Be Yeast and Mustard Seeds; Kids Need a Good vs. Evil Story
November 2024
Hi, I’m Mandy, a wife, a mom, and a Catholic writer. I started writing three years ago when I heard God whisper in the depths of my heart one cold night - “Love. Love is a choice. I am Love.” I know it seems mystical and far fetched, yet it launched me into this world of writing to encourage others to find that Love and I’ve never looked back. Every month I write about ideas that have been rolling around in my head such as Why Religion Matters or A White Knuckle Faith. Every week I have a brief encouraging devotional along with some quick takes on current events, and sparingly I have more in-depth topic based articles such as is Halloween a baptized pagan holiday or not.
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Well friends I first want to say thank you for being here, I have a fair number of new subscribers from readers sharing my posts and that is a huge help to grow this publication! I don’t take for granted what an honor it is to end up in your inbox every week or month, depending on your subscription preference, and I hope you stick around, comment, and continue to journey with me.
In other news, if you subscribe to my weekly posts, you may have noticed they are missing right now. I got sick over a week ago (at the time of me writing this), on the heels of Joe traveling two weeks in a row, and then my son was confirmed about a week after that with family coming into town, throw in a sudden flea infestation (that is now mostly under control) and I had to let go of something - the weekly newsletter. I do hope to get back to them, just as soon as I can shake this lingering cough.
Be Yeast and Mustard Seeds
It was Monday, October 28th and I was writing a reflection for Missio Dei that was set to go out on Tuesday. The Gospel was Luke 13:18-19 which is about the parable of the Mustard Seed and Yeast. This particular set of parables happens to be a favorite of mine, perhaps obvious by the very name of this publication.
Well as is typical of the Holy Spirit when He has a particular topic in mind, He underscores it. So, the very next day during a coffee date with a friend we got to talking about none other than Catholics and their choosing to sequester themselves. I won’t go into details, other than to say that it is something that is happening in our community.
As I was speaking to my friend, she was asking what we planned to do in that situation and why. The words practically tumbled out of my mouth “If Catholics remove themselves from non-Catholic spaces how can we evangelize?” I followed up with the fact that some of the most incredible God moments, where He really stepped in and softened hearts, was when we were in mostly non-Catholic circles and lived our faith boldly, unabashedly, and we willing to answer questions no matter how awkward they were. God moved incredible mountains, from friends saying “I didn’t realize Catholics loved Jesus so much” to having two fallen away Catholics attend Mass once again for the sake of our friendship, and community. It was beautiful, and I’ll never forget how He used our family in His work.
The way we live out our faith with others is a kind of evangelization that is too often underrated and is perhaps the most powerful means to touch hearts.
Experience has borne this out again and again.
Friends, as Catholics, as Christians, we are called to be the yeast that leavens bread. We are called to be the mustard seed that is sown and spreads far and wide, rising up to become a resting place for the birds of the air. We cannot hide ourselves away, creating solitary Catholic bubbles that never engage with the outside world.
I realize I may be speaking to a select few, many of us don’t have the luxury of secluding ourselves completely, but in reality more and more Catholics are seeking out strictly Catholic spaces, and this discussion needs to be had. As Catholics we must consider the implications of what it means to remove ourselves from the world.
Yes I’ve read the Benedict Option. Yes, I’ve felt the tug, pull, and strong desire to withdraw, to be surrounded by only other Catholics for the sake of simplicity, and ease. There is something so comforting about being around others who believe as you do, without having to explain all the intricacies that are at best misunderstood, or at worst demonized, by non-Catholics. In fact where we live currently, the vast majority of our friend circle is Catholic, our social experiences are Catholic, and even at our hybrid school, over half the families are Catholic. So I get it but I struggle with it too.
It is such a difficult balance to strike, building up our faith, and creating real community based on faith and truth, while not being secluded or tucked away - not becoming a light hidden under a bushel. I by no means have an answer here but rather a call - to wrestle with this and to not settle. To reflect on your life, your family’s social circles, your own, and tease out in what ways we can remain that light unhidden. To ask ourselves who will miss out on our faith if we never engage with them?
The way we live out our faith with others is a kind of evangelization that is too often underrated and is perhaps the most powerful means to touch hearts. Experience has borne this out again and again.
We can’t be the yeast, or even a mustard seed if we only engage in Catholic circles.
Kids Need a Good vs. Evil Story
I mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter that I’ve been sick, and while thankfully on the mend now, it was an unfun few days in several ways but there was a silver lining. I stayed home and watched movies while sipping on tea, tissue box in hand, and plenty of broth to help hold me over. I picked a classic that has been a cornerstone of my life for many years, even before it was a movie in fact. The Lord of the Rings. I set out to find the extended versions, which was exactly the right choice if I may say so.
As I put the first film on, The Fellowship of the Rings, my oldest son plopped down next to me, and settled in, he wasn’t feeling too great either. About an hour in, I looked over at him, his face enamored with the storyline, the characters, the beauty, the immense evil and how good chose to rise up and face it.
The reality is that stories today, for the most part, simply don’t draw this line of good vs. evil anymore. It was such a subtle shift, barely perceptible, I didn’t even really notice it with years of watching Marvel et al. movies, but this classic good vs. evil story highlighted so much of this shift I knew I’d have to write about it.
The following day we sat down, both hacking, to watch the second film, The Two Towers - yes the extended version as well. I again noted the quality of the characters, their complexity, the dilemma they faced, even the supposed villain Gollum and how he is portrayed. The darkness that grew, the dwindling hope, the incredible odds, the choices made - would I honestly be able to say I could do that? Nope.
It has been years since I’ve read the books, which have now, unsurprisingly, made their way back into my book stack for reading.
Day three we finished up the third movie, The Return of the King. At the end of the films, and even during them, my son had many questions, and my daughter who came and went during some of them had even more questions than him. Why did Saruman choose to side with Sauron? How come evil was allowed to survive to begin with? Why create a fellowship? Do friends really sacrifice for each other? How did Frodo and Sam choose to go on thinking they would die? And the most pressing question, why were there eagles?
A good story always hints to something bigger than itself, and a great story constantly challenges those reading it to compare their own lives to it because it takes elements of our reality and reflects it back to us. It takes the darkness of life and shines a light on it, encouraging us to take stock of where we would stand or hope to stand.
The Lord of the Rings is one of those great stories because it does exactly that and it also goes further, it pulls us into a world where we see the consequences of good and bad choices - clearly laid out.
In today’s world this is a muddied concept, where shades of grey exist, and moral compasses have been tampered. Where villains are empathized with no matter the evil they perpetuate. It’s so prevalent today, and I, an adult who reads and consumes a lot of content, barely noticed this change until I compared what I was used to, with a classic story I hadn’t revisited for some time.
If I may be so bold to state, our children need these clear stories of Good vs. Evil. Really, we need them too.
To share these quality stories of good vs. evil with our children highlights for them, in memorable ways, that choices have consequences, and that good choices do matter. That some things are not black and white - remember Gollum, a villain inadvertently saves Middle-Earth from Frodo’s last minute faltering (a discussion for another time my fellow LOTR fans). Still there are many things that are black and white, as well, no matter how muddled the issue appears at first glance.
Our kids need to read these stories. They need to see these stories. Now more than ever they need to see good triumph over evil, to see good be celebrated unashamedly, and to creatively explore worlds oriented this way.
To have their hearts and minds shaped by such stories sparks within them a natural desire for justice, for good, for beauty and for truth.
We need more of that in our world, not less.
We’re in that awkward in-between stage in the Church calendar right now where we just wrapped up All Hallow Tide, but it’s not quite Advent. So meals will be pretty simple, with no specific theme. If you’re like me you may appreciate the break before entering the beautiful but intense season of Advent with all the trappings (and effort) it can take.
Meal Plan:
Sunday (31st Sunday in Ordinary time): If you’ve been following along for a while you know our love for soups. So today it is Potato and Leek soup. This is a favorite version in this house!
Monday: It’s a Spaghetti kind of night, complete with garlic knots and a salad. Having made the garlic knots before I would add garlic in the actual dough, and some parmesan to improve the flavor throughout the dough, not just on top.
Tuesday: This has turned into a day where I can actually spend some time cooking! So we will be having steaks, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and a side salad. Feed sourdough starter in the am and start loaf about 4 hrs later. I love this simple recipe for beginners!
Wednesday: Chicken and rice soup with all the vegetables. I like to use a rotisserie chicken but you can use any chicken you have on hand. I add butter or animal fat, diced onions cooked until translucent. Add in 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced, and let that simmer. Add in broth, then add in sliced carrots, celery, tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Let that simmer for about 15 -20 minutes. Add in chicken (if you are using raw chicken, cut up into 1 in pieces and brown this with your onions first). Let everything cook for 30 minutes. Add rice about 30 minutes before serving. Serve with that delicious sourdough loaf!
Thursday: Leftover buffet - one of my favorite ways to use up meat meals before Friday!
Friday: Baked salmon with roasted vegetables. I’ve tried a lot of different recipes, but my favorite is a whole filet of salmon slathered in oil, salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 400 F for 12-15 minutes. Squeeze lemon on it once removed from oven and let cool, and serve with your favorite assortment of roasted vegetables.
Saturday: Leftovers again because this mom is tired!
Prayer Habit
“Prayer is oxygen for the soul” - St. Padre Pio
November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Now I think purgatory gets a bad wrap in many non-Catholic circles because it is simply misunderstood and is a teaching that is sometimes misunderstood by Catholics as well. So let’s define terms, starting with what does purgatory mean.
pur·ga·to·ry
/ˈpərɡəˌtôrē/
having the quality of cleansing or purifying.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it thus:
1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.604 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:605
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore Judas Maccabeus made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin."607 From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.608
So with all of that (and really this is an overview), we spend this month praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. As someone who did not grow up believing this teaching I find it a beautiful completion and connection that seemed to be missing in my faith. This understanding that the Church is more than just those of us living on earth but is also made up of all who came before us, warts and all, and we are connected through baptism. This understanding that God’s mercy is vast and beyond our comprehension.
One particularly beautiful prayer is by St. Gertrude the Great:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.