, I only do my spiritual reading in private, then they never see me engage in this activity. They do not know that I even do it. They do not see me struggle with it, fight for it, learn to blend it into the busy life I lead by virtue of being a mother.
We must talk with our children about good works - giving to the poor, serving in charity, small kindnesses like praise for a great cashier at the grocery store, or appreciation for our elders. But they must also see us actively involved in these things, as well.

Lent is a great time to get more involved in good works and prayer - in the individual sense and as a family.
Deacon Vic at St. Gabriel's, our home parish, spoke on this in an excellent manner this past Sunday.

Deacon Vic pointed out that the three things we focus on Lent, fasting, charity and prayer, are not three separate things, but all three go together. Must go together, hand-in-hand. Fasting helps reveal to us our relationship with our self, and what we need to prune to get in right relationship with God. Prayer reveals to us our relationship with God. Charity reveals to us our relationships with others, especially the most poor among us. How much are we willing to give? What are we willing to do?
Prayer without charity or fasting is not complete. Fasting without charity and prayer is not complete. And so on. 

This is such a challenging message, especially for those of us caught up (as I am) in the busy day-to-day existence of a family with children.  Some days it is all I have to get a prayer time in.

Charity? Don't have time for it! Fasting? Ugh! Prayer - well, I will fling an Our Father to the heavens as I load up the minivan for a trek to dance practice, through traffic with some of the meanest drivers I have experienced.

Sadly, this is too often my day, my thoughts.

St. Teresa advises that I strive to let my children see virtuous deeds - many and plentiful.To strive means to exert one's self vigorously. To work hard.

Looks like the challenges St. Teresa will throw my way start right at the beginning of her book!

Looks like my thoughts ran away with me. I will wait until tomorrow to post about her other thought about parenting that has been haunting me since last week.

Twas the Night Before Lent

Less than 24 hours until Ash Wednesday. I am stuffing my face with gummy bears, in preparation for giving up sweets for Lent. This one is truly a hard one for me (giving up sweets, that is. Not eating gummy bears. That is, sadly, very easy for me). Such a sweet tooth. God will know I love Him!

I am also prepping for immersing myself in a Teresa yet again. This year is Teresa of Avila, my favorite saint since college. I have always loved her spirit, her verve, her zest, her grand theology.
Last year, I concentrated on the Little Flower - Therese of Lisieux. She has, as I have explained before, never been among my favorite saints. I just do not "identify" with her. Yet, last year, I felt called to her. I thought it would be just for the duration of Lent.
However, as I reflected on 2012 at the close of the year, I was startled to realize the Therese thread ran strongly throughout my entire year.

Love. Small things. Hiddeness.

 The over-arching ideas of Therese were the themes of my whole year. I thought Therese would be my companion throughout Lent 2012. I did not even realize she was with me the rest of the year.

I literally sat, stunned, in my car, the day I realized this. (In my driveway, mind you. God allowed this realization to hit me after I finished driving.)

So, this year, I look forward to journeying with Theresa of Avila. I do not know if God has any larger plan for my lessons with Teresa this year, as occurred with Therese last year. It may just be an interesting and pleasant study throughout Lent. However it goes, it ought to be interesting!

Happy Mardi Gras!