We all know that Mass is an obligation. Attending Mass is one of the Precepts of the Catholic Church. Living the Eucharist takes us beyond simple obligation. When we consider how we LIVE the Eucharist, we attend Mass not out of obligation but out of a great need or desire to be in communion with God. We go, because we feel incomplete if we do not. We go to be nurtured, to experience forgiveness, and to be filled with joy in having this time each day or each week. We also, most importantly go as a sacrifice to God. We go to praise and thank God for all that we have and all that we are. As we approach the Eucharistic Revival, it will be beneficial to us all to focus not on the obligation but on the transformation. How is your life impacted and how can you, in turn, impact the world?

Photo by Sylvain Brison on Unsplash

Living by our Catholic virtues every day, helps us to live a Christian Lifestyle. Virtues are the opposite of venial sins and help us to make good decisions which keep us on the right path. The Catholic Virtues can be described under the following categories:

CARDINAL VIRTUES: Every human receives cardinal virtues. They help us to develop our moral character. The Cardinal Virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.

• When we practice prudence, we avoid being too impulsive
• When we practice justice, we think about and fight for the needs of others
• When we practice temperance, we do all things in moderation
• When we practice fortitude, we avoid temptation

THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES: These virtues help us to grow closer to God. The theological virtues are faith, hope and love. Faith is our acceptance of God's invitation to believe in him. Hope inspires us to keep moving forward, even in difficult times, because we understand the promise of eternal life. Love or charity, is the attitude we assume: because we love God, we cannot help but love all of God's creation.

Pick one of the Cardinal Virtues and one of the Theological Virtues. Make a family plan about how you will practice those virtues this month. Create a list of 10 intentional ways you can live the virtues out.

As you read stories together this month, try to identify the virtues that the characters display, and talk more about the examples you see! Keep a list on the fridge of all your favorite book and tv characters and their virtues!

Try this Science experiment to demonstrate how acts of Christian kindness can make a difference!

Materials:

• Small bottle of baby oil
• Glitter
• Cup (or something else you can pick up, like a plate or silverware)
• At least one other person
• Hand soap

Process:

1. Have everyone participating in the experiment rub baby oil on their hands.
2. One person sprinkle glitter onto their hands. This shimmery glitter represents the kindness that you can share with others as part of the Christian lifestyle.
3. Shake hands with everyone else. What happens to the kindness? Every time you share kindness with someone else, it rubs off and can make an impact on the world!
4. Don't worry! You aren't stuck with glitter hands; it will come off with soap and water! Think about how you can pass on kindness this week to others and live as Jesus taught us!