My Parish

Growing up, we went to a couple different parishes. The city was growing and so the number of Catholics grew, hence more parishes needed. I remember they all had different flavors and the people attending them seemed to have different attitudes about going to mass.

Sure, at every parish in the world, there are some people who will always be: Sits-in-the-front-and-leads-the-people-in-the-responses Guy, Prays-so-fervently-she-forgets-to-stand-up Lady, So-excited-about-the-sign-of-peace-your-hand-falls-off Man, Used-to-have-a-good-voice-200-years-ago Woman, and on and on.

Then there are the groups of people that tends to be always around: Teenagers or the "boo for Mass" people; young parents, the "Mass is so hectic" people; spouses of Catholics, or the "blah for Mass" people, most of the crowd fits into "attentive but easily distracted at Mass" people; and my personal favorite... old people, the "yay for Mass!" people.

Now - my parish is of all ages, but in some ways they all are like old people. You walk in and they are mostly very quiet before Mass. The church was constructed during the early 70's or, fan period, but has been redone to look gorgeous. Tabernacle in center, candles all around, Statues in nooks with painted angels and gold in-lay, they even have painted some of the walls to look like marble, but in the "marble" grain is tucked JMJ or IHS. So beautiful!

We had our newest baby baptized on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (nice day, huh?). It was the last day of the Christmas season, and there were trees and lights and candles and about 10 alters boys who knew exactly what they were doing (and more shockingly) looked like they actually wanted to be there and had chosen to assist at the Mass. It was just glorious. It was how Mass I think was meant to be. And at the height of the Sacrifice of the Mass, I looked up and the head alter boy was laying prostrate on the floor, very aware that his Lord had just died for him.

I love that our parish is made up of "yay for Mass" people. That one alter boy I would say is a "YAY FOR MASS" man.

Me? I'm hoping the "YAY" will wear off on me - I'm pretty sure it's already started.

Last Sunday's Homily...

I just listened to Matthew Kelly's talk Becoming the Best Version of Yourself and it he mentions taking 1 thing you've learned from Mass each week and writing it down. Here are the 2 things I heard at Mass (I couldn't pick just one.)
1. Saints are sinners who just keep trying
2. The priest told a story about a woman who had gotten arrested after speeding. The next morning the officer approached her and said he had made a mistake in arresting her - he just assumed since her car was covered in pro-life stickers, that she had stolen the car. (Our actions always speak louder than our words!)

Confessions of a Jean-Aholic Part II

I have not tried to hide the fact that this Dress Dare is a challenge for me.  We are now more than halfway through, and it is not getting easier!  I am a little disappointed to report that wearing skirts and dresses has not been as "life-changing" as I would have hoped for.  Nevertheless, I have observed some positive (and not so positive) results from taking a part in the Dare.

The most obvious blessing that has come from the Dress Dare for me has been that by purposefully choosing to wear my skirt over my jeans, I have a constant daily reminder of Mary.  Similarly to wearing a cross, miraculous medal, or tying a string around your finger, my clothing helps me to remember to turn to her throughout my day.  No human has ever been closer to Jesus, and I feel that I can put my trust in her to help me walk with Him throughout my days.

The Dress Dare has also given me a boost of energy!  I am a sleep-deprived mommy and part-time dance teacher-- this means that I practically live in my sweats and work-out clothing.  I believe that taking some time out of my day to focus on my outward beauty by planning an "outfit" has actually translated to my inward-beauty, by making me feel more energetic and joyful.

The major difficulty that I have experienced this month is that all of the sudden, I am noticing what everyone around me is wearing.   As someone who really struggles with vanity, this does not seem to be fruitful in my spiritual life.  This passed Sunday at mass, I was distracted for several minutes when I started counting the women in front of me wearing jeans!  I know that God wanted me in prayer and focused on the mass- not on everyone around me.  Although I understand that what we wear can have an impact on our relationship with God and how we are perceived as Christians; there are also much more important things in our world and in our souls to be fighting for.  I suppose I am admitting that I am still not convinced about the significance of wearing skirts.   Has anyone had a similar experience here?

Of course I have not given up...  I have less than 2 weeks to go!  Pray for one another!

A Week Observed

Congratulations fellow dress-ers! We have made it one week in our feminine apparel. I thought I would take this blog to share my observations of how this has impacted me so far.

Since wearing skirts and dresses, the most obvious difference is how I move. When I walk, my skirt flows around me, making my walk slightly more delicate, and I feel more graceful. When I sit on the floor with my daughter, rather than sitting with my legs open, I generally sit with legs together, bent over to one side, and my skirt/dress lays on the floor, surrounding me with fabric to place over my legs. It makes me feel, well, more like a princess, more like a lady.

This is one reason why, I think, my daughter, though not even 2, prefers dresses and skirts. In the last week, I have included her in the dress dare, and I must say, getting dressed in the mornings is soooo much easier! She is so young, and yet, 99% of the time, when given the option of pants or a dress, she will choose the dress. When she puts it on, she will generally immediately grab the skirt, do a twirl, and ask for music to dance. This made me reflect more on how these articles of clothing differentiate us from men.

I noticed a few things. One, when going to a restroom, if one can't read the letters on the door, how do you know which restroom to go in? Well, the little stick figure for a woman, is clearly wearing a skirt! Second, it's prom season, and no teenage girl goes shopping for a prom tuxedo. She goes looking for a prom dress! Very few women walk down the aisle on their wedding day without a white dress cascading below them.

So I'll admit it, I feel prettier in a skirt/dress. This week, I never wondered if I was dressed appropriately for where I was going, because I looked, if anything, more presentable than normal. A few weeks ago, I was going to daily mass and afterwards, to the park for a picnic and playtime with Mina, and I felt so irreverent approaching Christ, truly present in the Eucharist in my jean bermuda shorts. This week, I had no such issues. Every day, I was prepared to attend mass, outwardly showing reverence for the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ Himself. Of course I still believed in the true presence when in my shorts, but was a demonstrating this in the way I dressed? If I dress up for Sunday mass, shouldn't I do the same at daily mass? Christ is no less present on a weekday.

So those are just some of my thoughts from this last week. Have any of you noticed any differences or become more aware of anything in your first week?

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there, and to Our Mother Mary!