One of the sad consequences of the coronavirus outbreak is the separation many of us feel from our parish communities. Public Masses are suspended and parish gatherings, including religious education classes, are canceled. But families can still stay connected to God and his Church during the COVID-19 crisis, and they can form their children in the faith as well. It begins with seeing the family through the eyes of our faith. Read the ways your family can be a true domestic church during this time.
Sheltering in place: Time to discover the liturgy of domestic church life
The global pandemic is forcing families to focus on their relationships like never before. Whatever else God might be doing at this time, it seems clear that he is calling us to discover the power and importance of the domestic church. With Masses suspended and churches closed, we simply don’t have access to the spiritual resources we normally rely on. We are, quite literally, stuck at home with little choice but to figure out how to encounter God as we shelter in place. Go online to read more about supporting our domestic church life.
Not the same old (Christmas) story
Every year around this time, we’re bound to hear a familiar set of narratives in the media. How much we’ll spend. How far we’ll travel. How far behind retail sales are compared to last year. It’s time to put aside the tired stories. Here are three replacement conversations we should be having this Christmas, including talking about how much to give, not how much to spend! Find the conversations online.
Ten ways to keep Christ in Christmas
At Thanksgiving we thank God for many blessings and gifts. At Christmas, we try to imitate God’s generosity by giving gifts ourselves. But Keeping the emphasis on the birth of Jesus during the days before Christmas is difficult for both adults and children, especially as the secular and commercial side of Christmas actually begins even before Thanksgiving Day. Many people are already frantically shopping for those last minute gifts, the stores and schools are decorated to the fullest and sign of Christmas are everywhere! Online you’ll find Ten Ways to help keep Christ in Christmas. The activities cost very little and the rewards are priceless!
Have yourself a drama-free Christmas
Can you have a drama-free Christmas? Ever since Cory Bussee’s mom and dad passed, family holidays have taken on a very weird flavor. He and his wife, and his siblings and their spouses and kids, all struggle with family identity now that the keepers of their shared history and traditions are gone. So, the family decided to host a “Drama-Free Christmas.” To pull it off, they made three, simple rules. Discover what they are online.