No Good Excuses

Happy Easter everyone! It's a beautiful day outside and I am enjoying this weekend with family and friends who are celebrating with us. As I reflect on the Easter holiday, I'm reminded of what I should have been doing for the last 40 days and beyond, but haven't been. And for no apparent good reason. I have lots of excuses, but since none of them are any good, I won't make you listen to the bad ones.

As a Catholic, Easter holds a lot of meaning. I admit I haven't put in the time and effort required to properly honor the significance of Jesus' resurrection. I know what Easter means, but in watching the kids search for their baskets and beg us to hide Easter eggs, I am struck by what I should be doing but am not. For example, I did not make any sacrifice for Lent. Normally, this would be me forgoing chocolate or fast food or buying things I don't need. I haven't done it in a while. But I also haven't been going to church, saying the rosary (I'm not sure I even remember how), teaching my kids to say the "Hail Mary" or "Act of Contrition". Even just writing about it makes it seem like a huge undertaking. My kids haven't had any regular exposure to church or prayer or sacrifice. I don't even know where to start.

I wasn't ever a person who could quote the scriptures and I'm not sure that's who I want to be. But I guess before I can even decide that, I need to start by finding a parish that is right for me and my family. So goal one: find a church. I might try a few different ones to see how it feels and then start taking the kids. Eventually, I want them all to attend Catholic schools. So starting off by attending Catholic church would be a good idea. First up on my list is St. Bridget's in Mesa. Each week, as I attend a service, I'll post a link to the church and write about my experience there. I probably won't be courted like President Obama is, but I'll approach my search with the same care and consideration.

More on this topic next Sunday!