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Want to end the liturgical living guess work? Browse these five, straight-forward, authentic ways to get started from the heart of my home to yours.
You may have seen this on social media, but the blog post has practical examples and guiding questions for you to consider that the social posts didn't! 😊
Tell me in the comments which of these ideas you practice in your home.
Concrete Examples:
My husband is Italian American, so every Christmas Eve we partake in the delicious and overwhelmingly wonderful feast of seven fishes.
Growing up in East Texas so close to Louisiana, we always had a vibrant Shrove Tuesday experience complete with gumbo, parades, and the last bite of king cake for the season.
Guiding Question:
What culture or heritage do you come from? What about your spouse?
Is there something from your ancestry that has been passed down to you?
Are you able to look back into your family and find a meaningful tradition?
Look up ways that your culture celebrated Catholicism and begin a new tradition!
Concrete Examples:
Mass is a priority for us every single Sunday! There are times where it is more challenging or we are exhausted, but we never skip out on Mass because we both fully believe that our liturgical life is nothing without this. If you haven't made Mass a priority, start by doing this!
We accomplish daily prayer as a family through the simple act of prompting the other to pray before bed time. If I haven't asked my husband then he will ask me and vice versa. We have learned to hold each other accountable to praying together as a family once a day and also during meals that we share together.
Guiding Question:
About Mass
Is there a Mass time that works best for you and your family?
Do you sometimes let other things get in the way of going to church on Sunday?
Do you have a regular life of confession so that you can receive the Eucharist in a state of grace?
About Family Prayer
Do you make time for personal prayer, prayer time with your significant other, and prayer time with your entire family?
Have your children ever seen you and your spouse pray together?
Is there a certain way that you prefer to pray?
Are you holding realistic or unrealistic expectations when it comes to praying with children?
Concrete Examples:
1. We usually celebrate at least one saint feast day a month and the usual way we do that is with dinner or baking a tasty treat. On these special days, I don't cook alone, my husband joins me in the kitchen and we cook together. Often talking about the saint we have chosen to honor and where the meal comes from. On the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, my husband and I make a clementine cake together because she likens the sweetness of Christ to a clementine. I then make us cups of tea and we enjoy our refreshing dessert in honor of my confirmation saint.
2. Sunday dinner is a tradition that my mother and father-in-law began and we are deeply indebted to them for this family custom. It doesn't matter what is going on, Sunday dinner will happen! Many of my brothers and sisters-in-law will be in the kitchen cooking alongside my mother-in-law and it is a joyful time filled with great conversation and laughter. There's usually always a guest, often times priests, who will come to participate in our large family and glad offering. Then we all sit down to eat together and relax there for hours while enjoying "family dinner."
Guiding Questions:
About Cooking Meals
Have you tried cooking or baking for a feast day?
Do you feel the burden of having to do it all yourself or do you invite your family to help you cook?
Have you used the Liturgy Kitchen resources to make your planning simpler?
About Sunday Dinner
Could you begin a simple Sunday dinner tradition in your home?
What if you made it an open door policy for your family and friends?
When could you reasonably start this tradition and would it be weekly or monthly?
Concrete Example:
Often times I see others overwhelmed by liturgical living because they are attempting traditions that aren't meaningful to them. Take for example the custom of honoring the Sacred Heart. This devotion is not particularly special to everyone, but it is for my family. We had our home enthroned to the Sacred Heart and so that image is kept in a prominent place in our home. My mother and father-in-law also had their home enthroned which felt that much more special when we did it.
Guiding Questions:
What special devotions, customs, or practices do you have in your family?
If you feel like you don't have any, which ones would you like to start?
How can you narrow in on the feasts, seasons, or memories that are most important to you and your family instead of trying to do them all?
Concrete Example:
Seasonal decorating is a beloved gift that my parents handed down to me. Each time a new season or special day came around the entire house felt and smelled of that time in the year. I can still smell the Fall candles and decor that my mom kept in our hutch. I have always held that dear to my heart and now my home is decorated for each season.
Guiding Question:
What are authentic ways that you can bring a season or a feast day to life?
What do you and your family enjoy doing and how can that be applied to the liturgical year? (Take my seasonal decorating as an example.)
Have you asked yourself if your liturgical life is offering God praise or is it becoming a to do list?
These are the things going on in my home throughout the year, but I would love to know what you do. I like to think of the saints in this instance, each one of them is so different yet they each gave God praise in their own way. Just like the saints we too extend love and offerings to Him in a way that makes sense to each one of us. If some of these tips are helpful, I encourage you to use them, but if it doesn't fit then try something else. Tell me all about it in the comments!
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