In many people Christ lives the life of the Host. Our life is a sacramental life.
This Host life is like the Advent life, like the life of the Child in the womb, the Child in the swaddling bands, the Christ in the tomb. It is a life of dependence upon creatures, of silence and secrecy, of hidden light. —Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God
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#advent #caryllhouselander #thereedofgod #handletteredadvent2018 #immaculateconception
Who’s happy it’s the weekend?! 🙋🏻♀️! Anybody else have theeeee longest week? 🙋🏻♀️!
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As always, I’m looking forward to this extended time with my kids and husband, catching up on house things, working on side projects, and maybe even visit a Christmas market. 🙏🏽 Whatever your weekend plans are, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family. 💜 #thishouseyourebuilding #spaceandfaith #theperezhomestead
“Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst.”
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—Thomas Merton, “The Time of the End Is the Time of No Room” in Raids on the Unspeakable
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Wow. I needed this. And I wanted to share it in case you needed it, too. #handletteredadvent2018 #advent
This popped up on my Facebook feed today. I had posted it on my personal Instagram a year ago. I wanted to share it because even I needed this reminder.
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Our lives were changed forever when James was born. Navigating through unknown territory, the deep and vast sea of parenthood was difficult. Each day we were adjusting and learning more about our little boy and about each other. Often times those days were met with discouragement and frustration. Other times, the perpetual tiredness contributed to short fuses and moments of selfishness because of our healthy unselfish desire for personal time – for quiet prayer, for community, to work on passion/hobbies. And then during the Easter Triduum, a question came about during a reflection on the Holy Thursday Gospel, the one when Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. During a conversation on this we were brought back to our wedding reception where we imitated that, and furthermore on the vows we made on the altar – vows entailing to lay down our life for another, for our family; to bring each other and the future souls we would be entrusted with to Heaven.
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There arose a question: “How can I serve my family today?” This was the question that remained on the chalkboard wall of our first apartment. It changed our outlook then and still challenges us today each time we see this visible reminder. It’s not a question that is always met with joy and enthusiasm, but with gripes at times. BUT! It surely helps us in our daily call to holiness and sacrificial love. And the fruit borne from this is so life-giving.
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If serving family means doing the dishes before we’re asked, awesome; changing diapers without deferring it to the other, awesome. Small things. Then there are those bigger ones, too. Working full-time jobs to support family finances, working a side gig for extra money, being a stay-at-home mom/dad, caring for the kids in order to let your spouse take care of personal needs… these are all heroic acts of service and sacrificial love. In whatever capacity we are called to serve, each can contribute to building the kingdom of God on earth.
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So don’t worry about tomorrow yet as it is not here. Serve today. ❤
