Mothering Sunday 2016

Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is also known as Mothering Sunday and Rose Sunday. Laetare means "rejoice" and as the name "mother" insinuates, the mood of this day is more hopeful and a reminder that Easter is almost here. It was once a custom to visit the cathedral, or Mother Church on Mothering Sunday. The vestments for this day are rose/pink not violet. The rose color is symbolic of the hope and rejoice of the day but is also in reference to the Golden Rose, an ornament made of pure gold that the popes have blessed each year on this day and is a symbol of the Risen Christ. Traditionally, I try to have everyone in our family wear something pink to Mass on this day to help set the tone for the day.

In celebration of this day, I have our usual big Sunday family dinner planned with the addition of a Simnel Cake. A Simnel Cake is pretty much a yellow cake that contains 2-8 layers and covered with almond paste icing and decorated with 11 or 12 almond paste balls. The almond paste balls symbolize Jesus's apostles but exclude Judas. If you decide to make a cake with 12 almond paste balls, the 12th is Jesus himself. Traditionally I am sure these cakes took many hours to prepare because they were prepared in a special way for children away from home to bring a gift to their mothers With the convenience of yellow cake mix I will be saving a lot of time! Sometimes I like to do things the more traditional way to fully understand the experience and make the celebration more interesting but during weeks like the one we have been having I am so thankful for the boxed mix! There are many different recipes you can find at CatholicCulture.com including traditional and ways to use the box mix :)

A fun craft would be to make your family a Golden Rose to have on display on your home altar or dinner table. You could purchase some fresh yellow roses and adorn them with gold glitter or you could purchase some craft roses from the dollar tree and spray paint them gold to reuse ever year! Today would still be a great day to make your Resurrection Garden too! There is still 3 more weeks for them to sprout before Easter.

Sundays in general are my FAVORITE day of the week! It is the day my family goes to Mass together and we try to do something fun together like hiking, going to the movies or bowling. No matter the activity we plan, we always end the day with a nice big family dinner {I really enjoy using my crockpot on Sundays to because I can throw the ingredients in before Mass and dinner is ready when we return home in the evening}! I try my best to eliminate any chores or errands that may interrupt our family time throughout the week. Sunday is my "reset" button to shake away the stresses of the previous week and it helps everyone in our household to start fresh the following week. I hope everyone enjoys their Mothering Sunday with their families and is starting their preparations for the feasts of Saint Perpetua, Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph. Palm Sunday and Holy Week are quickly approaching too!

"There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root."
--Isaiah 11:1