In the Midst of Holy Week

Yesterday was Palm Sunday  – another Lent almost gone.

While I haven’t done everything I had hoped to for Lent, I think our home successfully had a Lenten feel to it, and I noticed that at least the three younger children were taking their Lenten Sacrifice to heart.

Although we still had discussions like this:

“I feel like something sweet. Why don’t we go make brownies!?”

“We can’t. It’s Lent.”

somewhere they figured out that higher holy days (St. Joseph’s Feast Day and Feast of the Annunciation) could get them a little more leeway.

I had big plans to make it to mass every day this week – and then my van decided that this was the perfect week to have the fuel pump go out.  So I am without a car, which is a little sacrifice of its own.  I was going to rent a car for a few days, but instead we decided to just use Mr. Pete’s car. So for the next few days I will drive him to work and it will be nice to spend some time together.  I am also spending an hour a day on Audionotch.com to see if I can lessen the intensity of my tinnitus.  And while all of this is going on I remember the words from the stations of the cross by  St. Alphonsus Liguori,:

I embrace all the sufferings You have destined for me until death.

Having seen the suffering my mother went through as she died from ovarian cancer, I’m not sure I can totally embrace those words yet – but going without a car and dealing with my tinnitus without freaking out is a good first step!

But there are some more things that I would like to accomplish before and during Holy Week.

• Get Morning Prayers and the Office of Readings done in the morning before any one else is up. 
• If the van can be fixed quickly, try to get to one or two daily masses. If not, for sure go to Holy Thursday and Good Friday services. 
• Do a scripture study on the Book of Romans. 
• Get out to the cemetery and do the Stations of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. 
• While there, decorate Raphael’s and mom’s graves for Easter.
• Bake some bread with the girls for Holy Saturday.
• Do a family rosary – with the teens too if I can catch them!
• Read something inspirational from the Lenten Links I saved. 
• Make sure to read some of Father Lovasik’s books with Rosie.
• Read some other books from the library to Rosie to prepare her for Easter.