In the Gospel of the 4th Sunday of Lent, Jesus healed a man who was born blind. While the man was physically cured of his blindness, we see through the questioning and doubt of the Pharisees, that Jesus also desires to cure our spiritual blindness.
As we continue to live in the season of the COVID-19 pandemic, we may feel “blindsided” by the numerous changes and disruptions that leave us with a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. From a spiritual standpoint, we are not able to attend services and programs at our places of worship that often offered us peace, nourishment, and connection. Without our usual rituals in place, we may be asking, “How do I continue to find spiritual nourishment when I feel so disconnected from my spiritual community?” Believe me, I am wrestling with this same question.
The pastor at the church I normally attend shared an insightful question during his homily about Jesus’ healing of the blind man. He asked, “In the midst of COVID-19, what are we now seeing at this time that we had not noticed before?” Perhaps during this season of “blindsided-ness,” we are invited to “see” our spiritual lives in a different way. Perhaps we are called to “notice” opportunities that were there all along.
The purpose of the “Spirituality” section of this blog is to offer suggestions and opportunities for you and your family. While there will be a number of resources provided, the reality is that we will not be able to practice them all; nor should we. Our hope is that among all of these different practices, you will find something, may that be one practice or many, that provides you and your family a sense of nourishment, wholeness, hope, connection, and peace. Because, at the end of the day, the purpose of our worship services and rituals is to bring us closer to the One who desires to be in a loving relationship with us.
I cannot promise that these resources will “cure” feelings of unsettledness or fear, but I hope that they will help you “see” the spiritual life of your family in a new way. Who knows? Maybe some of these resources will kickstart a new ritual for your family that extends beyond this pandemic. And that, at least, is a gift.
Here is one last encouraging thought: Although we are in the midst of a challenging season, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8). Can I get an amen?
My prayers continue to be with you and our HCA community as we navigate through this difficult time together.
Peace and wellness be with you,
According to the website, "Teaching Catholic Kids," a ministry of Our Sunday Visitor, this time of quarantine and isolation invites families to practice their faith within the domestic church, or the church of the home. Since ancient times, the home has been considered a "community of faith, hope, and charity" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2204). Therefore, while we cannot gather in our places of worship, we can still gather in our domestic churches through family prayer and ritual.
The article, "Caring for your family’s spiritual needs during the COVID-19 outbreak," will help you get started as you consider how to incorporate prayer and ritual in your home. This article will suggest creating a sacred space in your home, praying regularly as a family, staying connected with your place of worship online, participating in liturgy, and exploring online resources. Also, by "Teaching Catholic Kids," I recommend the following resources:
Prayer Flowchart - A chart that helps you find a prayer based on what you are feeling.
Home Adoration - An article that provides suggestions of different prayers your family can practice, such as lectio divina, spiritual communion, and intercessory prayer. They also provide a prayer for during an epidemic.
Teach Your Kids Imaginative Prayer - This article highlights St. Ignatius of Loyola's prayer practice of using the imagination to enter into stories from the Bible. It provides suggestions for older and younger children.
Introducing Kids to Contemplative Prayer - This article introduces contemplative prayer as a practice that allows us to rest in the love of God in silence. There are adaptions for older and younger children.
NOTE: While it may seem tempting to try many different types of prayer at once, I strongly suggest picking only one type of prayer to practice as a family for a period of time (e.g. 2 weeks). This allows your family to deeply enter into the practice and decide whether or not it is nourishing their spiritual lives.
For example, Ms. Cole and her family pray the rosary together each Sunday. They use a virtual rosary on YouTube, like this.
Resource: Spiritual Resources During the Coronavirus Restrictions
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia provides a wealth of information and resources to help you stay connected with the diocese through Live-Streamed liturgies and online events and find additional opportunities for spiritual formation and nourishment, such as home prayer services, support and prayer groups, and ways you can help others at this time.
Resource: The Examen - The Examen is a prayer practice that was created by St. Ignatius of Loyola about 400 years ago. It is an opportunity to daily reflect on how God has been present throughout your day, practice gratitude, and check-in about how you are feeling. This prayer is best practiced at the end of the day. Also, the prayer can be as short or as long as you like. It can be easily adapted to fit your family's needs.
To learn more about St. Ignatius' Examen, check out this resource by Ignatian Spirituality. In particular, I have found the downloadable and printable Examen Prayer Card to be helpful and user-friendly.
Teaching Catholic Kids' article, "A daily examen for children and teens," offers helpful adaptions for older and younger children. They also incorporate the practice of sharing the "highs" and "lows" of the day with your family. This allows for open communication and opportunities for family members to pray for one another.
I also created a printable bookmark to help you and your family remember the steps of the Examen.
Resource: Insight Timer App
“In today’s rush, we all think too much—seek too much—want too much—and forget about the joy of just being.” – Eckhart Tolle
While Eckhart Tolle is referring to the busybody lifestyle, I think his insight applies to our current situation too. In this uncertain and difficult time, we might find ourselves overwhelmed with thoughts, questions, and worries. There seems to be no room to just "be" because change and transition keep us unsettled. It is, therefore, essential that when we feel wrapped up in worry and fear, we take a step back, breathe, and just "be." It is from this place of "being" that joy, peace, and clarity can be found. From a spiritual perspective, taking moments to breathe and practice mindfulness allows us to let go of our cares and worries and put ourselves in the hands of our loving God.
The Insight Timer website and app offer over 40,000 guided meditations, inspirational messages, calming music, meditations for kids, and a 7-day course on how to meditate all for FREE!
I personally use the app to begin and end my silent prayer time. The app includes singing bowls and chimes to mark the beginning and end of your prayer, as well as natural background sounds.
Resource: 3-Minute Retreat
Loyola Press offers a simple and quick way to "go" on retreat; to take a break and spend a few moments with God. The 3-minute retreat includes an opening prayer, scripture passage, reflection, questions for personal thought or communal conversation, and closing prayer. Check out the archives for a variety of topics.
Personally, I have led the 5th-grade class through a few 3-minute retreats. These brief moments spent together in prayer were very fruitful. I recommend participating in these retreats as a family.
Catholic Icing YouTube Channel - Catholic Icing's YouTube channel features Catholic "how to draw" videos, Catholic kid craft ideas, and Catholic kid songs.
Look To Him and Be Radiant - Look to Him and be radiant is a Catholic Religious Education resource with free printables about a variety of topics: Sacraments, Liturgical Year, Sharing the Faith, and Saints. There are coloring pages, links to videos, lesson plans, and craft ideas. This is one of my favorite resources!
Catholic Mom - Catholic Mom provides links to various free Catholic education resources. I particularly want to highlight the following:
Pre-K lessons: features stories from the Bible based on a letter from the alphabet
Sunday Gospel Activities: provides ideas and activities for your family to prepare for Sunday Mass
Puppet Ministry: provides scripts for puppet shows based on different Christian themes and Bible stories; perhaps you and your family can make paper puppets too!
Resource: Terry Hershey - Rest. Renew. Life. Find your sanctuary. These are the mantras of Terry Hershey - author, humorist, inspirational speaker, and ordained minister. I have followed Terry Hershey's work for about eight years. His work and messages have been a constant source of peace, renewal, and refreshment in my life. He challenges me to practice "pause" and "sanctuary" in an increasingly busy and complex world.
I invite you to check out his resources and discover how you can find your own kind of rest and sanctuary.
Sabbath Moment: When you sign up for Sabbath Moment, you will receive an email to your inbox every week from Terry Hershey. These emails include stories, reflections, quotes, poetry and uplifting videos to inspire and feed and nourish the soul.
eCourses: Check out the many eCourses offered by Terry Hershey. Some are free, while others are for a cost. The following is a list of the eCourse titles and prices:
Sacred Necessities:
How to Harness the Power of Pause - free
Soul Gardening: Lessons from the Garden - $39
Find Your Sanctuary: Create Space for Grace - $39
This Is The Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace and the Power of the Present Moment - $39
This is all so helpful. It's sometimes hard to keep the children engaged but you have given so many good ideas!
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