Why Religion Matters; Homemaking in a Chaotic World
February 2024
Photo by: Aaron Burden
Thank you to everyone who has supported this newsletter by sharing, subscribing and being a paid subscriber! It’s been such a joy to see this space grow and has been such an affirmation that I’m exactly where God has asked me to be!
Some of my plans for this space as we approach 1 year together(!!) If you have thoughts about this comment below so I can hear what you want to see here too!
Starting in the summer I will be adding in a weekly newsletter. I’m still praying about exactly what this will look like but I suspect it will be a short, prayer-filled reflection to help all of us start the week off on the best possible foundation.
I will continue to have these monthly long-form article newsletters and for now they will remain free.
I intend to also be adding in more articles around feast days, living liturgically, plus encouragement in that area of living our faith. As LL has become more popular it’s also become more complicated with this feeling we have to DO. ALL. THE. THINGS. which is simply not true. I want to help break this down and build up do-able action plans.
Why Religion Matters
Lent is right around the corner, and as many Catholics prepare for this spiritually powerful season, going through fasting, prayer, and interior reflection, from the outside looking in it may appear too religious, pointless even, to actually deepen our relationship with Christ. Why bother following the Church calendar? Why take upon ourselves these supposedly unimportant actions? Why burden ourselves with a religion seemingly full of rules, actions, and obligations that appear to prevent us from reaching Christ?
There is a strong push by many today to separate spirituality from religion, as if spirituality is superior from the “constrictive nature” of religion. I mean the Pharisees were religious, probably shouldn’t be like those guys, right? Sadly many Christians have taken up this mantle, stating that “I am not Christian, but a follower of Christ” in an attempt to separate their belief from the religion of Christianity. Every time I come across this seemingly innocuous sentiment, something deep within me recoils, an instinctive reaction to something that is full of half-truths.
Still, I get the desire. Before I became Catholic I saw religious people, Religion, as a barrier to entry to being in relationship with God. I had been taught a feelings-based faith where if you went to church on Sunday, heard some bible verses, sang some praise songs, maybe cried a bit, and met in community groups, then you were doing things right. You were feeling that relationship with Christ, you were close to Him and He was close to you. Nothing else really mattered, no rules or religion required - just you and Jesus.
However, once I became Catholic I began to see things differently. I began to see how religion informed my relationship. That religion is like 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. That religion is about being pulled ever deeper into the beauty of Christ’s Church through the liturgy and liturgical calendar. That it is about conditioning the soul to accept God as He is, not as we wish Him to be1. That religion is the avenue through which we establish that personal relationship with Christ, in and through the Church He established here on earth for us to find Him within - a visible sign.
I found that religion doesn’t take away from our relationship with Christ but deepens it, broadens it, and enriches it with examples of the saints, with the liturgical seasons such as Lent and Advent, with treasured religious practices of fasting and prayer, with reverence, beauty, and goodness, with smells, candles, and song, with Big “T” Traditions and little “t” traditions.
Friends, our world needs us to be bold. To proudly claim the religion that Christ established when He established His church, when the veil was torn, when His side was pierced and blood and water spilled forth. If we equivocate, if we deny the means that Christ used to ensure He is known, that the Father is known, through the ages in favor of spirituality we risk becoming tasteless salt, a hidden light, no longer sharing Truths but attempting to accommodate the spirit of the world.
Homemaking in a Chaotic World
No matter what is happening in the world, have your tea, make the list, plan your food preparation, read to your children, wash the clothes, do something creative for everyone and be a light in your home” - Lydia Sherman
I feel it.
I know you feel it.
The world is in chaos.
And homemaking in a time of worldly chaos, with wars waging both for land and souls, can feel paralyzingly difficult.
It can seem so trivial to worry about making dinner time not only edible but beautiful, to focus on adding touches of warmth to a space, to creating a welcoming atmosphere, to keeping the kitchen cleaned up and the laundry not just washed but folded and put away.
In light of all the suffering, the despair, the wounds and hate what business do we have to focus on our little patch of earth in such detail?
Yet this is what civilizations are built on. Families going about their days, feeding their children, doing the laundry, meeting with friends, supporting their neighbors, inviting people over in their less than perfect homes - living life.
Adding beauty. Adding warmth. Adding the stuff of life that makes it a joy to live.
It can be so easy to see the news and think - feel - that the world as we know it is ending, and we should give into despair.
Friends, the truth is homemaking is holy work. It is the very stuff of families, the essence of Love realized, made tangible, through a cozy blanket, welcoming spaces or the smell of a favorite meal. It builds, supports and furnishes the first society that children enter into, one that can be organized, rhythmic, and intentional, guiding young minds in the art of living life for God.
Homemaking in a very real sense can save the world, one dirty dish, one home, one neighborhood block at a time. Glorifying the Lord with our lives - something we say at the end of every Mass. By focusing on the home, the people that reside inside and those who cross the threshold we are choosing not to give into the chaos, but to help create stability, to be a light, and in so doing, continue to do the necessary work of establishing God’s kingdom here on earth.
3 Ways I Focus on this Holy Work:
Offer it Up - I don’t particularly enjoy cleaning toilets, or pulling underwear from pants to place in the washing machine. Sure, my talents can be and have been put to “better” use in the world’s eyes, but this work, as mundane as it is can be made holy - sanctifying. By offering up this work for the Glory of God, I am asking Him to enter this space with me, enter this work with me, and show me the beauty of this life, to show me the beauty of His heart. “If then you do all in the name of God, you will do all well, whether you eat or whether you drink, whether you sleep or repose from labor, whether you are engaged in honorable or menial offices.” - St. Francis de Sales
Get Organized - It could be my recovering type-a personality showing, but I am a fan of lists, or at least establishing rhythms. When life feels most chaotic is when I don’t have a plan in place. So make the meal plan, set up a nightly routine, establish a weekly game night with the kids. Whatever it is you choose to do, start small and build on it, month by month. It doesn’t matter if your life looks perfect, what matters is you know you are building your life to honor the Lord and this means getting your house in order. I’m still not the perfect homemaker, whatever that even means, but this is my vocation and being organized, even a little bit, helps me do my job better.
Hospitality - I don’t care if your house is a hot mess, or is simply not to your standards, invite people into your lives. Invite them into your family’s home, invite them to a meal, invite them to coffee. Part of being a homemaker is creating space for community, creating space for messy life to be lived out but it also means not worrying about if your home is spotless, so much as it is welcoming. My favorite memory is of a friend who was a self-professed “terrible homemaker.” Her home was almost never clean, in fact you would often find a pile of clean laundry on her sofa that she’d quickly dump into a basket and set aside so you could sit down. Yet in her home, she made us tea, set out a snack or made one, and we chatted for hours as our toddlers played together. It was community, it was belonging, it wasn’t perfect but it mattered.
Lent is right around the corner so I’ll be including a sample meal plan of what our family might eat. I invite you to click the links and learn more about the fasting and abstaining practices of the Catholic Church.
Sunday(6th Sunday in Ordinary time or Quinquagesima Sunday): Chicken Shawarma, w/ homemade pita bread and a salad. This is one of my favorite recipes!
Monday: Leftovers!
Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/ Shrove Tuesday: This is a day to truly feast. Order your king cake or make it! Find some colorful bead necklaces, and some fun masks to decorate. Invite some friends over and eat up! We usually serve chili with cornbread or a jambalaya as a main dish.
Ash Wednesday (fasting - 1 full meal, 2 smaller meals that do not equal a full meal. Abstinence - no meat): The kids are not yet old enough to fast, but they do abstain. For the adults - we save our full meal for the end of the day. For this meal I make Mujadara. It is absolutely the most amazing food after you have been fasting all day! *a note about fasting: it is still recommended by the bishops that faithful Catholics fast throughout Lent, except on Sundays. Of course each person must decide what is most prudent to help them grow in their faith during this season.*
Thursday: Leftovers - one of my favorite ways to use up meat meals before Friday! Feed Sourdough starter.
Friday : Meatless meals on Friday in this house, especially in Lent. Butternut Squash Soup is a favorite in this house, and with a freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread - perfection.
Saturday: Leftovers again because I am all about enjoying this day of rest!
Little Mustard Seeds
Each newsletter I like to share a few favorite things that have blessed me as a mom, homemaker, and woman. The links in this newsletter are unaffiliated unless I say it’s an affiliate link.
Sunday Night Dinner w/ Friends - In January we started up our efforts in building community by inviting families from our parish over for dinner. In all the places we’ve lived, we have found that it’s over a meal, with kids running around together that friendships are forged. It’s been so fun and really fills this hole of missing friends we’ve moved away from. I highly recommend it - yes even if you aren’t a good cook or keep an immaculate home. We need each other.
Mary Ruth’s Liquid Morning Multivitamin - This stuff is pure gold! I’ve been taking it for nearly 4 months now. As you may know I’ve been dealing with some health issues thanks to my Thyroid, so have been do a LOT of reading, asking questions, and searching out solutions. One was to provide bio-available and methylated vitamins for my body to use. In these short 4 months I’ve seen improvements in my energy levels, mental clarity, cycle health, and even baby hairs returning on my head. It has been a great addition to my health routine - which I will share eventually, promise! As always, check with your doctor before starting a new supplement or diet if you are on any medication.
Friday Night Board Games - This is a treasure in our home. Now it’s not always Friday nights but with how our schedule is shaping up for this Spring with soccer and faith formation classes, Fridays are the only evening we have as a family during the week. So we plan to make the most of them! Our kids’ ages are 12, 10 & 6 so take this list with a grain of salt and adjust to what might work for your kids’ ages. Games that work for all 3: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (yes that is the name), Virus, Chess, Ticket to Ride, Payday, 5 Crowns. For my Oldest: Settlers of Catan. For my youngest: matching cards, Kids Monopoly, go fish.
Prayer Habit
“Prayer is the oxygen of the soul” - Padre Pio
If you’re up for the challenge I’d like to encourage you to pray a specific kind of prayer in each newsletter. I hope the fruits borne of this habit bless you!
I first learned of the Divine Mercy prayer a few years ago and have sadly let the habit of praying this prayer at 3 pm daily slip from my regular routine. I’m hoping to get back into the routine and I invite you to join me! You can read more about this prayer here.
You expired, O Jesus,
but the source of life gushed forth for souls
and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.
O Fount of Life,
unfathomable Divine Mercy,
envelop the whole world
and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water,
which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus
as a fount of mercy for us,
I trust in You.
Amen.
“The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity inform and give life to the moral virtues. Thus charity leads us to render to God what we as creatures owe him in all justice. The virtue of religion disposes us to have this attitude.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2095.