Sunday, November 20, 2011

Christ the King/Christkönig

I survived another of my husband's traveling episodes.  He just got back from Philadelphia.  I was actually very proud of myself: I got all my children ready for church this morning after a breakfast of homemade muffins and boiled eggs.  When we came home, I put a casserole which I had made the day before into the oven and baked it so it was almost done.  We left the oven on warm and left for another church.  This time we wanted to see the ninth episode of Catholicism.  We had missed it on Wednesday because my dear husband was busy that night, so I couldn't go watch it with Jonathan as I usually do.  Luckily you can also watch the DVDs on Sundays.  I normally would not have taken the children (except Jonathan) because this series is not meant for children, but I had no choice if I didn't want to miss part nine.  (There is nothing frightening in the ninth part of the series, just difficult theological questions, so children normally get bored.  There are gorgeous pictures of churches, monasteries, and cities, mostly in Europe, though, which appeal to all ages).  All the children were excellent.  Miriam, Flora, Jonathan, and Charlotte watched with me, while Veronika did some sewing cards.  Today's episode was on prayer, with plenty of examples from Thomas Merton and John of the Cross.  I read The Seven Story Mountain many years ago and always thought it would be a moving experience to have a retreat at a Trappist Monastery.  When I was at Notre Dame there was even an opportunity to have a retreat at Thomas Merton's monastery in Kentucky, but I already had Jonathan, who was still a nursing baby.  I haven't given up that wish, though, and hope that there will be time for such a stay one day.  By the time we got back home after watching the DVD, our casserole was finished.  I made some shortbread cookies in the afternoon, while we were waiting for Daddy to come home.

Christ the King marks the end of the church year and the end of the old wording in the American Mass.  Next Sunday we will have a few new words and phrases, which are very much like the words I'm used to from the German Mass.



Ich habe eine weitere Reisewelle meines Mannes gut überstanden.  Er ist gerade aus Philadelphia zurückgekehrt.  Ich bin eigentlich ganz stolz auf mich selbst: Ich habe mit allen Kindern in die Kirche nach einem Frühstück mit selbstgebackenen Muffins und gekochten Eiern gehen können.  Nach der Kirche haben wir zu Hause kurz Zwischenstation gemacht, ich habe einen Auflauf, den ich gestern schon vorbereitet habe, in den Ofen geschoben und ihn fast fertig gebacken.  Dann habe ich alle Kinder wieder zusammengesucht, den Ofen auf "warm" gestellt, und wir sind in eine andere Kirche gefahren, um die neunte Episode der Serie Catholicism zu schauen.  Jonathan und ich haben sie am Mittwoch ausfallen lassen müssen, da mein lieber Mann an diesem Abend nicht zu Hause sein konnte.  Glücklicherweise kann man die Serie auch sonntags verfolgen.  Normalerweise würde ich nicht alle Kinder dazu mitnehmen (bis auf Jonathan), da die Themen sehr theologisch sind und Kinder sich ganz schnell langweilen.  (Teil 9 der Serie zeigt nichts Erschreckendes, ist nur nicht für Kinder gedacht).  Dennoch haben alle bis auf Veronika sehr interessiert zugehört und geschaut.  Auch wenn man den Inhalt nicht versteht, gibt es viele schöne Kirchen, Klöster und Städte, vor allen Dingen in Europa, zu sehen.  Veronika hat lieber Nähkarten gemacht.  Alle haben sich gut benommen und niemanden gestört.  Das Thema heute war Gebet.  Zwei große Theologen, Thomas Merton und Johannes vom Kreuz wurden hervorgehoben.  Ich habe vor vielen Jahren einmal Mertons Buch Den Berg der sieben Stufen gelesen und immer gedacht, es müßte sehr berreichernd sein, in einem Trappistenkloster Exerzitien zu machen.  Als ich bei Notre Dame war, wurde sogar einmal so eine Woche in Kentucky, in Mertons Kloster, angeboten, doch hatte ich damals schon Jonathan, der noch ein ganz kleines Baby war.  Ich habe diesen Wunsch bisher aber nicht aufgegeben, sondern nur auf später verschoben.  Zu Hause war unser Auflauf fertig.  Nachmittags habe ich dann noch Mürbeteigplätzchen gebacken, während wir auf unseren Papa gewartet haben.  


Heute ist der letzte Sonntag im Kirchenjahr.  Nächsten Sonntag beginnt die neue Liturgie, d.h. der Wortlaut der heiligen Messe in Amerika ändert sich.  Für mich bedeutet das, daß der englische Text dem deutschen und damit dem lateinischen ähnlicher wird.  Man wird sich trotzdem umgewöhnen müssen.  



4 comments:

  1. You did more than survive a travelling trip you excelled!!! A cyber gold star is winging its way to you!!

    Your day sounds wonderful and I could not imagine your gang being anything other than exemplary... if it was Benedict and Pip I could not gurantee such a response, LOL "Smile".

    I attended a wonderfully chaotic mass for Christ The King yesterday, children colouring and having a liitle picnic at the back, drums and maracas to accompany the music group, it was just how I imagined it would have been in the Lord's day.

    Dave and Sara attended our local church over the hill. Benedict has issues with Sunday mass at the moment, so we've taken the pressure of and the adults attend separately so childcare is covered. Benedict and Pip attend mass in the week when it is quieter, it is not ideal but it works for us at this season in our lives.

    Hope you have a great start to the week.

    Love and hugs San and co xxx

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  2. Thank you, San. I hope that you will be able to attend church together one of these days. I remember many early days with some of our children when I had to leave the church building because they were crying. Now theý do pretty well. There is a season to everything, it's so true.

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  3. We do the same - attend during the week sometimes because of my husband's crazy schedule. Also, my son and husband like it much better because it is quieter and more spiritual.

    I understand about husbands being gone. It is very difficult to do it all alone without your helpmate.

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  4. We tend to go twice, once on Sunday to our own parish, and once on Tuesday to a different parish. My husband can only make it on Sunday. Our churches around here are so tiny that there isn't a big difference between weekdays and Sundays, except the lack of music during the week. Of course, there are fewer people also, but the level of quietness is same.

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