Author: tojesussincerely

Hi, I’m Sara! A Catholic wife, mathematician, former teacher, sometimes artist, and mom of 3. I’m here to open wide the doors of my heart and let you in on my joys, my struggles, my questions, and my life lessons. My goal is to grow in kindness, virtue, and prayer, and invite you to grow along with me. I’m moving forward step by step every day, and I’m so happy you’re joining me on this journey. You can find my prayers and reflections on my blog: To Jesus, Sincerely.

How to Fulfill Your Holy Day Obligation

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I have a new friend who is a Byzantine Catholic.

And I know, I’m butchering the terminology from line one, but I’m just figuring this whole Catholic rites thing out so gimme a break!

Anyways, I went to Mass on a recent Saturday and noticed it was the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

That Solemnity isn’t a Holy Day of Obligation for me (Latin Rite) but I happened to know (don’t ask me how) that it was a Holy Day of Obligation for my Byzantine friend.

So I got to wondering how she would fulfill her Holy Day of Obligation, since her Byzantine church is kinda far away.

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What do You Know About Catholic Marriage?

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We play Catholic Trivia over on Instagram each month. These are the questions and answers to this month’s #4thFridayTrivia game.

It’s that season.

Weddings, anniversaries, love is in the air.

Just how much exactly do you know about Catholic marriage?

See if you can answer these 10 Catholic Trivia questions to find out just how marriage-savvy you are.

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Our Rallying Cry: This is the Faith

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#MyMassTakeaway for June 23, 2019, Corpus Christi. Cover photo by For the Taking Photography.

Do you have one of those phrases that pumps you up every time you hear it? I do.

In the liturgy of baptism, after the parents profess the baptismal vows, the priest prays, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen.

There’s something about the string of I do’s followed by the simple phrase “This is the faith” that rocks me to my core.

I want to stand up and clap and cheer and shout and hoot and holler.

It’s hard to explain.

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The Encouragement that Moms of Littles Need

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Hey moms. These days are hard, I know.

You need some encouragement. An uplifting word. Something to carry you through. I have lots of that for you today, from moms who have been in your shoes.

But first, let’s pray together a quick meditation on the storms of life you’re going through.

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Do You Want to be a Better Catholic Parent?

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This post is sponsored by Evango.

I’m not a pro at parenting.

I would propose that none of us are.

There’s always something new to learn about our kids, and our kids always have something new to teach us about ourselves.

Any time I think I have it all figured out, a new situation comes up which challenges my preconceived notions. Any time I think our family is rocking it – in behavior, in manners, in the faith, I discover something we could be doing to improve ourselves.

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Overcoming Roadblocks to Worship: Keep Sundays Sacred

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#MyMassTakeaway for June 2, 2019 – which could be the Ascension, or the Sunday after the Ascension, depending on your diocese.

We were on our way to Mass, and the road was closed ahead. We took a right turn. Then a left.

The road was still closed.

Another right and another left.

Still closed.

We saw the steeple ahead of us and decided to drive up close to the caution tape and check out the situation.

It was a road race.

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Dear Public School Catholic Families, I See You.

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Growing up, we were “those public schoolers” in the Catholic circle.

But in the public school circle, we were those “church kids” to our peers.

It’s hard when you’re the outsider from all angles, and you feel totally alone. You want to be a witness to the secular society you’re immersed in, but you have no Catholic community to stand behind you.

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The Beautiful Unity of the Church Is Seen in the Mass

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#MyMassTakeaway for Sixth Sunday of Easter.

I was so excited to browse through this week’s participants in the My Mass Takeaway linkup and discover that someone from Austria joined with their thoughts!

The Church is so beautiful in its unity and universality.

Every Catholic, all around the world, goes to Mass on Sunday to worship and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

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What Do You Know About the Catholic Bible?

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We play Catholic Trivia over on Instagram each month. These are the questions and answers to this month’s #4thFridayTrivia game.

It’s time to see how much you know about the Bible.

Catholics are (half-jokingly) notorious for our lack of knowledge about the Bible, so if this is a tough round of Trivia for you, you’re not alone.

Though I would argue, we do know our Bible. We know the message and the stories. Any one of us could probably spout off a list of parables a mile long.

But technical details and memorization facts? Not so much.

Now is your chance to learn a little more of that! I’m not going to lie, I included some of these questions simply because I learned them recently and figured other people might want to learn them, too!

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Dearly Beloved – An Anger-Free Parenting Model

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#MyMassTakeaway… We found a Latin Mass! 4th Sunday of Easter.

We recently discovered there is Latin Mass in our area, and we tried it today. I noticed that the readings are different from the NO readings so I’ll cite it for you.

James 1:17-21. One of the things I love about the letters in the NT is how they are sometimes addressed, “Beloved.” Even when they’re giving admonishment or correction.

Whenever I hear beloved, it strikes me at how charitable the apostles are in their correction. I’m reminded of the gentleness of God’s correction and the gift of the sacrament of Reconciliation.

And I’m always drawn to reflect if I give the same mercy and understanding when I’m called to the task of correction in parenting.

Continue reading “Dearly Beloved – An Anger-Free Parenting Model” →