Heading into the Triduum of Easter
The busy housewife still prays
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So many things to do to get the family ready for Easter! The housewife has on her mind church clothes, clean house, special tasty feast day treats, various liturgies that come at times not necessarily geared towards naps and bed routines, and so on.
To keep some order, the best thing is lists and plenty of them.
One thing though —
Is there time to pray?
A book I discovered at the mention of a friend some years ago has helped me immensely. It is The Spiritual Life and Prayer, According to Scripture and Monastic Tradition by Mother Cécile Bruyère, O.S.B. (affiliate link)
This book is praised for transmitting in a compact way the spiritual wisdom of St. Benedict and the Venerable Abbot Dom Guéranger, and I return to it often for its delicate, challenging, and encouraging explanations of the spiritual journey. Read slowly, it is a fruitful guide.
Two thoughts inspired by Mother Cécile that might help us going forward in these busy days:
First, we can have confidence in uniting ourselves to praying with the liturgy. Each of us has his role in the pattern of life. The priests allow us mothers to do our part; we must rely on them to do theirs and unite ourselves with what is given. The order of worship will carry us through.
Second, Mother Cécile speaks of the efficacy of short prayers: “The Fathers attached great importance to these frequent short aspirations towards God as being well suited to form the spirit of prayer… short prayer is more easily kept pure because it is free from distraction, and these rapid darts from the heart are very efficacious for promoting union with God, and they are far preferable to a prolonged and dreamy prayer.”
The Psalms, so prominent in these days leading up to the Passion and Resurrection, offer us a treasury of short prayers that we can utter in the heart while going about our busy days.
“The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever!” ([Ps. 88 [89]:2)
As with everything here at the SFH, the best thing is for you to take my ideas, coming from my experience of 45 years of marriage and raising seven children, and apply them to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor!
If you don’t wish to subscribe just now, I understand! How about…
For the longer version:
My book on how to live with the Liturgical Year: The Little Oratory