Special EWTN Programming

Don't miss the
SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI BENEDICTION AND PROCESSION FROM HANCEVILLE (LIVE)
on EWTN, 6:00PM Eastern Time.
I'm definitely going to watch!

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at Sunday Snippets.
Thanks once again to RAnn for hosting!


Semper Gaudete!: Special EWTN Programming

Semper Gaudete!: I Love Sunday: 1: Saturday Evening

Semper Gaudete!: I Love Sunday: 2: Prayer Schedule

Semper Gaudete!: I Love Sunday: 3: Reading

Semper Gaudete!: I Love Sunday: 4: Secular Amusements

Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Past Week

I Love Sunday: 4: Secular Amusements

I spend less time on secular amusements on Sunday (because I spend more time praying), but I do not go without them altogether. However, on Sunday, my secular amusements are more likely to be passive than active. An old comedy on TV, for instance.
Even the games I play regularly are played differently on Sunday. For example, before Sunday,
I plant crops on FarmVille which won't be ready to harvest until Monday, at the earliest. That way, I have very little to do on FarmVille on Sunday, except tend to my beehive. I do have some short-term crops on my English farm, but that farm is on pause while I'm on my home farm.
During the week, I play SolSuite on the computer (off-line), but on Sunday, it's MahJong Suite.
To me, just playing a different game on Sunday is another enhancement.

I Love Sunday: 3: Reading

On Sundays, I read only Catholic books from Catholic publishers.
This is not a restriction, but rather an enhancement of my Sunday observance. The books can be fiction or non-fiction, physical books or books read online. However, they are not to be too scholarly, and a book that I read on Sunday must be one that I would enjoy reading on Monday.
After all, the idea is to enhance my Sunday observance, not to make it dull.
Of course, there are certain books I read every day, Sundays included. For example: The Bible, "My Imitation of Christ", and Karen Edmisten's lovely book, "Through The Year With Mary: 365 Reflections".
I have found that I look forward to that weekly change of pace in my reading. I have also found that I enjoy the weekday books all the more for having put them aside for 24 hours.

Books Read in the Past Week

"How To Converse Continually and
Familiarly With God"
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
[spirituality, Catholic]


"Pollyanna's Jewels"
"Pollyanna's Debt of Honor"
by Harriet Lummis Smith
(fiction)


"All-Of-A-Kind Family"
"All-Of-A-Kind Family Downtown"
"More All-Of-A-Kind Family"
by Sydney Taylor
(children's fiction)

I Love Sunday: 2: Prayer Schedule

My Sunday prayer schedule is very different from my weekday prayer schedule; I give more time to prayer on Sunday.
During the week, I pray just ONE of the Daytime Hours; on Sunday I pray all three.
On weekdays, I pray one set of Rosary meditations, the ones recommended for that day. On
Sunday, I pray all four sets; the Joyful Mysteries in the early morning, the Luminous in the mid-morning or early afternoon, the Sorrowful in the late afternoon, and the Glorious in the evening.
During the week, I pray the Chaplet of Mercy on my own; on Sundays, it's the Chaplet of Mercy in Song on EWTN.
I always watch Benediction and Devotions at 6:00 PM on EWTN. And then comes Evening Prayer II, after which I say, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who makes a difference between the Sabbath and the weekdays, between light (turning off the candle) and darkness."
And then I change into my weekday clothes, remove the tablecloths, and put the books back.

I Love Sunday: 1: Saturday Evening

Sunday is always special, a day where we give more time to God, Who has given all time to us. So how do I celebrate Sunday? (Remember, I am not often able to get to Mass.)
First of all, I prepare on Saturday by making my house especially clean, and doing a laundry. The books that are on the two end-tables next to the TV are removed, and freshly-laundered tablecloths
are placed there instead. Oh, how I love the smell of freshly-laundered tablecloths!
My Sunday observance begins on Saturday evening, right before Evening Prayer 1. I change into a skirt and a nice top, put on my prayer veil (white for Sunday), light a candle (electric, for safety reasons) and pray, "Blessed are You, Lord Our God, King of the universe, Who has commanded us to keep holy the Sabbath day." (This is adapted from the Jewish way of ushering in the Sabbath; however, Jewish Sabbath candles burn down in a few hours; my candle stays lit.)
Then comes Evening Prayer.
I usually watch Mother Angelica Live Classics on EWTN at 7:00 PM, followed by EWTN Cinema at 8:00.
While watching the movie, I eat a leisurely supper in front of the TV.
I even dress for bed differently; six nights a week I wear pajamas, but on Saturday night,
I put on a nightgown instead.
Little things make such a difference.