SIMPLE40 - DAY 23 - Living in the Rhythm of the Church
- Katie Donahue
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
This week is a beautiful time to reflect on something that makes the Catholic life so rich: we do not just practice our faith, we live it and celebrate it.
The Church gives us a rhythm and an order for living through the liturgical calendar, and learning to live within that rhythm can bring a surprising amount of simplicity and peace.
Throughout the year there is always a season, a feast, a fast, or a saint inviting us deeper. There is always something to learn, someone to imitate, or some grace being offered. Instead of having to create meaning or structure on our own, the Church provides it for us.
Lliturgy is“the work of God” and is the official public worship of the Church, most fully expressed in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Every day, across the world, the Church prays together in this sacred rhythm.
The liturgical calendar sets the pace for this worship. It unites the universal Church, placing heaven and earth on the same clock, so to speak. When we celebrate a feast day here on earth, the angels and saints rejoice in it far more perfectly in heaven.
There is something deeply comforting about this.
We do not have to figure everything out ourselves. The Church shows us when to fast, when to feast, when to repent, and when to rejoice.
Living liturgically becomes a simple way to weave faith into everyday life. It naturally draws us into many of the things we have already talked about in Simple40 to help us live a well-ordered, simple Christian life...
prayer
discipline
wonder
rest
gratitude
celebration
One small tool that has helped me is having the liturgical feast of the day appear on my phone calendar each morning. Even if I do nothing more than notice the saint of the day, it becomes a quiet reminder that I am part of something much bigger than my own schedule.
A couple years ago, I discovered a free digital liturgical calendar created by The Little Rose Shop that syncs with your phone calendar. If you enjoy having that daily reminder, it is a simple way to stay connected to the rhythm of the Church.
And if you want to explore living liturgically a little more, two wonderful resources are:
Today, simply pause and notice where we are in the Church’s story, this Lenten journey moving us slowly toward Easter.
You are not walking it alone.
The whole Church is walking with you.
And the saints are cheering you on.
spiritual We just celebrated Laetare Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Lent, yesterday. The theme is always JOY and it comes from the entrance antiphon (Isaiah 66:10-11): “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exalt and be satisfied at her consoling breast.”
Laetare is Latin for rejoice and is the first word in the verse above. On Laetare Sunday the Church expresses hope and joy in the midst of our Lenten fast and penance (similar to Gaudete Sunday in Advent) by allowing flowers to adorn the altar and changing the liturgical color from purple to rose. This change in color and decor gives us a little glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter, just before we enter into the days of Passiontide.
Take this opportunity today to keep the joy from yesterday's celebration going. With eyes of hope, keep in the back of your mind what awaits you on Easter Sunday - the reality that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and that your heart will always be filled with joy!
Being aware of the liturgical calendar, traditions and customs assists us in celebrating the beauty of our faith. Here are some dates to add to your calendar if you haven't already:
March 15th - 4th Sunday of Lent - Laetare Sunday
March 17th - St. Patrick's Day (tomorrow)
March 19th - Solemnity of St. Joseph
March 22th - 5th Sunday of Lent
March 25th - Solemnity of the Annunciation
March 29th - Palm Sunday
April 2nd - Holy Thursday
April 3rd - Good Friday
April 4th - Holy Saturday
April 5th - Easter Sunday
self Commit anew to your Lenten sacrifices and obligations this week. Take one day at at time, stay focused and make your sacrifices for Christ. ~GRAYSCALE your phone if you went back to color over the weekend.
~40 minutes of intentional movement. Consider adding some dumbbell weights to your current intentional movement routine. I came across these workouts and wanted to share as they are SIMPLE and short. You may feel so good after one workout that you want to do another! Everything is spelled out for you and videos for technique and form are linked. This is definitely a keeper!
service One simple and meaningful way to live liturgically as a family is to celebrate your family’s patron saints. Take a few minutes this week to look up the feast days of the saints your family members are named after, your parish patron, or any saints who hold special meaning for your family.
Write these feast days on your paper calendar or add them to your phone calendar. If you use a digital calendar, set the event to repeat every year so you will always be reminded when the day comes.
This small step does something beautiful: it keeps the saints present in your daily life. Over time, these days can become natural moments to pause, pray, and remember that your family has friends in heaven who are interceding for you.
You might choose to celebrate in simple ways such as:
saying a special prayer to that saint
sharing the story of their life with your children
making a favorite meal or dessert
doing an act of service in their honor
These celebrations do not have to be elaborate. In fact, simplicity is often what makes them meaningful. A quick prayer at dinner or a short conversation about the saint can be enough to mark the day and keep their witness alive in your home.
Over time, these small celebrations create a rhythm of remembrance and gratitude. They remind us that the Christian life is not meant to be lived alone, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who walked this path before us and now cheer us on from heaven. LOOK UP YOUR SAINTS HERE
simple recipe
This recipe came from my mother-in-law over 30 years ago and has been a staple in our rotating menu. She would be thrilled to know her grandchildren make it now for their own family and friends. She was a big fan of quick, easy and tasty!
PEPPER STEAK
Ingredients
2 lbs round steak, cut into thin strips (I sometimes use stew meat)
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1/4 cup chopped onion (or more to taste)
2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups beef broth
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/2 cup cold water
3-4 Tbsp corn starch (or other thickening agent)
1/4 cup good quality soy sauce or aminos
2 green bell peppers cut into thin strips
(serve over rice, quinoa, noodles, whatever you and your family like)
Instructions
heat oil in large, deep skillet and brown meat.
add onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper, stirring to combine
add broth, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. (This is a good time to prepare the rice or noodles that you will be serving this over.)
add the sliced tomato and stir
in a measuring cup, mix the cold water, cornstarch and soy sauce then add to meat mixture, stirring as it thickens
add green pepper slices and heat until they are crisp
serve over rice, noodles, quinoa, etc
Thank you for following along.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or comments.
katie@integratedlife.co
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