This week as Family

Since it is part of Family challenge every day, lot of other activities are going around other than usual.Annu' s and munnus window decoration  ,  making a dance, joy video, made cinnamon heart rolls with caramel sauce for the theme of Love.

World Earth day

It is World Earth day on 22nd April. 50 years since it is formed. At home, little children got out of the house since it is a very nice sunny day. Learning about different ways planet earth can be looked after,  3R is learnt, scavenger hunt, cleared up the front garden , munnu helped jobychsyan in making space ready for planting seedling.

Children are hunting different items of scavenger hunt, tried to dig and find worm.insects, worms, stones, dandelion and so on.

Making earth planet was another job, paper mache, stuck papers and left out to dry.

Easter

Easter is the great time to rejoice and be hopeful in the risen Lord, which continues for octave and so on. In our family, we had some traditions along with attending liturgies at home as part of lockdown. However it was entirely different Holy week and Easter this year, but we enjoyed as a family where children prepared the passion and Easter video with their own direction and editing. It was a beautiful experience.

There were many oppportunities to share some of the Holy week preparation with the broader group of friends and families so they can also prepare with their children  like, stations of cross, making easter decorations, paschal candle and so on. Thank God for the opportunity.

Annu made some Easter banana chocolate loaf, resurrection cave and decorated our altar.

Celebrating Feast of Divine Mercy

Divine mercy Feast falls on Sunday after Easter. It is one of the beautiful feast, instituted by St John Paul II in 2000. St Faustina, one of the powerful apostle of mercy, was in her room in 1932, Jesus appeared to her and she was unable to move, stared at Him and the Lord asked her to paint His image the way she saw it. Jesus asked her to spread the image and He wanted all to keep this image. Those who treat this image with love and honour will receive so many blessings, just as if they are seeing Jesus in person.I was reading Faustina's diary and got my eye opened, anyone who says at least a chaplet of mercy ,he will receive mercy and forgiveness. So amazed,no matter how big is your sins are.

Our Divine Mercy Sunday with cake and other festivities. 

      Below is the video created about Divine Mercy

There are different crafts to do with children on this feast day, one of it is divine mercy craft and rosary Children can be taught about the different works of charity, corporal and spiritual inside the house and around as much as during the lockdown too, having a mercy jar and fill the seeds for every merciful action. In her dairy, Jesus encouraged souls to do this prayer and He will stand  as a merciful saviour between soul and the Father.

On the feast day or on the forthcoming days we can have reconciliation and attending H. Mass on this day along with acts of charity is recommended(act of contrition, resolution not to sin ,spiritual communion prayer due to lock down).

Lots of resources to study and spread devotion is available in inspirefaith.

 Marian fathers video on what do on Divine Mercy sunday due to the current lockdown situation is good to take in.

You can create the divine mercy craft:
Items required

Crayons, glue stick, toilet roll tube, printable of the image, scissors.

Children can color the image and the rays red and blue corresponding for blood and water , cut along the margin lines and can be decorated with glitter if available.

 Children can place their palms , placing both index fingers and thumb together to form a heart shape. You can inscribe Jesus I trust in you inside the heart, different works of mercy which child could do these days can be added inside each finger.

Making  a shield of mercy , inside it can be filled with Holy communion, works of mercy, reconciliation and so on.

Let us have an overlook at this Divine Mercy image:

The image has blue and white rays coming from Jesus which depicts as blood and water.
The signature 'Jesus I trust in You' is depicted under the picture.
St Faustina had the visions and the Lord asked to paint the picture, therfore the divine mercy image is depicted by holding St Faustina.
In her diary, she wrote lot about Divine Mercy.

Lot of beautiful ideas, printables and about the works of mercy is available in lookathimandberadiant blog. Beautiful divine mercy sundae treat can be ideal for this day or a heart shaped pancake, decorated with strawberries and cream or having the cake decorated with  strawberries and blueberries reminding of rays .

Reciting the chaplet at 3 o' clock , which is the time of graces, remembering the passion and the mercy of the Lord. Jesus asks to say the chaplet or visiting Holy Eucharist at this hour for His mercy to overflow, even it is not possible, pause a moment and focus on Him and offer up all the sufferings to the Lord and make this moment Holy.

Divine mercy Novena starts from Good friday till Divine Mercy sunday and praying with different intentions. I got so inspired from divine mercy for mom's, mothers who are spreading the  devotion to Divine mercy is amazing. So thought to spread the devotion by giving prayer cards later on sometime.

Be merciful as the heavenly father is merciful.Let us try and practice  ABC of Mercy:

Ask for mercy

Be merciful to others.

Complete trust in Him.

The Lord promised to St Faustina that souls who venerate or honour image will never perish {48}.
So on the Feast day,why not post the image of Divine Mercy on front door /  window or Social media  whatever possible ways you can.There are some prayer cards available to download .

                 
                               Our window decoration with Divine Mercy image displayed

                                        JESUS I TRUST IN YOU

Maundy Thursday

As we are entering into triduum, one of the beautiful liturgical days in the year. Today is Maundy Thursday, comes from word Mandatum, means an order or command. 'Love one another as I have loved you'.

Holy Thursday remembers the day Our Lord ate with His disciples. These days of Tenebrae which begins three days before Easter. Tenebrae means shadow, shadowy liturgies before the bigger liturgies which includes scriptures, meditation, and music. This is part of the ancient western tradition which recalls the closing hours of passion and death of Our Lord.

Since there is no public worship, why not light candles and slowly extinguish the candles along with each readings, ambience is the shadow surrounds the light as we enter into the passion of the Lord these days end with a strepitus, a loud voice .

Other things we can recreate at home is washing the feet of the children, Passover meal with bread or water/ roast lamb and pita bread/ INRI appam, or whatever traditional ways you follow and watching with our Lord and Tenebrae.

Maundy money is an old custom where queen give out specially minted money to many men and women in her age. It might be nice for children to receive some polished coin in a decorative envelope, with child's name on it for supper and the money will look different as it is cleaned and feels very special (from the book of Feast and Season).

                                        HAVE A BLESSED TRIDUUM