A good history lesson on Ash Wed. and the start of Lent: AWESOME Video TOO!

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This video is really good at giving us the history, (Old Testament and New) of Ash Wednesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vnGEJHg05E

I am not familiar with Catholic Productions, but they have done a great job on this video:)
I think I will watch this several times over Lent.  God Bless you.

JMJ~ Tina

What is LENT 2017 ? USCCB: a page from their website.

LENT

(Some of the links may not work, I did try, I know the Lectio Divina does work, but I had to click it twice.....that maybe true of some  of the other links on this page~ so click it twice:)

The 2017 Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1, for Latin-rite Catholics.

In a particular way during Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy that "remind us that faith finds expression in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbors in body and spirit." 

"Lent is a favourable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ."-- Pope Francis, Message for Lent 2017. . . 

Take inspiration for your Lenten journey from prayer and to the reading of Scripture, to fasting and to giving alms. The fasting that all do together on Fridays is but a sign of the daily Lenten discipline of individuals and households: fasting for certain periods of time, fasting from certain foods, but also fasting from other things and activities. Likewise, the giving of alms is some effort to share this world equally—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection.

In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their desire to become Catholics.

The key to fruitful observance of these practices is to recognize their link to baptismal renewal. We are called not just to abstain from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of our hearts and minds as followers of Christ. We recall those waters in which we were baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.

Lectio Divina for Lent

On these pages, you will find a variety of suggestions and resources to help you "give up," "take up," and "lift up" during this Lent and to embrace your baptismal commitment.

Catholics are also encouraged to make going to confession a significant part of their spiritual lives during Lent.  The U.S. Bishops' statement, "God's Gift of Forgiveness: The Pastoral Exhortation on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation" can be distributed and shared in parishes.  Dioceses are encouraged to make the sacrament available often during Lent and to use these resources to promote participation.  We also have resources to help individuals who have not been to confession in a while "rediscover" the sacrament.

Restorative Vegetable Broth~for Lent or any time

A quick shout out to my Canadian brothers and sisters, ( I hold duel citizenship: the USA and Canada).

BIENVENUE~
Dieu Vous benisse! 

Do you have a recipe that you go to often?  One you use over and over again? Well the following recipe is one of my "Go-To" recipes.  I use it during lent, but also throughout the year.  I often just make half of the recipe at a time, and always try to keep a quart canning jar full of this broth in the freezer.

This is from the blog Catholic Cuisine which is linked under my favorite web sites.

Restorative Vegetable Broth

The following recipe was submitted by Veronica Gantley, from My Catholic Kitchen.  Thank you Veronica! 

Here is a simple broth to make on Ash Wednesday or on Good Friday when we are fasting and are so mindful of our food consumption.  It is also great for when you are sick.

Restorative Vegetable Broth

Ingredients: 

• 2 large portabella mushrooms coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots coarsely chopped
• 2 ribs of celery coarsely chopped
• 3 ounces of prunes
• 4 garlic cloves smashed
• 4 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

In a 6 quart stock pot add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, prunes, and garlic.

Add water and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and barely simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Skim any foam from the surface as it boils. Strain broth and discard solids.

Note: The broth will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 6 months.

JMJ~Tina

Purgatory: NO FEAR

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Carracci-Purgatory.jpg

I have been pondering Purgatory. I often pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, but never really read about it in the Bible.  I came across the following statement at a site I have stumbled upon: http://www.catholicbible101.com/purgatory.htm

It is very interesting and I will delve into it more. This is an FYI  J

Purgatory

Much has been said over the centuries of a "third" place that people go to after death.  In the Second Book of Maccabees 12:43-46, it says, "He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin."

I have always thought of Purgatory, (in my minds eye), as a bride waiting in the church vestibule on her wedding day.  She is getting ready to walk down the aisle, but the doors of the main church are closed it is not quiet her time to enter....that waiting period, (after she has done a lot of work)...is my idea of Purgatory.  I know my Beloved is waiting for me just down the aisle, I often envision Him, Our Lord Jesus, waiting for me and His smile, joy, all of the feelings you would expect.
These are my ponderings...enjoy your day and remember God is with you!
~JMJ~
Tina

Simple Milk pudding for Lent

This is a recipe for a simple, humble, Old Fashioned Milk pudding. 

 An old cook book I found at the thrift store, (aka Jumble store, used items store), titled The New England Yankee Cook Book, (Coward-McCann, 1939) had a recipe named SEA MOSS BLANCE MANGE. This is the same recipe except I did not gather Sea Moss to make the pudding with, it is far to cold on the beach this time of year. Irish Sea Moss has the same congealing effect as gelatin and in fact it is in many products we purchase at the market. The cook book states, " Our forefathers used to gather sea moss, dry it and keep it for years", (pg 209).

Milk Pudding

1.  1 3/4 cup whole milk*
2. 3 tablespoons brown sugar
3. 1 1/2 Teaspoons of powdered Knox gelatin, (knox is the only plain gelatin I know of, use what you are use to using).
4. 1/2 cup hot water
5. 1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. 
   

   Combine sugar with milk in a pot over low to medium heat. Stir until the sugar has melted but don't let the mixture boil
2. 
   

   Dissolve powdered gelatin in hot water and add to the pot. Stir the mixture and heat for about 5 minutes
3. Remove from heat and stir in a few drops of vanilla essence to taste
4. 
   

   Pour the mixture evenly into glass or ceramic containers and let it cool to room temperature
5. Chill the pudding in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to solidify.

   
   

    * I have not made this with Soy, Rice, or low fat milks, but in theory they should work fine.  If you try this recipe with an alternative milk, let me know how it worked:)

   
   

   This recipe was also adapted/ methods from the Vanilla Milk Pudding found at this site:

   https://cookpad.com/us/recipes/1910783-vanilla-milk-pudding

More Lenten food related sites, Enjoy!

Catholic Digest is a wonderful, family oriented magazine. This Simple Fish Soup recipe is from there web site:   http://www.catholicdigest.com/articles/food_fun/recipes/

Simple Fish Soup

(Seafood, Soup)

Number of Servings

4

Ingredients

This uncomplicated soup showcases the ingredients without an overwhelming "fishy" flavor.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces (3 cups)
• 5 cups water and 2 cubes fish bouillon (available in supermarkets), or 5 cups canned chicken broth
• 6 ounces tomatoes, diced to make 1 cup, or 1 cup canned, diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 pound any white-fleshed fish (such as haddock, cod, scrod, pollock, or ocean perch), cut into small chunks
• pepper
• chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oil or melt the butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook the onion, celery, and garlic, stirring about 3 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes and stir.
3. Add the water and bouillon, or the broth, along with the tomatoes; cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are almost tender (5 to 10 minutes, unless you have cut large chunks).
4. Add the fish and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Season with pepper. Serve with chopped parsley, if desired.
    
5. *NOTE: The soup may be prepared in advance to the point just before the fish is added, then covered and refrigerated up to one day. Reheat the soup, add the fish, and cook as directed.

From Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the Modern American Family by Marialisa Calta, Perigee Books. © 2005 Marialisa Calta. Reprinted with permission of the author.

Lenten cooking? Yes, here is one site honoring Lent.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/recipes/index.cfm?action=list&filter=seasons&id=4

Catholic Recipe: Mushroom Stroganoff

This recipes was taken from My Catholic Kitchen where you can find many other good recipes for feast days.

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute longer. Add the thyme Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Stir the bouillon, water and wine in the skillet. Heat to boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Allow to reduce for about 30 minutes. It should be reduced to about half. Add the sour cream. Cook and stir until the mixture is incorporated.

Serve over hot noodles.

Recipe Source: My Catholic Kitchen by Veronica Gantley

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb of assorted mushrooms such as portabella, crimini and shitake
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 vegetable bouillon
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup wine
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 lb cooked wide egg noodles

Catholic Recipe: Lenten Eggs Benedict

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 toasted muffin
• 1 poached egg
• anchovy paste
• heavy cream
• hollandaise sauce
• truffle or 6 capers

DETAILS

Serves: 1

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: • • • •

Cost: $$$$

For Ages:11+

Origin:

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FOOD CATEGORIES (3)

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OFTEN MADE WITH (1)

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SIMILAR RECIPES (4)

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FEASTS (3)

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SEASONS (1)

Since Saint Benedict's feast day formerly fell in Lent, we suggest for his feast Eggs Benedict, although we are fully aware the saint did not invent this dish. St. Benedict's feast day is now celebrated on July 11, although Benedictine monasteries still celebrate the original feast day in March.

Eggs Benedict with a Hollandaise sauce would also be a fance dish for Easter breakfast.

DIRECTIONS

Follow the usual procedure for Eggs Benedict using 1/2 toasted muffin and 1 poached egg for each portion. Before placing the egg on the muffin spread this generously with anchovy paste stirred with enough heavy cream so that it will spread easily. Then add your egg, cover with a good hollandaise, and place a thin slice of truffle or about 6 capers on top.

Recipe Source: Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1951

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/recipes/index.cfm?action=list&filter=seasons&id=4

Lent begins in 10 days, yea! Sign up (if you want to that is) for daily lenten reflection, with Bishop Barron

Spend your time with Christ in the Gospel this Lent

alongside Bishop Barron and the Word on Fire community.

Sign up at this website:

http://www.lentreflections.com/

SIGN UP TODAY!

2017 Lenten Daily Reflections

Read Today's Reflection

Friends,

Welcome as we journey together toward the great feast of Easter!

For many people, the big feast of the year is Christmas, but for Christians, the truly great feast is Easter. Without Easter, without the Resurrection, we would not have the gift of salvation. Jesus had to rise from the dead or else he would have just been another failed Messiah and his birth would be a forgotten footnote of history.

That’s why Lent is such an important time of year for us. It is the period during which we refocus on the passion and death of Jesus so that we will be ready to embrace the good news of the Resurrection at Easter.

So, as we begin with Ash Wednesday and its reminder of repentance, let us resolve to do our best each day, knowing that it is not the destination, but the journey that will ultimately transform us.

Peace,

Bishop Robert Barron

JMJ ~ Tina

Fatima Portugal

Monday, February 20th, 2017 is the Memorial of Blesseds Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto...seers of Our Lady.

https://hausofholmes.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/our-lady-of-fatima.jpg

Our Lady request that we pray the Rosary, offer sacrifices for sinners and the conversion of the whole world. 

This coming May will be the 100th anniversary of Our Lady's visit to Fatima.

In honor of the 2 Blesseds make Portuguese Sweet Bread

The Monastery Kitchen web site has a great recipe, I have Linked it here:
 http://monasterykitchen.org/portuguese-sweet-bread/

OR you could use this....from King Arthur Flour

Portuguese Sweet Bread

This soft, sweet bread, subtly flavored with both lemon and vanilla, makes delicious toast (or French toast). Or enjoy it plain; it's so tasty, it doesn't even need butter. By the way, if you're looking for a recipe for "Hawaiian bread," this one comes very close.

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, cut into pats

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 1/4 cups  All-Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon instant yeast

grated peel (zest) of 1 medium lemon

2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, white reserved

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Feb. 1, 2013: This is a fine-tuned, simplified, down-sized version of an earlier Portuguese Sweet Bread recipe on this site. It uses the same ingredients and produces the same bread, but the directions are clearer and the result more foolproof.

Combine the milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a microwave-safe cup, or in a saucepan. Heat to lukewarm, stirring to soften the butter. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, the bowl of your stand mixer, or the bucket of your bread machine, combine the flour, yeast, and lemon zest; stir to combine.

Add the milk mixture, stirring first to make sure the sugar and salt aren't left in the bottom of the cup or pan.

Add the eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Mix and knead until the dough is cohesive and smooth; it'll be very sticky at first. If you're using a stand mixer, beat with the flat beater for about 3 minutes at medium-high speed; then scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes at medium speed. It will have formed a ball somewhat, but will probably still be sticking to the bottom of the bowl. If you're using a bread machine, simply let it go through its entire cycle, and skip to step 6.

Lightly grease the mixing bowl or a large (8-cup) measure, round the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl or measure. Cover, and let rise until very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If you're using a bread machine and the dough hasn't doubled in size when the cycle is complete, simply let it rest in the machine for another 30 to 60 minutes.

Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan.

Gently deflate the dough, and round it into a ball. Place the ball in the prepared pan, and tent the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap. Or cover it with the cover of your choice; we use clear shower caps here in the King Arthur test kitchen.

Let the dough rise in the pan for about 2 hours, until it's nicely puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon cold water, and brush some onto the surface of the loaf; this will give it a satiny, mahogany-brown crust.

Bake the bread for 15 minutes, then tent it lightly with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until it's a medium golden brown and its internal temperature registers 190°F on a digital thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, and gently transfer it to a rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.

Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days' freeze for longer storage.

What a wonderful Country Portugal must be....may God continue to bless you! You are a kindred Spirit.

JMJ~Tina

A tool, one of many, to use this coming Lent.....

http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/25341/how-to-prepare-for-lent

How do you prepare for Lent? How have you prepared in the past? What are your ideas about what should happen during Lent?

We have the traditional Catholic practices of praying, fasting, and almsgiving. So, we pray more than usual, or we pray with different emphases. We eat smaller or fewer meals or give up a favorite food or drink group. We give more of our resources or give them specifically to special works of mercy during Lent.

Prayer, fasting, and charitable giving continue to be quite good practices during Lent or at any time.

But, you might think, how do I prepare myself for this season? What needs to happen within so that I can practice with more integrity and intention whatever I’m doing on the outside?

There are plenty of ideas for actions and practices during Lent; coming up with ideas usually is not the problem. But we don’t want to do anything simply to be doing it, even if it’s a good thing. We don’t want to make a list of merciful works so that we can place a checkmark beside each one as we accomplish it.

It’s good to have a plan for doing. It’s also good to have a plan for being.

How do I want to be during Lent this year? More quiet and thoughtful? More open to God’s desires? Better able to sit with people who need me? More attentive to sacred readings, whether in church or in private? Do I need to be more compassionate toward my own fears and failings? Do I need to become more courageous about using the gifts God has given me?

In the days prior to Lent, try one or more of these suggestions.

• Ask God, every day, “What does my soul need?” Just ask, and wait quietly. Because we’re very good at fooling ourselves about how we’re doing, it might take several days of praying this question before we’re truly open and humble enough to know the answer.
• Ask God, every day, “What about my life makes you happy?” Yes, when God looks at your life, some parts of it—perhaps many aspects of it—bring joy to God’s heart. Think of how your children or grandchildren or other people close to you make you happy. God is in relationship with you, which means that your sins grieve God’s heart, but also that your growth and love and freedom and kindness bring joy to God of the universe. Again, you will probably need to pray this a few times before you are willing to consider that you give God pleasure, that you make God happy in any way. Stick with this little prayer and keep listening.
• Tell God, and yourself, every day, “I want to be open to the graces of this Lenten season.” Maybe you’re not open right now, or you’re not as open and willing as you’d like to be or think you should be. What else is new? We can always open our lives a bit more, let go of more stuff, listen better, and do more quickly and passionately what we know helps nurture God’s kingdom on earth.

This is a beginning: three short and simple prayer starters to ready yourself for the holy season.

From Ashes to Glory

 Go to this site for the weekly links, they would not link up correctly for me...sorry.

ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/from-ashes-to-glory/

From Ashes to Glory invites you to take up the practice of reflecting on your day, its gifts and graces, and the progress you are making in life with Christ. It’s a way of praying the Examen through Lent, with materials by Joseph Tetlow, SJ.
Each Sunday during Lent, read an introduction to the week’s prayer. On Ash Wednesday and the Mondays of Lent and Easter Week, find a brief Scripture passage, steps for reflecting with the Examen, and a closing prayer.

From Ashes to Glory is based on this version of the Ignatian Examen:

I thank God.

I say to the Lord: I am content with what I am and have. Thank you for stars and universes, for mountains and oceans. Thank you for health and home and work, for those I love and those who love me. Thank you that I know Jesus Christ and am his—for the Church, and sacraments, and hope in eternal life. And thank you for this day.

I ask for light.

Let me see myself and my behavior the way the Holy Spirit has been seeing me, who am God’s splendid creature, adopted and “set free in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

I look for God in my life.

I ask what I have done for love—love of God, of others, and of myself. If I have decided to change a habit or to grow a virtue, I give myself an account.

I face what’s wrong.

I accept responsibility for what I have done or not done, rejoicing in the good and repudiating the bad. I do not blame circumstances, upbringing, or others.

I determine what to do now.

I see what I can do to love God better, grateful for what Jesus Christ is doing in me. I watch where the Spirit is leading me.

Another 10 inches, (24mm) of Snow last night.

This video is from Sister Theo, she is rejoicing in the Lord, thanking Him for all His blessings, especially thanking Him for the snow, which she loves!

Sacred Wonder....

Sunset through the trees.

The snow came fast, hard and from the North  East.

Weighed down....


JMJ~Tina