Recently, we realized that as busy as we are in our parishes, in Tom’s Formation, and in the Catholic Schools in our area, we weren’t bringing our faith home. Don’t get me wrong, we often attend or even lead celebrations or prayers for Feast Days or Holy Days. We usually attend at least one weekday Mass besides our Sunday Mass. We have our daily prayer routine and pray the rosary.

But it had gradually gotten to the point where we were so busy, we just couldn’t summon the energy or the will to decorate for every Feast Day or plan a special meal or activity at home. We are often glad to simply have a meal at home and not one eaten on the run. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the 12 Apostles out of all of his disciples. From being disciples learning at their Master’s feet, these men will grow into the roll of Apostle, being sent to evangelize others. But first, they learn by watching and imitating Jesus. If we want to be a good witness for Jesus Christ, we can’t exude, “Do as I say, not as I do”. Before we can reach out to others, we need to make sure we are following and imitating Jesus, and He honored the Church calendar by feasting and fasting and praying and sharing. 

The first step was turning this over to the Holy Spirit and asking for help. Then came some practical steps, like giving myself permission to not be an overachiever. Preparing to celebrate a Feast Day doesn’t mean having my house ready for a photo shoot. Small items of beauty draw our focus to God. I also added Liturgical calendar planning to my planning routine. I found a book that was simple, basic, and fit my style to plan ahead for Novenas and make sure I had a plan for Feast Day dinners. Our parish often shares Novenas and prayers to celebrate feast days as well. 

As Catholics, our homes are our Domestic Church. It should be where we encounter Jesus in a very personal way. Our culture equates being super busy with success and status. However, if we want to draw others to Jesus, we need to take the time to be sure we have a balance in our lives, where we follow Jesus’ example to retreat in prayer before going out to proclaim the Good News. 

Like the Apostles, we need to make sure we are learning from and imitating our Master before we are sent. Then our very lives will be our witness. 

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