Welcome back to the Catholic Kitchen! In this episode, we will be baking up some nice homemade cornbread and discussing the month of October in the seasonality of our lives as Catholics.
Growing up, the month of October (and May) meant at least one Sunday trip every year to the hill at Monte Cassino near St. Meinrad in order to pray the rosary in procession with others from nearby cities and towns. I remember my grandmother telling me stories of when she would make the journey as a child with her family, and now our children have made the journey with my wife and me. If families are looking for something to do that is outside of the normal dinner and a movie, this is a great choice and one I would recommend to all Catholic families, especially those who are newly married and forming what will become household traditions. Pick up dinner on the way back and you have created a family memory.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is Oct. 7. The rosary is a critical form of prayer (one of those Catholic ‘hinge’ prayers) in the life of every Christian because it invites us into prayerful reflection of the lives of Jesus and our mother, Mary.
October is also set aside as “Respect Life” month. This is a time to highlight and be mindful of the need to protect all life from Conception to Natural Death. This might be where people’s eyes start to glaze because we have all heard these talking points before. So, let me offer it in a different way.
What does ensuring a Culture of Life look like? As Catholics, we are called apart to work tirelessly for an end to abortion; to lift up those of us who are disabled and without resources; to ensure that our youth grow strong in their Catholic faith; to strive for the abolishment of capital punishment and pray for God’s mercy on those ‘most in need of Thy mercy’ and to stand against the continual attempts to legalize physician-assisted suicide in our state. Is this a finite list of our tasks at hand? Nope. Is it time to redouble our efforts? Yep. Please make no mistake. If we stand idle, we will lose this struggle.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us!
October Prayer Suggestions: If you are not familiar with the rosary, take this October to make it a part of your prayer life; set a time to pray the rosary as a family or married couple; make a pilgrimage to Monte Casino once during October (Sundays at 2 p.m. CDT); attend the Respect Life Celebration on Oct. 17 (register online, email me or call me); and pray for our young people, our marriages and our families in the Diocese of Evansville.
The Catholic Kitchen Recipe for the month: Fran’s Cornbread
Mix together 1c Yellow Cornmeal, 1c Flour, ¼c Sugar, 4tsp Baking Powder, ½tsp Salt. Then mix in 1c Milk, 1 Egg, 1/3c Vegetable Oil or Butter. Bake at 425 Degrees for 20-25 minutes.