Meditations on Pregnancy

Since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on what this means spiritually. And especially since I’ve started feeling the baby move, a lot of questions and answers come up, with an opportunity both to learn and to teach.

February 3: St. Blaise

St. Blaise Candles

There aren't a lot of saints that get an "extra" ceremony, but St. Blaise is one of the few. His feast day is celebrated the day after Candlemas, or February 3. St. Blaise is the patron saint of throats, and his name is invoked not only for serious diseases like throat cancer, but also the little things like a sore throat. He is also my godson's patron saint (middle name), so I always especially remember him today.

On the feast of St. Blaise, two candles are blessed, tied with a red ribbon to remember his martyrdom, and these candles are held against the throats of the faithful with a blessing said to protect them against any throat disease.

The Story of the Presentation

Presentation of Our Lord by Fra Angelico

Candlemas is my favorite Christmastide feast day. I love the procession, the music, the prayers, the end of one season and the beginning of the next. The story is equally edifying.

February 2: Candlemas

With February 2, the Church celebrates the end of the Christmas season. In the Jewish tradition, women were considered "unclean" after childbirth, and 40 days after giving birth to a son (80 days for a daughter), the family traveled to Jerusalem to undergo the purification ceremony. The Jews also offered their first-born son to God 40 days after his birth, and then "bought" him back with either a pure white lamb, or 2 turtle doves for those who were poor. In accordance with tradition, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem; even though Our Lady did not need to be purified because of her Immaculate Conception and the miraculous birth of Our Lord, and even though Our Lord, being God himself, did not need to be offered or re-bought.

Major Blog Changes

I have changed. A lot. And so I think that this blog needs to change. It's still about my life, but the life that has headed into a new direction. Before I go into the details, let me catch you up.

So, my fiancé and I got married on September 21, 2013. Although a lot of things happened in the  few weeks before the wedding that didn't let me get everything I wanted done, it accomplished it's job: I'm married! And that's all that really matters. I have some regrets about that day, but I'm not going to worry about the past.

My husband and I are expecting our first child on July 4 of this year. I am mostly at peace with how this pregnancy is going, and my family is so excited for this new life. My sister is ready to be a helper at home now, and she is excited to be an aunt. Everyone but my husband is praying for a girl, and we find out on February 25! I am going to bake a cake either pink or blue for my parents to cut open: I wanted to cut into a cake, but I also want to share this big moment with my hubby. Having Mom cut into it, I get to have my cake and eat it too! We are also going to send a box of balloons to my mother-in-law so that she can share in the surprise. However, we are going to keep the gender a secret from "the world" until the baby shower at the end of May.