Weekly Wildflowers #11
Wonder and Healing, 3 Quick takes, The Good Shepherd
Friends,
I’ve been marveling at wonder this week, and unexpected consolations. Specifically, I’ve been in awe of the wonder through a child’s eyes and how it can be the avenue through which God decides to mend hearts and souls.
My youngest son is going through a stage that is just a joy - usually. His imagination is exploding and his ability to get lost in the wonder of life is beautiful to see.
I know my other two kids went through this stage too but we were so in the middle of physical therapy, occupational therapy, handling medications, preparing for surgeries, moving way too many times, and just getting through the day that I didn’t get to stay in and savor these sweet moments of life experienced through childhood’s innocence and awe. I grieved a lot during that time too, grieved a normal childhood for my oldest, grieved a normal motherhood, grieved the isolation and exhaustion. Special needs life is beautiful but it is also hard and doesn’t leave much time for wonder.
So it has been such an incredible and healing experience to sit and explore the wonder of life with my 7 year old. From laughing together as he attempts to wear 5 different pairs of dart gun glasses at once, to how he sets up his army men in the living room (yes I’ve stepped on them so I have no love of them) and creates a whole world from nothing. Or how he can be so infuriating one minute, trying to express his independence, and the next cuddling because getting big is hard but also unavoidable.
The wonder of these little moments is how simple they are, mundane and routine. There is nothing spectacular about them except that I get to savor them and hear that familiar whispering of the Lord reminding me He delights in us this way too. The simple things, and I get to be blessed to enjoy them without quite so much rushing around.
In all of this, I’m always so surprised by how God redeems these little moments for our hearts to heal, for our aching souls to be soothed. I never expected this consolation through the wonder of a child’s eyes and yet He always seems to find a way to use little things for our good, when we get out of His way.
AMDG.
3 Quick Takes
It’s a point that keeps coming up - you can’t have a relationship with Jesus and be religious. I see people casually spout this line of thinking online, and it has become so prevalent that even some Catholic Influencers have taken up the mantra to a degree. Stating that it’s all only about a relationship with Jesus, that nothing else we do matters. And while a relationship with Jesus is necessary, it is important to clarify that a relationship with Jesus is at its richest, and most powerful when we are in right relationship with Him, worshiping Him as He established. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it - religion informs our relationship with Jesus Christ. It can be incredibly hard for a Christian in 2024 to be fully educated on Judaism of the 1st century, to know about the history of the Israelites and to put into context every single action and word of Jesus, to properly interpret His meanings and to then apply that to our lives today without the living tradition that religion brings. Religion is the guardrails of our faith, keeping us from veering too far off the path of Truth which is leading us further down the road of right relationship with God. So the next time you see this sentiment, remember, religion exists for a reason, and we would do well to utilize this tool as God intended.
An update on detoxing from social media! The first week definitely has been the hardest. Having to restructure my down time, and choosing more rewarding (in the long run) activities has probably been the hardest step. It’s never fun to acknowledge you are dependent on something, so it has been very humbling to realize how many times I would check my phone in the in-between moments. Some highlights from this first week - I’ve realized I haven’t been intentional about how I use my social media time, which translates to a lot of wasted time. I would scroll, maybe work on a post, maybe put up a story, and then scroll some more. Sometimes for ideas, sometimes to network or check in with a friend, but I never got on social media with a plan. This first week away I’ve realized that when I do eventually get back on, being intentional with time limits and goals will make a huge difference in how I use this tool. The hope is to keep it in it’s place!
I don’t write about it a lot in this space but there has been a distinct social shift around homeschooling. So if you’ve been toying with the idea, let me share a bit of our story. When we first tippy toed into it back when my now 13 yr old was 6, I received more than a few side-eyes, comments and questions doubting our decision. I naively believed what I heard and promptly re-enrolled my son back in public school. Then we gave it a second shot after he had spinal surgery. Yet our home life was a wreck from undiagnosed ADHD presenting itself as a host of behavior issues. So we decided to get professional help and also enroll our two older kids into parochial school. Finally, 18 months later the pandemic hit and I found myself in the unexpected position of homeschooling again. Throw in a move, and we ended up sticking with it. It has been nearly 5 years now, and I’ve noticed those comments, side eye looks and questions have all but disappeared. Now when I tell people I almost exclusively hear “That’s the best choice you could make!” or “I really wish I had done that with my kids” or even from some doctors “You are making the right choice.” It’s been incredible to experience. All this to say, perceptions have shifted and if you find yourself contemplating homeschool, I honestly can’t recommend it enough. Find a community, pick a curriculum and just get started, the rest will sort itself out.
Devotional Corner
The Good Shepherd.
It’s so easy to think of this neat, tidy image and imagine Jesus placing a lost sheep on His shoulders and off He goes.
Any shepherd, though, could tell you it’s not so simple.
In reality the sheep would be squirming, fighting the help, peeing and *you know what-ing* all over the shepherd’s tunic. It would be a mess, a struggle - arms sore, covered in yuck, the shepherd would need to be strong, resolved and resilient to handle this task well.
Friends, if we are called to become more like Christ, the Good Shepherd, in mind body and soul then we are also called to shepherd one another in life. We are called into the messy, challenging parts of life together, to keep one another from straying, a community striving together towards holiness. Not perfectly, not obsessively but with Love and Faithfulness.
It is part of our very human nature.
How often do we look to one another for validation, guidance and support? All the time, because we’re human, it’s what we do. In that way we are shepherding one another with how we live our very lives. In our work, in our home, in our faith.
It is a task that not enough of us take seriously, I know until a few years ago I didn’t. Our choices affect not only us but those around us, friends, or family watching us, looking to us. We have the choice of shepherding each other towards the Truth, and a faith on fire for the Lord... or not.
We cannot forsake the dirty, exhausting yet Holy calling that is shepherding one another with Love through this life toward God and towards sainthood.
Discussion Questions
This section is a starting off point to help you go deeper with topics discussed above.
What choices in your life are guiding those around you towards God or away from Him?
Has there been a moment when you floundered in your faith and a holy man or women shepherded you back into Love’s embrace?
In what ways are you willing to get messy to help shepherd those around you towards Christ? In what ways are you not? Spend 5 minutes in prayer this week asking God where He is asking you to get a bit uncomfortable, a bit messy in the holy work of shepherding souls.
Quote of the Week
If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness. God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint. - St. Therese of Lisieux
If you had to scrap all social media except one, which would you keep?
I realize I made a mistake in this poll by leaving off a crucial option: I wouldn’t keep any of them.
Still, this was a fun poll just to see where everyone spends most of their time, or at least what SM is valued most in your life. I personally would keep Facebook, as we have friends and family spanning the country and globe that I enjoy keeping up with.
Inquiring minds want to know your answer to this week’s poll.
This is only tangentially related to your 3rd discussion question. I've been really wrestling with the tension between "there is a correct way to do Faith" and "there is no wrong way to do faith". I had a conversation recently with some folks about TLM (I know, I know) and the point I was trying to get across was that there's nothing wrong with the LITURGY it's the attitude that "this is the only correct path" that I don't like. There's lots of good things about the TLM. And acknowledging those good things doesn't invalidate the parish that is closest to me that doesn't offer a TLM. I have been bristling lately at certain hot spiritual takes or the way people talk about catholicism, and then I realized that I am doing the same thing: "my way is the only correct way" and that's NOT TRUE.
I listened to a Manly Saints Project podcast on St. Brendan and got a lot out of it. St. Brendan was heralded from before even his birth as a gift to the Irish Church. And yet, on his 7 year voyage he learned humility. That's what brought it all home for me. I think, especially for anyone--actually, no, let me just speak for myself. I think, especially for me as someone trying to hold myself out as a kind of teacher (teaching a "peasant style" approach to Catholicism), there is a real danger in pride. I'm not saying I'm St. Brendan, but LIKE St. Brendan I need to remember I am an eternal student. My reaction to listening to people talk about faith shouldn't be "this is the wrong way", it should be "what can I learn from this". I need to double down on the quiet parts of my faith, and worry a little less about what people do with the advice I give them. The Church will never ever be perfectly homogenous, except for in the most important ways. Everything else is details, which I would do well to observe and ponder more than I diagnose and prescribe.
I guess that's where it ties in to #3. Things are interiorly messy right now as I sort through all this. Not in danger of slipping away, but--trying to put on the correct attitude about public faith.
Team Substack onlyyyyyyy