Lent Fasting Challenge

Last year a new book came out called "Eat Fast Feast: Heal Your Body While Feeding Your Soul. A Christian Guide to Fasting" by Jay W Richards. It quickly became the go-to book for all those wanting to give their Lenten Fasting a boost; backing it with science, sacrifice and church tradition. It was a game changer for me. I really appreciated this Catholic perspective. For the online support group I was leading, I created this calendar for us to keep track of what to read and when to fast according to the pace of the book. May God bless your journey to health of body and spirit.

For those who've already read the book, or have already begun a life of ketogenic nutrition and intermittent fasting, and just want the 6 week fasting plan, here is a faster paced calendar.

I've learned so much through the process, I know it is well worth sharing to all my fellow fasters.

 

Another great read like this, with more of the science behind it is "The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss" by Jason Fung, MD which I read also and enjoyed learning how my body works and what I've been doing wrong (under the guidance of medical professionals).

Latin-English Hand Missal for Ordinary Form

 Our parish has added another time for Mass to spread out the congregation, still in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo), but one with much more Latin and incense. The priest also says the Liturgy of the Eucharist ad orientum (facing East). This was the perfect opportunity to give the traditional parishioners this style of liturgy, apart from the regular and charismatic liturgies available.

It's been so lovely to have this richly traditional Mass in our community. However, most of us are very new to the Latin responses. Unable to find a hand missal online that fit our needs, I created one to distribute.  It doesn't contain every response, but it does have all the long and more difficult responses. I wanted to include the English translation because many of us find it helpful to glance over and recognize what we're saying. Overall this mini missal makes the transition to a Latin Mass less unnerving, and it has received a good response from our priest and parishioners.

This is free for you to open the images and print back to back for your own copy. HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE PDF FILE for clear printing. (Not for sale or manipulation)

If anyone has information about the artists, I would love to give proper credit. In a time crunch, I "borrowed" these images until I can draw my own. I hope this black and white image will be fun for you to color.

Saint Valentine's Day Printables

Praise God for the gift of creativity! I whipped up a variety of Valentines cards this year, many bookmark style to attach to the treats we have. The plan is to get these in a PDF to share with you, but until then here are the images I am hopeful you can print if you need a last minute idea for this week.

It's as simple as print (and laminate). Then with ribbon or tape I attached the treats, like a ruler for "Love Beyond All Measure," a chocolate heart for "Jesus wants your whole heart," and bubbles for "A Bubble of Wisdom" scripture bookmarks.

For a special treat this year, I made white chocolate popcorn with heart sprinkles and conversation heart candies. Putting it in these red and white popcorn bags labeled with everyone's names made it safer during sick season. {affiliated link}

Popcorn Bags