SO I wrote most of this LAST Lent... and then never finished it and never posted it and because of how Spiritually Advanced I am (not very), it is still painfully pertinent and I will be taking a similar approach to Lent this year... I will be re-reading How to Break Up with Your Phone, actually putting her plan into practice, and taking a Social Media Fast on Wednesdays, Fridays, and possibly Sundays. Checking in twice per day other days of the week for 15 minutes or less (Did you know you can set a timer for yourself on Instagram to remind you to quit scrolling?). Have you successfully cut back on tech addiction? How did you do it? Share in the comments! “I’ll be WITH you in a MINUTE.” I shouted as I punched out the last few words of a text message. I slammed down the phone and ran to the bathroom. “Read me a book.” “Are you done pooping? Can I wipe your butt.” *feigned straining* “Noooooo. I still pooping. Read me a book.” *text alert* “I’ll be right back.” I ran to the kitchen to respond, got lost on instagram for a couple minutes, and then started composing an email response. “I done poopingggggg.” I threw the phone down and rushed back to the bathroom for butt duty (doo-ty?) By the time I wiped him, cleaned the pot, and washed my hands, he was off playing cars and I went back to my phone to finish that email. And respond to another text. The email and text convo were *so* important that I don’t remember them today. But I do remember that I didn’t read my son a book. I also remember him grabbing my phone and pulling it down from my face and saying “Be with meeeee!” and snatching it back up to finish what (ever?) I was doing before slamming it down and asking “What?” Eeeeesh. And then that article from the NYT was all up in my Social Media grill. You know the one... Bottom Line: Our "Smart" phones are making us dumb and breaking our brains. So I bought the book. And Lent started. So, as a ‘penance,’ I started to read more and pick up my phone less. I also joined the Abiding Together book study of Searching for and Maintaining Peace. (Episodes can be found here) These two books have been a magical combo. Or maybe I should say Providential? How to Break Up with Your Phone starts out with all the science behind the addiction. Why we jump to respond to ever ping, ring, or vibrate. Why we snap at whoever is interrupting us from our scroll (it’s not because you’re an awful mom… it’s science). The studies Price summarizes in the first part of her book all conclude: our smartphones have us living in a state of constant distraction which is adding to our stress and affecting our ability to Be Still. And Who is it that speaks to us in the stillness? While Price touches on the importance of silence and being BORED every once in a while (being constantly distracted and looking for that ‘new thing’ affects our ability to focus and think deeply) her book is secular in nature and doesn’t go on to speak about the importance of these things in the spiritual life. If we never leave room for His Voice, of course we’re going to be agitated and anxious. In the words of Fr. Jacques Philippe: Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected. If, on the contrary, the surface of the lake is agitated, undulating, then the image of the sun can not be reflected in it. How can we maintain this peaceful, tranquil mental state so we can better reflect Christ to those around us? One of Father’s many suggestions is to spend time each day simply sitting and looking at Christ on the Cross. He calls it a Children’s Prayer. This practice will help us to grow in our appreciation for the great love Christ has for us as individuals, which in turn will increase our trust in His providence and our ability to abandon ourselves in His will. Here are some prayers and quotes to reflect on while gazing at our Lord: "Look at His adorable face. Look at His glazed and sunken eyes. Look at His wounds. Look Jesus in the Face. There, you will see how He loves us." *~ St. Therese of Lisieux "The cross is the school of love." *~ St. Maximilian Kolbe "How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return." *~ St. Theodore the Studite "If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth." *~ St. Thomas Aquinas Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus while before Your face I humbly kneel and, with burning soul, pray and beseech You to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity; true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment. While I contemplate, with great love and tender pity, Your five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me and calling to mind the words which David, Your prophet, said to You, my Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet, they have numbered all My bones." Amen. If you have successfully cut back on 'tech time' either during Lent or year round, share your tips with us below! I hope you all have a prayerful and peaceful Lent!
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Want to pick up a devotion that Our Blessed Mother specifically asked for at Kibeho? For a limited time, you can purchase both a copy of the devotional and a Seven Sorrows Rosary handmade by Morning Glory Beads at a special Lenten price. Click here to purchase. The Rosary of Our Lady's Seven Sorrows is prayed very similarly to the regular rosary in that if you know how to pray your Our Father and Hail Mary, you're pretty much good to go! Traditionally, the Seven Sorrows Rosary is started with an Act of Contrition to acknowledge the fact that our sins add to the sorrows of Our Mother. After that, it is prayed just like the rosary only there are seven septets instead of decades (seven Hail Marys). Instead of the Mysteries of the Rosary, you meditate on each Sorrow. They are ordered chronologically throughout Mary’s life. Just as the mystery is announced before beginning a new decade, the sorrow should be announced before beginning a new septet. After the final septet (The Burial of Jesus), it is customary to pray three more Hail Marys in honor of Our Lady’s tears. So, physically, you'd begin this devotion on the centerpiece with an Act of Contrition, Announcement of the First Sorrow, and Our Father, then continue around all seven septets, and then finish with the three hanging beads outside the circle. Easy Peasy, Right? Now, if you are like me and you are just about getting in your daily rosary (after years of saying I Will Do This), please don't replace the regular rosary with this devotion (though perhaps for Lent, it might be appropriate to use in replacement of the Joyful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries on their days). There are seven Sorrows and seven days of the week. Pray. Your. Rosary. and then take time each day to reflect on a Sorrow and pray the septet. By the end of the week, you will have prayed an entire Rosary of the Seven Sorrows and Our Blessed Mother will surely appreciate your efforts! Interested in adding a devotion to Our Lady's Seven Sorrows to your prayer life? For a limited time, you can purchase both a copy of the devotional and a handmade Seven Sorrows Rosary at a special Lenten price. Click here to purchase. |
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February 2020
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