I know it FEELS like the ones who do not know the dates must be the same ones who do not attend on said dates, but being a mother and engaging in many conversations about logistics with other mothers over the last 25 years, I can tell you that these dates do in fact sneak up on A LOT of Catholics—particularly when, as JD pointed out, the…
I know it FEELS like the ones who do not know the dates must be the same ones who do not attend on said dates, but being a mother and engaging in many conversations about logistics with other mothers over the last 25 years, I can tell you that these dates do in fact sneak up on A LOT of Catholics—particularly when, as JD pointed out, there isn’t a robust culture of actually celebrating them aside from “you take this carload of kids before school and I’ll take the other kids after school/before sports practice.” Christmas is the one exception.
And honestly there aren’t even many resources for HOW to celebrate them if you don’t have some kind of established family or cultural tradition. If you google ways to celebrate the Annunciation (I know, not a HDO but the most recent solemnity), most of what comes up are a few kind of uninspiring crafts, the suggestion to have waffles for dinner (which, I’m sorry, feels uninspiring in the midst of Lent when we have been eating simple and mostly meatless meals already), and to pray a family rosary. Which, great! Family rosary is a fabulous practice! If you already have that established as a daily or at least somewhat regular practice, it still doesn’t feel super celebratory. You know? So even establishing ways to make these days feel festive is kind of lacking inspiration, even when you go looking. I get how they have become afterthoughts. And yet, what a poverty, especially in light of the way Ed described the events of salvation and time in the podcast.
I know it FEELS like the ones who do not know the dates must be the same ones who do not attend on said dates, but being a mother and engaging in many conversations about logistics with other mothers over the last 25 years, I can tell you that these dates do in fact sneak up on A LOT of Catholics—particularly when, as JD pointed out, there isn’t a robust culture of actually celebrating them aside from “you take this carload of kids before school and I’ll take the other kids after school/before sports practice.” Christmas is the one exception.
And honestly there aren’t even many resources for HOW to celebrate them if you don’t have some kind of established family or cultural tradition. If you google ways to celebrate the Annunciation (I know, not a HDO but the most recent solemnity), most of what comes up are a few kind of uninspiring crafts, the suggestion to have waffles for dinner (which, I’m sorry, feels uninspiring in the midst of Lent when we have been eating simple and mostly meatless meals already), and to pray a family rosary. Which, great! Family rosary is a fabulous practice! If you already have that established as a daily or at least somewhat regular practice, it still doesn’t feel super celebratory. You know? So even establishing ways to make these days feel festive is kind of lacking inspiration, even when you go looking. I get how they have become afterthoughts. And yet, what a poverty, especially in light of the way Ed described the events of salvation and time in the podcast.