Our dear St. Therese had her own feast day on October 1, my confirmation saint St. Francis of Assisi has his own feast day today (cake and ice cream has been planned for dessert!), and Our Lady of the Rosary is on Friday. I am sorry I didn’t post on the Little Flower’s feast day as I had planned but I was having fun with my family – it was a feast day in our house after all!
It can be hard to remember all these feast days but I encourage you to try. Let’s admit it, being a Catholic can sometimes be seen as boring and difficult. What with all those “Thou Shalt Not…”, Mass on Sunday, Confession (!), no meat on Fridays and watching what we say, watch and do – who wants to be a Catholic?
I do – and you as well. Putting aside my sarcasm, being a Catholic can be perceived as boring and difficult to those outside of our homes, our churches and our culture (yes, there is such a thing as Catholic culture). But, from inside my happy home and looking out from the pew through beautiful stained glass windows I am reminded that the world desperately needs the color, joy and celebrations that being Catholic can bring.
So, pull out your planner or calendar and pick your favorite saints and feast days to celebrate with good fun, a family excursion or game night. Start with the patron saint names of the members of the family or maybe remember baptismal days. You don’t need a meal that is worthy of pinterest but maybe just a shout out at dinner to that saint to keep their watchful, prayerful eye on your family. Do something a bit ‘extra’ as a reminder to yourself that our faith is full of reasons to celebrate.
If your spouse or kids ask why the extra dessert or special meal or walk in a park tell them that being a Catholic makes you happy and when you are happy you want those around you to be happy as well!
