books that help

i’ve already told you about the work of Gertrud Mueller Nelson.  all of my explorations in keeping the church calendar find their beginning here.  listen to this bit that perfectly describes both the glory of the Incarnation and the wider work of liturgy in our lives.

The ordinary becomes the container for the divine and safely holds what was uncontainable.  The transcendent is disclosed in what is wonderfully familiar: bread, wine, fie, ash, earth, water, oil, tears, seeds, songs, feasting and fasting, pains and joys, bodies and thoughts, regressions and transformation.

i just got Celebrating the Church Year with Young Children by Joan Halmo from interlibrary loan again this week–from the same Catholic school in South Dakota!  i haven’t had much time to re-read it, but the introduction is a rich resource.  it looks like you may be able to read it via google books.

the home specializes in providing the experience of love and in celebrating it.  spiritually, love is the one thing necessary.

finally there is Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt.  this is not a book about liturgy or the church year, but it does have quite a lot to say about creating a family culture that can support the spiritual needs of each of the members.  you can find further quotes here and here.

we don’t really need to be pushed around by the press of life; we just think we do.