1. Invite a single friend over for a meal.
2. Turn off the TV, phone, and computer, and spend an hour devoted to someone you love.
3. Attend an extra Mass on a weekday this month.
4. Abstain from something you like – meat, a latte, a cold drink – on Fridays and save the money for a charity.
5. Take your rosary with you for an early morning walk.
6. Recycle more.
7. Think of a charity which is amply blessed at Christmas. Remember it with a gift mid-year.
8. Each day, say a prayer for one of the world’s trouble spots.
9. Surprise an old friend with a phone call.
10. Buy or pick a flower for someone without a “reason”.
11. Take your family to a farmer’s market if in season.
12. Stop for a moment during your busy day and enjoy an ice cream cone or other favorite treat.
13. If you hear a great homily, tell the homilist.
14. Splurge on some produce and buy enough to share with someone in need.
15. On occasion, try turning your prayer before meals into a spontaneous prayer of thanks, using your own words

Of all of summer’s pleasures, few can top that early morning trip to the farmers’ market. And nothing can top the farmers’ market for health, nutrition, freshness and taste. This year, August 7 to 13 is National Farmers’ Market Week. Let’s celebrate by counting all the great reasons to grab a reusable cloth bag and head to the market. Nutrition is high on the list. Fresh produce that makes its way from the field to the table in short order means more vitamins and minerals for your family. And of course, freshness means better taste, the tastiest produce of the year. Farmers’ markets are said to promote child health and reduce childhood obesity by increasing children’s access to affordable and convenient fruits and vegetables. And farmers’ markets increasingly support anti-hunger initiatives through donations of unsold food to feeding programs for those in need. There are also great ecological reasons to shop the farmers’ market. Today, food at the grocery averages about 1,500 miles to get from the producer to your plate. Transportation of food contributes to our carbon footprint in a huge way. Buying from the producer in your local area cuts down on transportation drastically. Moreover, these local producers play a key role in developing regional foodsheds which also benefits the environment. Here’s something else: sometimes we forget about the cycles of growth and production when we visit a supermarket in snowy February to buy an eggplant. The farmers’ market restores your connection to the natural cycles in your area. You will also be surprised by the variety of produce at the market. Maybe you’ll try a vegetable you’ve never tasted before. And the meat and eggs you purchase are produced in environments that treat animals humanely. And let’s face it: what is more energizing than walking through our local market, meeting area farmers, greeting your neighbors, maybe picking up a locally grown bouquet of flowers or a fresh muffin and feeling like you are part of a vibrant community. Farmers’ markets are as old and as American as apple pie. And the apple in that pie is locally sourced, higher in nutrition and great for small business. Make the farmers’ market a weekly summer adventure and be a steward of good food, nutrition, health and the community.

Clare of Assisi was a close friend of Saint Francis of Assisi and the foundress of the Poor Clares. She was born in Assisi in 1194 and at age 18 was so moved by the Lenten sermons of Francis that she renounced all of her possessions and entered a convent, much to the dissatisfaction of her family and friends, who tried very hard to dissuade her and bring her home. She was formed in the religious life at Benedictine monasteries and then accepted Francis’ offer of a small house for herself and her companions adjacent to the church of San Damiano in Assisi. At age 21, she was appointed by Francis to lead the community, much against her will. She would lead the community for the next forty years and would never leave the San Damiano convent. The community would eventually include her mother and two sisters. The way of life in the new community was marked by poverty and austerity, and sustained itself entirely from charitable contributions. The Poor Clares observed almost complete silence unless spoken to or in order to perform a work of charity. They went barefoot, slept on the ground and ate no meat. In later years, Clare urged her nuns to moderate their own austerities and offer Christ “reasonable service and sacrifice seasoned with the salt of prudence.” The greatest emphasis, of course, was on gospel poverty. They owned no property. Clare served the sick and washed the feet of the begging nuns. She was devoted to a life of prayer and celebration of the Eucharist. She was first up in the morning to ring the choir bell and light the candles. Clare sought to imitate Francis’ virtues and way of life so much so that she was sometimes called “another Francis.” She played a significant role in encouraging and aiding Francis, whom she saw as a spiritual father figure. She took care of him during his final illness. From the time Francis died in 1226 until her own death 27 years later, Clare suffered various illnesses and was often bedridden. All the while, she lived a simple but dedicated religious life, performing such menial tasks as sewing altar linens for local parishes. Twice when the town of Assisi was under attack, Clare prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and the armies were said to have ended their siege and fled. Clare’s nuns soon spread to other countries in Europe, including Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England. Today, they are also established in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. She passed away on August 11, 1253 and was canonized two years later. Her feast day is August 11.