U is for Unity

/ Cristina T / 18 Comments

U is for Unity #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on TwitterWe’re at U already?! Where did the time go? I can’t thank you enough for joining me on this wonderful ride. We’re united in unity, right? We better be, because that’s what we’re talking about!

We debunked some bunk about Third Orders yesterday and you should totally check it out. We also talked about my favorite atheist. He’s super cute.

 What is it?

Unity is the state of oneness amongst persons especially. To be unified in beliefs and values.

Why did I choose to share this particular “U” with you?

In this whirlwind of a month and as a Catholic, I am like you in that I love fiercely, I laugh, I fall flat on my face, I find the humor in the sadness, and I am certainly not perfect, or typical. It’s from this place that I am looking to be unified with you. In our oneness of humanity and caring for others. It’s from this unity that I want to understand one another. Let’s just start here, my baggage and yours. Let’s throw all the contents on the bed, like you do after a trip. I am a mix of what you wouldn’t expect: adult Catholic convert, remarried to an atheist, covered in tattoos – did I forget to mention that!?, I drop the f bomb more than you’d ever guess – I know I didn’t mention that, I watch trash reality TV, was raised in an urban neighborhood in Brooklyn (putting it mildly) and have no accent at all (classical voice lessons stripped me of that!), learned Spanish in High School (I’m Puerto Rican remember?), learned how to cook Spanish food from a cookbook and my husband’s taste buds and I don’t know how to dance salsa. I was too white to hang out with the Spanish kids, and too dark to hang out with the white kids.

It’s because of all of these unexpected “tags” that I abhor dissension, disharmony, division and disunion. Basically, I am hating the letter d in that sentence. This is why the Catholic faith resonates with me. It is the whole for me and how I preach it to you. This is why God’s message of love, hope and charity is still being talked about today whether agreed upon or not. Can you imagine? The words you say today, being spoken about and lived for thousands of years after your death? Why wouldn’t I at least check that out? Why wouldn’t you?  I’m not trying to convert you. I couldn’t if I tried, that’s not my thing. That’s between you, your heart, and God.

It is my sincere hope that I’ve at least changed your mind about some things and have shared just enough of my soul that you will share yours.

I leave you with the words of Pope Francis:

@fillpraycloset #atozchallenge #unity #popefrancis

 

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter V. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

T is for Third Orders

/ Cristina T / 26 Comments

T is for Third Orders #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on TwitterI see you. I know what you’re thinking. Third Orders like Opus Dei in the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown with all the flogging and such? Um no. Maybe you weren’t thinking that. But we’ll debunk the cray-cray myths anyway. Yesterday was our first foray into a book of the bible. My favorite, Sirach. There’s a free printable in rad black and white, that I have at my desk at work, in a corporate office. Hint hint, applicable and SFW. :)

What is it?

Let’s think of it this way, you know how there are priests and friars (collars and robes with ropes?) those are considered First Orders. Nuns and Sisters (don’t get me started on my love/lurve relationship with nuns) are considered Second Orders. Then there’s us, the peeps, or as we’re technically called, the Laity. We’re not called to serve as a nun, sister, priest or friar. We’re called to a little bit of both. I’m married and have children, but I am also a Third Order Dominican. There are some people who feel called to serve in a way that aligns with a particular charism – we associate ourselves with Orders depending on what their “specialty” or “point of focus” is. Here are the broad strokes:

Third Order #3op #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset

Why did I choose to share this particular “T” with you?

Obviously, it’s because I am part of a Third Order. But mostly because this is a unique and special way to live out the Catholic faith. I am married!! I live in the world, tied to a special community of brothers and sisters who share the same calling to the order created around a particular saint (and all them Friars and Nuns!)

It’s changed me. I’ve gotten more confident. I never thought I could be a Lay Dominican, what do I know about scripture and church history, or theology! I am a new Catholic. Well, let me tell you…if you’re called, you just know it and you learn. I meet with people I never would have known, once a month and they want to be there. They are deeply faithful to the Church and act upon it. They go to nursing homes and visit with the elderly or sick. They make house calls to members of the order that are too frail to make it to the meetings. We donate of our time and money to those in need.

Now, let me let you in on a little secret, not everyone sitting in the pews next to me wants to be there! Sometimes they are writing in their check books for the collection, yawning, checking their texts, chatting. I’ll admit it, it makes me upset and breaks my heart at the same time – but we’re human and it’s normal. It makes my atheist husband who comes with me in support, upset though. He feels that if he can respect where he’s at, they should too. Now why am I saying this? Not to shock you. But to share a couple of insights.

Being a member of a Third Order is being part of a group where they want more. More prayer, more study, more God, more more, in their lives. Are we better than anyone else? NO, that’s not what I’m saying. But let’s say you have a group of friends who love to drink coffee with you every week. But you, you obsess over coffee, you drink it when they’re not around. You have candles that smell like coffee and lip balms that taste of it. You search online for others who may have this cuckoo-for-cocoa puffs obsession and hey, they’re MAKING coffee beans grow in a greenhouse and they just live for everything coffee. You totally want to hang with them, because they get YOU. That’s what this Third Order thing was for me. Make sense?

Second, my husband goes to mass with me. He’s an atheist. He says it all day. He feels that if you don’t agree with the church down the line, you have no business joining. He’s kinda black and white that way. Our Deacon calls him  100 percenter. He loves me THAT much, that he would support whatever makes me happy. He supports my faith like he supports my writing, my going back to school, even parting my hair down the middle after parting it on the side for an age. See, my husband doesn’t want to be there. BUT, he respects where we’re at. He respects me, loves me and my passion whether it’s Catholic, Third Order or my hatred of teeth!

And there’s a really wonderful piece that I have linked to here a quazillion times. I won’t again here because I’m afraid if they see another ping back, I’ll be blocked forever. But, it’s perfect! You’ll have to check that link to get to the perfect piece on Third Orders by TJ Burdick at Ignitum Today.

And that Opus Dei myth? DEBUNKED

#3op #davincicode Third Orders #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on Twitter

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter U. We’re already at U?! I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

S is for Sirach

/ Cristina T / 17 Comments

S is for Sirach #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on TwitterToday, I may have surprised you. You would think that after mentioning the Sacraments, I’d write about that today! I can’t let you rest, dear reader. You never know with me, and I hope you’ve figured that out by now. We’re talking Sirach.

Yesterday we touched on a HUGE Catholicky <— (is that a word? It is now!) love. The Rosary. Suffering from the blues, on occasion, or worse, depression? Read it. Depression waits for no man, or woman!

What is it?

Sirach is a book of the bible not recognized by the Reformation. Remember Bibles? This book is in the Catholic Bible. It is written in the style of Proverbs and therefore, wisdom, in short sentences abound. This particular book was written by a Jewish man named Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach; hence the self named book title. This book helps us live a faithful life to God, even with the small things in life.

#atozchallenge Sirach #catholic @fillpraycloset

Why did I choose to share this particular “S” with you?

The Book of Sirach is my favorite book of the bible. I even have a free printable page of verses made by Jenny from The Littlest Way at my desk in the office. The scripture gleaned from this book has inspired many a post round these parts. I am sure that there is a verse anyone and everyone can relate to.

For now, let’s just end with this:

Before you speak, learn (Sirach 18:19)

And isn’t that what we’re doing in this series?

Yep.

I challenge you to read the printable, and share a verse that you found applicable or intriguing. As you can see, they are helpful to anyone, at any time. For extra credit, head over to the entire book of Sirach and pick one of your own to share in the comments. Go on, the water is fine! Just come back and tell us which jumped up and slapped you in the head. Does that to me!

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter T. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

R is for Rosary

/ Cristina T / 35 Comments

 

R is for Rosary #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on TwitterAhhh, this is my kinda tawk. I love praying the rosary. And I hope, you’ll at least try, try a decade. But I will be just as happy if you said a Hail Mary, or a Glory Be, or an Our Father. It may be a little intimidating at first, it was for me, which is why I app’ed that baby.

I dropped mad Quadragesima knowledge on you yesterday. No, it doesn’t mean you should visit the doctor.

 

What is it?

The rosary is many things to many people. It is a meditative prayer, loved by popes and prayed by saints. The rosary is also something Catholics do when they want to “talk to Mom”. This is Mary’s prayer. Mary Mother of God that is. In this meditative prayer we reflect on 20 mysteries of the bible over the passing of 50 beads on a chain. It is said that the rosary was given to St. Dominic by Our Lady (another way we refer to Mary Mother of God – there’s also the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, Queen of Peace and Theotokos, to name but a few). Getting on with it, because we’re pressed, the mysteries we meditate on are listed below according to the days on which they are prayed:

Joyful Mysteries: Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation and the Finding in the Temple on Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent.

Luminous Mysteries: Baptism of our Lord, Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom, Transfiguration and the Eucharist (or Last Supper) on Thursday’s

Sorrowful Mysteries (my favorite): Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion on Tuesdays, Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday

Glorious Mysteries: the Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost, Assumption and the Crowning of our Blessed Lady <— there’s another name for Mama Mary on Wednesday’s and Sundays.

R is for Rosary @fillpraycloset #atozchallenge

One of my favorite rosaries

Why did I choose to share this particular “R” with you?

I’ve written about the rosary here, a lot. Crankin’ out the Rosary and My Dear Rosary are good places to start. They’re not what you think one would write of regarding a centuries old prayer. But here’s what I haven’t said. I have issues with depression. I always have, I think (like my grandmother who hid it to her death) and didn’t really label it as such until after Alex was born. That was nine years ago. Granted, I won’t say that the rosary replaces Zoloft or Cymbalta (both of which I have had the pleasure of withdrawing from). I will say, that there is something about passing the beads through your fingers, or rolling and pressing the beads between your thumb and pointer finger when you’re “having an episode”, it’s soothing. The more I press into the bead, the more I feel as if I am pressing that depression into the bead. I think it’s that powerful because of the all encompassing nature of the prayer: you hold the beads, you speak the prayer and you meditate on the mysteries. You can’t think of anything else, and in that, you lose the mundane, the sad and the painful. I pray it in my car known as “the church-mobile”. I taught it to myself with the help of mp3s on my iPhone. Sometimes, I still use it because I love the lilt and timbre of the voices or when my brain is being especially drunk-monkey. I also love this prayer because for all intents and purposes, I don’t have a mother. With the rosary, I can talk to Mom every day, and she listens with no judgement, no questions, no backhanded responses that leave me feeling less than. Sign me up!

Did you know that Louis Pasteur, the scientist considered this one of his favorite prayers? Boom.

Resources, as promised:

How to pray the rosary cheat sheet
The mp3s I use in my car (if you use them between the hours of 8-8:30ET, chances are you’re praying with me.)

And here’s a freebie that you may not have expected and I’m really layin’ it on here. If you don’t currently own a rosary and / or can’t afford one, I’ll make you one. Free of charge. Just send me a message. Who loves ya, baby?! (US only – sorry guys! I’ll sing to ya?)

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter S. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

Prayer Intentions

/ Cristina T / 15 Comments

I haven’t published a post requesting for intentions in a while. Easter seems like a good day to get back to that. He is risen. Let us pray that the peace and joy of His resurrection remain with us today and always.

Please leave your intentions here. I would love to pray for you.

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Q is for Quadragesima

/ Cristina T / 27 Comments

Q is for Quadragesima #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on TwitterThis looks difficult, but I promise, Quadragesima, is a super easy concept to master and learn. We’re actually in it, right now.

I shared a bit about Pentecost yesterday. Ok, so it was a lot. I got carried away and wrote double what I’ve usually written, that means it’s important, head over and catch up. I promise, I’ll make that up for my lack of brevity yesterday, in this post.

 

What is it?

Quadragesima (kwodj-ruh-jes-uh-muh) is a period of 40 days of preparation with prayer, fasting and penance – especially Lent! That’s what we’re in right now. That’s it! See how easy that is?

#lent @atozchallenge @fillingmyprayercloset Quadragesima

Why did I choose to share this particular “Q” with you?

Because Easter is tomorrow! It’s the end of Lent and all of it’s 40 days or Quadragesima. Bring on the celebration and hallelujah chorus. I also completed a Lent series with my very good friend Tiffany, and fellow Catholic (she’s also a Librarian and Belly Dancer – hey, we got flavor). If you’d like to learn about Lent, you are certainly welcome to poke around. In the meantime, I am headed to Easter Vigil* tonight where people who have been studying, praying and discerning for months and maybe even years, are coming into the Catholic Church. It’s a pretty awe-some event.

While you’re poking around, why don’t you read a little on how my husband (the self-proclaimed atheist) ended up with ashes on his forehead one year on Ash Wednesday.

Anything like that ever happen to you?!

Extra Credit: Vigil just means a mass in anticipation of the Sunday mass the following day. No big. It’s my favorite kind of mass to go to. Less people, and if I’m singing (cantoring) I skip a couple of hymns. For a singer, I shouldn’t want to skip anything, but I’m just an odd duck.

Come back Monday to read all about my Catholic take on the letter R. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

P is for Pentecost

/ Cristina T / 18 Comments

P is for Pentecost #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on Twitter

Pentecost, one of my favorite days of the Liturgical year so settle in butter cups. We have already briefly spoken of the Holy Spirit, which sets this up quite nicely.

We teased out the Our Father yesterday, and I broke it down very briefly should you want to catch up there.

 

What is it?

This year, we celebrate Pentecost on June 8th. It is considered the birthday of the Church, and a very important Holy Day of Obligation – meaning we, as Catholics have to get ourselves to mass. It is at this time that:

He [the Holy Spirit] comes with his Seven Gifts. These make the soul capable of taking in the special lights and inspirations He sends in a much higher way than what is had in ordinary graces. We do not notice much of any effects from these Gifts until we have advanced rather far in the spiritual life, for great docility and purity of heart are needed. (Rev. William G. Most via ETWN)

P is for Pentecost #atozchallenge

A Western depiction of the Pentecost, painted by Jean II Restout, 1732. from Wikipedia

Why did I choose to share this particular “P” with you?

Aside from being one of the oldest feast days of the Catholic church, it’s mentioned in the Acts written by St. Luke the Evangelist, and we all know how much I love him. It’s also considered the birthday of the Church! No. No cake, but tongues of fire! Let’s get dramatic, people! I want you to really take a look at this image. What do you see? A woman, right in the center. Not any woman, but Mary, Mother of God. She was at the birth of the church, centered as if she were the church itself. All of the other men in the picture (the Apostles in the Upper Room) look scared, concerned, confused. Not Mary. Mary is at peace amidst all the hub-bub of fiery tongues. Oh yea, I said hub-bub. Let’s take a look at scripture, quickly:

Acts 2:2-8

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

This is the part I love, guys. See how they were all speaking in tongues and different languages? The Holy Spirit that gave them that ability to understand. This is when they were imbued with the ability to preach so others could understand, and about 3,000 were baptized that day.

For more information, resources and Pentecost-y goodness, you’ll want to head to this page over at EWTN  If you read anything, anything over there, please read this reflection by St. Augstine. He’s a Dominican, and we all know I’m partial.

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter Q. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

O is for Our Father

/ Cristina T / 36 Comments

O is for Our Father #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on Twitter

The Our Father. For those of you unfamiliar with the prayer, that’s fine. I’ll give you some insight into what this prayer is and why it’s so special to me. For those of you familiar with this prayer, offer one up for me, will ya?

Yesterday, I offered to start a Novena for anyone who shared their intentions. You can still get in on that action!

 

What is it?

The Our Father, quite simply, is the perfect prayer. It’s how Jesus taught us to pray. How do I know? Says so, right in the bible. *taps mic*

Matthew 6:7-13

O is for Our Father #atozchallenge

“Thy Will Be Done” by Morgan Weistling

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“Pray then in this way:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial
but rescue us from the evil one.

Now, the actual prayer is slightly different. But breaking down this prayer, that is so easily rattled off, it really is perfect. We acknowledge God and venerate him understanding that it is His will we accept, not ours. Our daily bread can be a nod to daily communion, the trials and joys we undertake on this earth, daily. We also are reminded that we cannot expect forgiveness if we aren’t willing to forgive absolutely, as He does. We end with petitioning for protection from temptation, and sin. Now isn’t that something?

Why did I choose to share this particular “O” with you?

The Our Father is the first prayer I ever learned. It’s also the only prayer I ever knew growing up – with the exception of the scariest prayer on the planet (to me as a child): “Now I lay me down to sleep…if I die before I wake, I pray The Lord my souls to take”. Without the understanding of the prayer and why it was said, it terrified me. I digress.

The Our Father, for me, is a prayer of strength. When I am angry, tempted, worried it just starts within me and I find myself mouthing it to myself, subtly. I am so practiced in this prayer, that I often wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, half way through the prayer. It’s almost ingrained in me to pray when fear and anxiety strike. I think it’s the “thy will be done” part. I know that I really don’t have much control over the events of my life. None of us do. Even when I try to tell myself, I control, this or that, I think of the action preceding my “controlled” event and am always back at my lack of control.

Try it. Where do you end up? 

For an even deeper look into the Our Father, take a stab at this from Conversion Diary. A word by word interpretation written by a ton of people. That’s a lot of perspective for ya, and further proof that this is a wonderfully rich, layered prayer.

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter P. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

N is for Novena

/ Cristina T / 32 Comments

N is for Novena #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset on TwitterWhat the Novena? That’s what we’re going to discuss today. I will also share some of my favorites ones to pray (that should give you a hint).

Yesterday, I shared a typical day in the life of a new Catholic in only a way I can. In a word? FEET! Head over for a laugh and a toe’s worth of Maundy Thursday. We’ll just pray while we wait for you to catch up.

What is it?

The word novena (nōˈvēnə) is derived from the number nine. A novena is a set of prayers prayed over nine days. Novena’s have also been used as a term for prayers that last longer than nine days – such as the 54 day novena (I’ve prayed it!). Novena’s are usually prayers of petition (or making requests) but sometimes, they are of thanksgiving. That 54 day novena is one of them that includes both. Some novenas can be prayed with the intercession of a particular saint’s feast day. For example, I began praying the St. Francis de Sales Novena on January 15th, to end on January 23rd as his feast day (or day he died) is on January 24th.

Why did I choose to share this particular “N” with you?

I pray novenas. I have prayed novenas for the conversion of my husband, admittedly. I’ve prayed a novena to become a published writer, for someone’s healing from cancer and to undo the knots in my life. The list goes on and on. These novena’s are usually the same every night, however it causes one to focus, or derive meaning from different words depending on the events of your day. One word can speak different meanings to you on different days and that’s what I appreciate and love about novena’s the most. Sometimes, you don’t know what to pray. You don’t have the words, it’s hard to just sit and be still, enter the novena – it’s all written out for you. All you need to do is focus on your intentions and the people you are praying for.

On to my favorites:

Our Lady Undoer of Knots (Pope Francis’ favorite and her image is right there on the left, it’s my ultimate favorite too!)
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (a trusting let it all go kind of novena)
The Miraculous 54 day Rosary Novena (exactly, miraculous indeed)
Novena to St. Francis de Sales (Patron Saint of Writers and Journalists)

If you would rather go the reminder of what to pray and when to pray it, or don’t know which novena to pick, Pray More Novena’s will take care of all of that for ya. Join the Next Novena to Divine Mercy (remember that?!)

What would you pray for? If you share them, I would be honored, no thrilled, to pray for you. I’ll even start a novena for all of the intentions mentioned in the comments below. TONIGHT!

N is for Novena #atozchallenge

A group of pious women gathered for a novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most likely a mourning event. circa 1940.

Come back tomorrow to read all about my Catholic take on the letter O. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.

M is for Maundy Thursday

/ Cristina T / 33 Comments

#atozchallenge M is for Maundy Thursday @fillpraycloset on TwitterToday, I will discuss Maundy Thursday in the Catholic church and then how it went down in my church. Embarrassing story coming!

I shared with you some interesting tidbits about St. Luke the Evangelist yesterday. I really do try to incorporate his evangelization approach here with you.

Let’s DO this…

What is it?

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday takes place during Holy Week in Lent (smack before Easter). This is where we celebrate the Last Supper (and also the institution of the priesthood). In John 31:1-17 we read about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. This washing of the feet reminds us of baptism. The church is also stripped and washed. For more information and symbolism associated with this special day, please visit the special section devoted to it on Catholic Online.

Why did I choose to share this particular “M” with you?

As I was coming into the faith in 2012, I was still very much in the learn-as-you go stage. I think I will always be there, it’s called continual conversion. I have come to accept that I will never be an expert in all things Catholic. Actually, I love that.

There I was, Holy Week 2012. I cantored (lead the music of the mass through singing). I heard that people were going up to have their feet washed by the priest. I got very nervous. I wasn’t ready for my feet to see daylight – no pedicure in months – I was sock-less, in ballet flats and my toes were clammy! (Sorry). I was freaking out as I saw people walk up to have their feet washed. The church was filled to the rafters. I soon figured that this also meant there was time to air out my feet! I stood behind the podium in the choir area, took off my shoes and tried to move them back and forth, slowly, to get some air on those puppies without inciting attention while simultaneously paying attention to the music I was singing. Well, as it happened, people are asked ahead of time and since I wasn’t asked I got no suds on the toes. Can you imagine?

And that’s my Maundy Thursday story!

If you have a few more moments, read an account of Pope Francis, in the first year of his Pontificate as he, washed the feet of “12 young people of different nationalities and faiths, including at least two Muslims and two women”.

Maundy Thursday #atozchallenge @fillpraycloset

Come back tomorrow for to read all about my Catholic take on the letter N. I am blogging my way through the alphabet with others who are doing the same. 

Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. We have all worked long and hard to prepare these posts, some prepping for a couple of months, as we posted our regular schedule, took care of our children, went to work, had the flu…well, you get the idea.