Friday, June 15, 2007

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

When I consulted our calendar earlier this month to plan our activities for June, I knew that I wanted to incorporate a special celebration to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And I was so pleased to realize that it would fall on a Friday that Darren didn't have to work! He has, in the past, missed most of our feast day celebrations, so I really wanted to make this one special. I turned to one of my favorite liturgical resources, the infinitely inspirational Women for Faith & Family, and found an abundance of amazingly wonderful ideas that I easily adapted to suit our family.

We began this morning by creating a pretty display on the old sewing cabinet in our living room which is, ordinarily, home to our family bible. The pencil sketch is one that I did as a teenager, and, remembering it a few days ago, I turned the house inside out trying to find it again! The roses are actually one of the arrangements from my mom's wedding, so their inclusion in our makeshift shrine was very special to me.


While I tidied the kitchen after lunch today, Darren read to the kids from some books we had specifically selected from their collection to illustrate the love Jesus has for all of us. When they finished, I asked Dylan and Caitlyn to remember some of the ways Jesus demonstrated his love while he was alive, and wrote their examples on white paper heart doilies which we then glued to larger red heart doilies. We hung these in our kitchen bay window and they are so beautiful!


We also made a heart shaped cake to enjoy for dessert tonight. A single white candle in its center represented the Light of Christ, and it was really quite lovely. Before we tucked them into bed, we included the kids in saying the Litany to the Sacred Heart. It was so sweet to hear their little voices joining with ours, and, despite my earlier exasperation at their distraction during some of today's activities, their participation tonight reminded me that these continued efforts, despite their occasional frustrations, are among some of the greatest gifts we will ever provide for our children.

6 comments:

Celeste Creates said...

Melissa, how absolutely beautiful! All of your ideas are so wonderful. I had totally forgotten about the Women for Faith & Family website. I really must sit down with the July calendar and do some serious planning!

You are the quintessential(sp?) homeschooler already!!!!! Super job!

Much love!

mom-in-training said...

Wow, wow, wow! I am so inspired by the amazing things you do with your family. Your devotion to your faith and your children are so often shown through acts such as this. Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas. You and Celeste are my heroes. :) And as Celeste pointed out, you're already quite the homeschooling pro! Well done!!!

Amy Parris said...

I'm so glad to be reading your blog. You are simply amazing. Even better that I don't know you in person because you would make me feel like a lame and lazy mama :).

In all seriousness you are passing the faith down to the next generation and showing them that it is a faith that is not dead but alive and thriving.

Great job!

Anonymous said...

How blessed your children are to have a Mom and Dad that what to and work to keep the faith alive in every aspect of daily living!

Blessings to you both ~ Melissa and Darren!

Anonymous said...

Sorry! That should be 'want to'!

He who wears the most black wins. said...

So cool, Melissa. So cool and SO beautiful. I love what you are giving your children. Ahh.....if only every Catholic family could be so inspired. We should feel so blessed to have the marriages and the children we do.