One Mass

In the beautifully written and illustrated children's book, The Weight of a Mass, the faith of the subjects in the kingdom has grown cold. The king and his bride are to be wed in the evening at a Mass in the cathedral; yet, the people do not plan to attend. 

In the kingdom's bakery, preparations are being made for the royal feast, including the prized wedding cake. A beggar woman enters the shop, and says,

If you give me crust of bread, I will offer the Mass tonight for you.

The baker is indignant; though, his son insists he listen to the woman. Instead, the baker taunts her by writing "one Mass" on a torn off piece of tissue paper. He places it on the balance and flicks in a dried out crust of bread. Miraculously, the bread does not cause the balance to be weighed down. So, the baker adds more items - fresh donuts, cakes, and breads - yet there is no change. The people are incredulous. Finally, the baker puts the wedding cake on the scale. 

Nothing.

As the bells toll to call the people to the wedding Mass, those in the shop process into the streets. The baker, his son, and the beggar woman follow. In the end, the baker apologizes to the woman for not having faith. She, too, apologizes, for she only wished for a crust of bread in exchange for one Mass. They realize that they did not know the weight of the Mass...

Read the book - it's beautifully told and illustrated!

I read this book to my 7th graders, and then they did some reflection using post-its to answer questions around the room based on the book and its symbolism. I have included some of their responses below; though, you may have to click on the photos in order to actually read the writing, as it is very small. My apologies. Many of them really seemed to get the story, and I hope they keep this story at the forefront of their minds as we begin our next unit on the Catholic Mass.

Q: What is the role of the beggar woman in the story?

Q: Why is the story set in a bakery?

Q: What is the last item weighed against the Mass? What does it represent?

Q: Who experiences a conversion of heart in this story?

Q: How much does a Mass weigh?

I feel like adults would very much benefit from this story too, as it is easy in today's society to forget the weight of the Mass.

P.S. - I got a BONUS this weekend by getting to head to Notre Dame for the day to meet the new ACE Chicago teachers (and to spend time with some of the current ones). Even though it was a short visit, I tried to make the most of it (rotten weather and all):

Grotto visit

Golden Dome selfie

Touchdown Jesus!

post-dinner smiles with the crew

It's hard to believe that the next time I will be on campus is going to be this summer for the final wrap-up, presentation, and graduation. Love thee, ND!

Columbus Day Weekend - Marathon, Ice Cream, and Reading!

Columbus Day weekend means two things in Chicago:

1) Marathon time!

2) No school (if you're lucky)

It turns out that I knew quite a few people running in this year's marathon (none of whom are pictured below - those are random people who happened to run by as I decided to photograph), and it was exciting to cheer them on as well as the tens of thousands of other runners. What a great day!...even though it was probably 20 degrees too hot for the runners...

After we finished watching (but before the clean-up crews came), I went with my sister, her fiance, and another friend to brunch at the cutest French bakery. We had actually just been there Friday night for a girls' happy hour, but clearly it was that good we wanted to come again right away! It was still as delicious round #2.

The way I ate on Sunday you would have thought I ran the marathon... Later in the afternoon, I met up with Marisa and her fiance for ice cream at one of our favorite spots. The weather was perfect for ice cream-licking on seats just outside the building - we had shade from the buildings and L stop, and it was not quite hot enough to melt the ice cream before I finished the cone...

I did try the pumpkin...mmm...

Today I was one of the lucky ones to not have school. I did get up early (so as to not mess with my ability to fall asleep tonight) - I went to the gym, got some grad school work done, and then went to daily Mass at my church. Daily Mass is probably one of my favorite parts of the Catholic church...I just wish I could do it more often. (This will probably be one of my action steps for Advent this year - finding a church with daily Mass that is either early enough to go before school or late enough to go after school.) Today's Gospel was about the Good Samaritan - it's always a wonderful reminder to hear that one! After Mass I got my daily cup o' Joe at the coffee shop near church, and on my walk home I caught up with a friend who recently moved to another state. I tell you - so many wonderful things before 10 a.m.!

Upon arriving home, I did some additional work for grad school and regular school (lesson planning for next week) until mid-afternoon. At that time, I decided to get some fresh air, so I walked up to the park, where I knew I would find some peace and some shade.

It was glorious! My book of choice was Tattoos on the Heart, which I have read before but felt compelled to read again. I'm glad I decided to pick it up - so many heart tugs, so much wisdom, so much love. If you haven't read it before (or even if you have), I urge you to read it (again). One line in the preface (photo included below) particularly caught my eye: "If there is a fundamental challenge...it is to change our lurking suspicion that some lives matter less than other lives." How beautiful and how true! As Christians we cannot think any life is worth less - we are all loved by God. (I also included a poem from the end of the introduction below - read it slowly, and then re-read it.)

Back to reality tomorrow when the alarm sounds at 4:45. It's a 4-day week...I totally got this!

Did you know Mary unties knots?

I just finished a novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, but it wasn't a novena in the typical sense. Yes, it took nine days. But each day had a special reflection from the places of Pope Francis's visit to the Holy Land that was put into a book (that I happily stumbled upon in the Notre Dame bookstore this summer):

It was a unique and special experience because I was able to learn more about this title of Mary, pray the Rosary with focused intentions daily, and think back on the places I was able to visit in the Holy Land two summers ago (and how the author related her experience in these spaces to her devotion/understanding of Mary's role in our lives)...

the Church of All Nations (site of the Agony in the Garden)...

the Western Wall (we didn't realize at the time you are not supposed to turn your back on it)...

Shepherds' Field (site of angel appearance to shepherds to announce Christ's birth)...

the Jordan River (site of Jesus' baptism)...

the stone of unction (in the Holy Sepulchre)...

Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum)

All of our lives are full of knots and tangles (jealousy, pride, etc.), some visible to others and some invisible. It's hard to work through these knots by ourselves. Mary wants to help us untie them. We need to let go so she can.

Coincidentally, I was experiencing trouble with a knotted necklace chain about midway through my novena. As I struggled to untie the chain, I couldn't help but realize that the tighter I pulled and tried to control the knot, the more unmanageable it became. When I had the help of a needle and some light (and when I lightened my grip a little), I was able to get the knot undone. Needless to say, I was struck by this tangible example of undoing knots!

It's safe to say that prayer (especially to our Blessed Mother) helps us in this way too. I fully believe that we need to let go, offer up our "knots," and watch Mary work in our lives.

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On another note, one that is bittersweet, summer vacation came to a conclusion today, but not before I had the chance to see some friendly faces either living in or stopping through Michigan:

one of my ACE housemates

a friend from during my ACE time in AZ

friends from ACE whose wedding we attended this past March

These visits were the perfect end to the vacation. ACE brought so many incredible people into my life, and for that I am more grateful than words can ever express.