Holy week thoughts

Once again, it's holy week. Christians are preparing to remember the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior. This week I'm trying to focus my thoughts on the upcoming events, and I've found something new to ponder this holy week. My thoughts are scattered, though, so what better place to try and sort them out than on a public blog? ;-)

Something I read challenged my thoughts on the "incidentals" of Easter, which in turn has made me think of other holy days and holidays as well. Now I'd like to think I am a person who has thought out all aspects of my life, especially my belief system- and I really think I have. The wonderful thing is that not everything in our lives are a moral decision- what should we have for a snack, how should I get to the grocery store, where should we travel for vacation? There are some decisions that I believe *are* moral decisions, like how should we raise our children regarding the faith, the usage of artificial birth control, how should we care for the dying and unborn, etc. But God has given us free will to make our own decisions, we can only hope and pray that we follow the path he has set out for us- the path that will lead us to eternal life in heaven!

Regarding holidays though, I've been pondering the usage of silly things like Easter eggs, bunny rabbits, chocolate, and whatever else that seems "secular" about the holiday. There are many things in a Christian's life that have its roots in a pagan or secular tradition, but as Christians we have taken hold of those pagan roots and given them new life. Not unlike the way we are born with original sin, but are given new life and made Christian through the sacrament of Baptism! What I've concluded is that in raising our children, we will bring them up knowing the truth behind Christmas trees, Easter eggs, All Soul's Day, and the many other things that have roots in paganism. (Heck, even the birthday cake was used as an offering to the moon goddess!) But what they will hopefully learn from us is that, while there are many things in this world that does not lead to Christ, these things can help us come to Christ if we give them Christian meaning.

Now I'm still not positive what I want to do about Santa! Part of me thinks the idea of Santa is completely silly, but I don't want to rob my children of a childhood either. ;-) Again, keeping our focus on the Christian seasons and on the practices that bring us to Him will be our goal in our family.

So how does this all relate to holy week? In contemplating the idea of making unholy things holy, I've thought about all of the things in my life that are unholy. Maybe not even unholy, but just lacking holiness, does that make sense? In the mundane-ness of washing dishes, can I use that to bring me to Christ? In playing with my daughter, does my attitude reflect Christ? In my pains of pregnancy, how does that help me focus on Him? I think it is possible to make everything about my life holy, to maintain constant prayer, and to always remember my goal as a wife and mother is to bring my family to Christ- whether it's through sacrificing my comforts, doing extra work with love, or offering up my discomforts for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. This will be my focus this holy week, these few days before Christ died for my sins.

How can I turn the unholy to holy? Through Christ.