Welcome to part two of our discussion on family life and how the homestead can lend itself as part of the Church as a larger whole! Join us today as we discuss everything from how the homestead is an ideal setup for practicing the corporal works of mercy, how it provides a place of refuge, and the importance of seasonality within the Church and the homestead.
How does the homestead really fit into living within the seasonality of the liturgical year? Can it even?
What about specific charisms? Can the homestead lend itself to a particular area of service within the Church better than those living off the homestead?
All interesting questions that I think touch the heart of what it means to be a homesteading family within the Church.
Due to the unique position homesteaders find themselves with the natural abundance they glean from the land, they are able to practice the corporal works of mercy, specifically feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty, in a way most other people might not be able to.
And, as ‘owners’ of the food they grow or product they produce, they have more freedom to act out of a charitable heart in giving freely of what they have to others within the Church.
But, more than that, they also have the ability to live deeply of liturgical seasonality which coincides with the natural seasons.
Time Stamps:
How the Homestead can Help the Local Church – 1:15
Food and Corporal Works of Mercy – 5:25
Freedom to offer Charity – 11:50
Homestead Products – 15:40
The Homestead as a Place of Refuge – 19:20
Importance of Cyclicity – 22:50
Spring & Easter – 25:13
Summer & Ordinary Time – 26:38
Fall & the Harvest – 28:48
Reflecting with Intentionality – 32:29
Other Posts You Might Enjoy
Family Life: The Homestead as Part of the Church: Part 1
Building and Maintaining Community: Part 1
Stewarding: The Lost Art of Tending the Garden and Maintaining the Land
Living out Your Vocation as a Christian Woman and Homemaker
This ties in so well to the reasons we named our farm ‘Simply Restored’. Not only are we restoring an abandoned farmyard, but being in the peace and stillness of the countryside restores my soul in so many ways.
Recently, we had the opportunity to share eggs with an immigrant family in our church as they navigate all of the challenges of settling in a new country. They were so grateful and I know it was a very useful for their large family!
Wow this is so interesting! I never would seen the connection if you hadn’t pointed it out. Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing!