A Lesson On Prayer

Have you ever been in the situation where life has just become so busy that it seems as if you are putting out fires every second of the day, as if you are running on autopilot, a buoy in the water bobbing up and down just trying to stay afloat with no real direction?  This is exactly how I would have described my last year.

In the fall of 2014, we were blessed with the arrival of our second son, Little Bean, followed by my husband's retirement from the military.  So it was time...the time of transitions!

As a family, we needed to find a direction with which to go.  Do we stay in AZ, far from family, and does my husband try to find a permanent job?  Or do we move back to the east coast without any job prospects to be closer to family and trust in the Lord?  It was a decision my husband and I discussed and prayed about for some time.  In the end, we decided, as my husband likes to say, to "take a leap of faith".  So we packed up all our belongs, our 4 year old, our 2 month old, our dog and ourselves and headed east.  This move also meant I had to close down the doors to my dream, my private practice.  We had no home, no jobs, and no idea where we would end up.  But if we trust in Him, God never disappoints.  Though, they may not be the things we ask for, like any good parent, God will ALWAYS give us the things we need, things that will bring us closer to Him.

We were so very blessed during those months of transition.  First we were able to stay with my family and then with my husband's family.  So shelter during a terrible winter was thankfully covered.  Check.  We celebrated Christmas and New Years with family we hadn't been able to see in many years due to military life.  Family for the holidays!  Check.  And after the New Year, after many sleepless nights with my newborn, and many, many, MANY prayers, the Lord shared His plan with us.  My husband was offered a job in Northern Virginia.  Check.  We found a nice house in a family friendly neighborhood and were officially moved in by March of 2015.  Check.  Yet, it's only been over the last month or so that I realized how many times God answered "Yes" to my prayers this past year.  You know, not just the big, life-sustaining prayers (food, shelter, water, etc.) but the "little" prayers.  The ones we think are nonessential.

I prayed for us to know where to move and to get settled.  Well the Lord made His plan for us very clear with this job opportunity for my husband.  There was no need for an agonizing decision.  THIS is where we are SUPPOSED to be!

I prayed that where ever we ended up, I hoped to find a group of strong Catholic women from which to learn and grow.  Boy did He ever deliver on this one!  I am so happy to be part of a wonderfully large homeschooling community with families both large and small (and by large community, I mean 90+ people on the email change!), whose mothers dedicate their lives to teaching their children this beautiful faith!  I've been reintroduced to the beautiful tradition of head covering and what an AMAZING blessing this has been for me during the Mass.  And I have rediscovered my love for the Eucharistic celebration and am blessed to share that love with my children on a daily basis.  So many "Yes" answers to prayers for which I didn't even know I should pray.

Finally, I prayed for something very small, very insignificant.  I have read about the wonderful groups of women who participant in saint peg doll swaps and I wanted to be part of one.  Not just to be part of a swap as I could make the dolls on my own.  No. I prayed to be part of a group of women, mothers, who understood the importance of teaching our children about the awesome saints of Mother Church.  I wanted a group of women, who were on fire for Christ. Women who understand, believe and live as if this world, this life is fleeting and simply a stop along our eternal journey.  I wanted women who get it, who get me!  And, I'm happy to report that I have found that group.  Through my church I have become part of a beautiful mom's group called the St. Anne Society, where we meet bimonthly to discuss all things in which a Catholic wife and mother would find interest.  As if that was't amazing enough, randomly a few weeks ago, I was asked to participate in a saints peg doll swap with some women from my church (click on the link to see how the swap went)!  Can you believe it?  All these "Yes's" from God?!

My Life Lesson:
So what have I learned through this year of transition?  Through taking our "leap of faith" and leaving it all up to God?  Well I guess I've learned a few things.  One, the old adage, "The Lord will provide", is so very true. Two, when the Lord provides, He does so with gifts even greater than our imaginations can dream.  And thirdly, maybe the most important lesson of all, I discovered that our Lord  will answer "YES" to all prayers He knows will bring us closer to Him!  This has COMPLETELY changed my prayer life.  Now before I ever pray for anything, I ask myself "Will this bring me closer to God?", "Will this build my relationship with Jesus Christ? The Holy Spirit? His mother? The saints?".  If the answer is "yes" then I not only make that prayer request, I make it boldly and confidently as I know our good Father in Heaven will say "yes".

Yet, what if the prayer request may not bring myself or another closer to Christ?  We find this conundrum in cases of illnesses and disease, among other things.  Will the removal of my suffering or the suffering of another, bring either of us closer to Christ?  Rather, can this suffering be more effectively used as an offering for reparation of sins or as a purgation of one's soul?  And, if so, do I have the right to pray for it to cease?  It is in these times, these cases I can pray for only one thing that the Lord's will be done and that all involved can accept that will and use it to grow closer to Him.  Now this prayer, I KNOW will be answered with a resounding "yes, Yes, YES!" from Heaven!

So I guess, the lessons I've learned over the last year have taught me to be more thoughtful in my prayer requests and to always keep a soul's salvation in mind above all things.  Yes, I'm cautious when it comes to prayer, but I am confident and I know-I don't just trust-I believe, I have faith, I KNOW that our prayers will be answered "Yes" when we pray to become closer to our Lord.

May all of our prayers be focused on creating relationship with Christ especially during this upcoming Advent season!

Blessings to you and yours,

Dealing with the Distractions

Do you ever just feel like what is the point?  What is the point of all of this "stuff" in the world?  What is the point of joining this "rat race"?  Why deal with all this stuff...television, movies, radio or podcasts, facebook pages and blog posts?  Do you ever just look around in life and notice it's filled with "Distraction. Distraction. Distraction." one right after the other?  Sometimes all I hear in my life is noise, noise, noise.  With all this noise and distraction in life, how in the world am I supposed to know where the Lord is calling me?  How am I supposed to "hear His voice"?

What does it the bible says?  Oh that's right..."Be STILL and know that I am God."
Be still...while a 5 year old is shoving his wonderfully creative uniquely self-made lego creation in my face.  Be still...as my 13 month old has crawled to my feet and is now crying while grabbing my pant leg wanting to be held.  Be still...while my 13 lb. bichon barks (all day long) at the NINE neighborhood dogs that surround our house.  Be still...while my husband calls to check in with us and see how our day is going.  Some days "being still" is quite the challenge, don't you think?

The best part about life is that I can always look to our Blessed Mother and know that as a human mama herself, she experienced days full of distractions and noise.  She knows what it's like to not have a minute to herself all day until the kids go down for bed at night.  Our Holy Mother knows what it's like to look in the mirror (or in her day, her reflection in a pool of water, I'm guessing...Ha!) and realize she doesn't recognize the person staring back at her.  She knows what it's like to reluctantly open her burning eyes far too early in the morning after a night of terrible sleep in response to hearing "Mom. Mom. Mom, you up?".  She knows that there are days I just want to sit in prayer.  She feels my desire to have time to pray and meditate on the bible.  She understands how I long to pray a rosary without children to distract me.  Our Mother knows all of this, however, she also realizes that in my state in life, sometimes this is not possible to do.

Here's the challenge for me.  It is a form of suffering to have to be brought back to focus on these "earthly" things and to not have the time I would like to spend with Our Lord and Our Lady in silence and without distraction.  I could spend time thinking about all the things I wish I could do, or all the things I don't "get" to do because of my "state in life".  I could spend time focusing on all the things I would like to be able to do yet cannot, but what would be the use in that?  That only results in a pity party for me and no one wants to come to a party of one, do they?  I'd much rather spend my time, wisely.  Through Our Lady's wisdom, I know I can offer up this "suffering", the distractions, the noise, the headaches, the frustrations, the lack of focus during the Eucharistic prayer due to having children (the classic cry of the church-going Catholic parent)...all of it.  I can offer it all up to and place it at Our Mother's feet.  Then she can take these gifts of love and sacrifice, package them beautifully and present them to her Son for me.  What better way to send a gift to my Lord than through His beloved mother?  So this is what I now do.

Nothing is wasted.  Distractions are blessings.  Noise is welcomed.  Headaches...well headaches are still responded to with a bit of ibprophen and dim lights, but even these are offered up.  All have become part of my daily prayers.  And how grateful I have become for my children, who are the makers of all distraction and noise in this universe, or at least in my universe.  Without them, my prayers would be dull, sterile, and bland.  But because of them, because of my lovable little boys, my prayers, although not deep or earth shattering, are full of the joy, perseverance, patience, and compassion.  Because of my boys, I am learning how to make my life into a prayer!

Praying for wonderful distractions in your lives as well!

Blessings to you and yours,

Homeschooling: Art Appreciation!

If you are like me, then you know NOTHING about art or art appreciation. This can be a problem when you want to present a well rounded curriculum for your homeschool child(ren). Luckily for me, I came across, or rather was divinely guided to, this beautiful new book by titled, Jesus Christ & The Virgin Mary in Art.  This book has everything a beginner might need to introduce some artistic concepts to your child(ren) while focusing on appreciating beautiful religious masterpieces of the past.

So, why do I love this book so much? Well partly because it is perfect for a beginner such as myself, and partly because it is a book that teaches one how to pray using religious art as inspiration!

What specifically do I love about this book?  Well here's my top 5 list:

1.  The Variety of Artists:  This book presents works from 36 artist of varying notoriety.  Both well known and lesser known (to those of us who have no art background at least) artists of various periods in history are included in this large compilation resulting in a large accumulation of various types and styles of art to observe, learn from and appreciate. 

2.  The Low Down on the Artists:  This book is divided into chapters by artist and each chapter provides an introduction to the artist, a little bit about their background and the basics of what we would need to know to appreciate their art. This includes the style of art they use, the period in which they created their masterpieces, the use of colors or various shapes for which each artist was known, etc.  I like that this information is fairly short and sweet (typically only a page or two) and it leaves one feeling as if they understand what they should be making note of when looking at each artist's work.

3.  The Art:  You can get a sense of the beauty of this book by looking at the above picture. There are 280 oil paintings included in this anthology!  You can easily get lost in some of these remarkable works of art and being that it is in one book, you can always return to a favorite any time you wish.

4.  The Scriptural Connection:  Below each masterpiece is a scriptural reference you can read and on which you can meditate if you so choose.  It's a beautiful way to make the pages of the bible come to life right in front of your eyes!  Below each scripture verse, there is a written prayer for you to pray if you wish.  I love this way of using art to pray!  I've never done this before so to me this is all new and quite beautiful.  I find myself creating my own personal prayers after meditating on a piece of artwork, something that was WAY out of my comfort zone, prior to using this book!

5.  The Glossary:  Oh for the art novice, the glossary in this book is a life-saver!  It provides one with the basic definitions for some well used and some unknown art terminology which aids in one's understanding of information presented in the information portions of this book.

How do I use this book while homeschooling?

I use this book with my son in a very simple way. First I explain the very basics of what makes the artist we are targeting, famous. I share a few points explained in the introduction about the artist's work and what we will be looking for in each of the artists' paintings. Then we spend some time just looking at one painting. We talk about it, the shapes, lines and colors we see, as well as the  emotions we feel when looking at each painting.  We talk about the characters we see in the paintings and their possible feelings at those moments as well.  I read the scripture verse followed by the prayer. Then I give us some time for our own thoughts and meditation on the picture. Usually only a minute or two, because a five year old boy can only "meditate" so long. Then we share our own spontaneous prayers this painting has inspired in us. It's very basic, but I feel it's a great way to introduce the concept of art appreciation and how it can inspire our own prayer. 

I cannot express enough how much I LOVE using this book as a simple, fun and prayerful way to introduce art appreciation for some of the most beautiful religious art that we have available at our fingertips and for such a reasonable price.  I know it will take us a long time to get through all 280 paintings available to us in this book and I definitely feel that I received my money's worth based on what I can share and what we can do to create such a powerful prayerful experience in our homeschool.

If you are interested you can find it at this website or on Facebook.

Blessings to you and yours, 

Remembering Our Lady of Sorrows!

One thing I love about homeschooling is that I can focus our learning around feast days of our church!  Well September is a wonderful month to celebrate our Blessed Mother as her birthday and Our Lady of Sorrow's feast day occurs.

This September my son and I spent some time learning about Our Lady of Sorrows to honor our Blessed Mother on her feast day of September 15th!

This year was the first year I introduced my five year old to Our Lady of Sorrows for the first time.  As we have learned about our Lord's sacrifice over this past Lenten and Easter season, I felt my son was ready to begin understanding how our Blessed Mother had also suffered with her son!

I simply introduced my son to Mary's seven sorrows.  We talked about each one and then we made a heart shaped brownie and, using toothpicks and paper, we "pierced" the heart with our Lady's seven sorrows.

If you would like a copy of these swords with Mary's Seven Sorrows on them you can grab them here for free!

Remember there is a beautiful devotion to Mary's Seven Sorrows.  This link provides you with a beautiful prayer you can say with your family to honor our Blessed Mother every September!

Blessings to you and yours,

Getting Your Kids to Say the Rosary!

Padre Pio said "The rosary is the weapon for these times".  I believe this is true.  Not only do I want my children to grow up loving our Blessed Mother but I want them to be prepared to face the evils of this world.  And there are very real evils out there. 

Saint Paul reminds us in Ephesians that the real danger comes not from this world when he says: "Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.  Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.  For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens." (Eph 6:10-13)

 Therefore, I want my children to learn how they can put on their armor and I can do this by teaching them the rosary.  In order to do this, I needed to answer this one very important question "How can I get my child to say the rosary?".  Here are a few ideas that have worked for us:

1.) The Lacing Rosary

If you have children like my Pickle than you are probably trying to figure out how to teach the rosary while keeping your child's attention.  So I looked on the internet for some resources and found this super cute lacing rosary from Catholic Inspired (it's awesome!).  But who ever said I had to use it just for lacing?  Here are few different ways we have used this rosary.

We've used pom poms to count the "Hail Mary" beads!

We've also used paperclips as counters!  Check out the finished product.  Looks pretty good.

I've even put these rosary papers inside a sheet protector and let Pickle use dry erase markers to color in each bead as he says it.

2.) The Paper Bag Rosary Booklet

But we couldn't just stick to one type of rosary as it could get pretty boring after a while.  So the second rosary idea I saw on the net came from Catholic Icing's paper bag rosary booklets.  I simply adapted it to fit Pickle's preferences and style. 

After grabbing some brown paper bags and stapling them together, I found a few sheets of card stock (the only colors I had left were pink and off white) that I used for the mysteries insert.

For each mystery picture I printed out an extra copy of the Catholic Inspired's lacing rosary (the 4 in 1) and cut out the pictures and glued them to the card stock. 

I know my son, and I know he needs to do something to mark off each "Hail Mary" he says or he struggles to pay attention.  In addition, I notice if he isn't counting the beads he tends to think each decade is longer than they actually are and becomes discouraged.  I then placed a simple strip of boxes next to each picture to represent the 10 "Hail Mary" beads of each decade.  I covered the card stock with contact paper so we could use dry erase markers and reuse the page as often as we would like.  

I didn't make a box or marker for the "Our Father", "Glory Be" or the "Oh My Jesus" prayers but if I had a chance to do it over again, I certainly would because he wants to mark something for every prayer.  Our current compromise is that he underlines the mystery picture to signify the recitation of the "Our Father" but does not currently mark the "Glory be" or "Oh My Jesus" prayers in anyway.

I quickly printed out copies of the other prayers and glued into the booklet so as Pickle gets older he can refer to them at any time.

3.)  The "Jumping Rosary"

Some days Pickle is constantly moving so I needed a way he could get the sensory input he needed while still praying to our Blessed Lady.  So we made the "Jumping Rosary".  The "Jumping Rosary" can be executed a few different ways:

1.) Place large pieces of paper on the floor numbered 1-10 and have your child jump in order up to 10 marking each "Hail Mary" as it is being said.  Return to start and begin again for next decade.

Or

2.)  Place large pictures representing each mystery of the rosary around your house/yard.  Put adequate space between each picture and have your child jump only when saying "Hail Mary", so that your child reaches the picture representation of the mystery by the 10th "Hail Mary".

4.)  Praying in Public

Nature Walks

Praying in public is a very easy way to incorporate movement while praying which helps to keep Pickle engaged for the entire rosary.  Pickle and I pray often while taking walks in our neighborhood or on nature trails with Little Bean in the stroller.  It's a nice way to get some fresh air and enjoy God's beautiful creation while praying to our Holy Mother.  

Shrines and Statues

Another thing Pickle really enjoys is to pray outside in front of statues of Mary.  We have a grotto at our church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Pickle asks to go visit "Mary" there and we have said several family rosaries there after mass or confession on beautiful days.  We have also said rosaries in front of statues at local shrines as well.  My best tip when making trips to shrines with little ones is to be sure to pack enough food and drink for the trip.  As long as Pickle is well fed and not thirsty, he very much enjoys visiting shrines and praying in public.

What's the best part about praying the rosary in public?  It is possible to receive a plenary indulgence doing so.  So, "do not be afraid" my friends.  Just stay calm and pray the rosary! ;)

   

So what is the BEST way to get my child/children to pray the rosary?  My best advice would be to think about what your child/children enjoy or do best and use those strengths or interests to your advantage.  You can still teach your child the reverence of prayer, just without all the power struggles.  Work smarter, not harder.  At least that's what "they" say!

Do you have any interesting ideas or ways you pray the rosary with your children?  Please share your great ideas below.

Blessings to you and yours,

Mary's Flame of Love and the Ave Maria!

In Elizabeth Kindlemann's spiritual diaries, our Blessed Mother reveals how she would like us to pray the "Ave Maria" (a.k.a. the "Hail Mary")..

Our Holy Mother would like us to honor the Flame of Love when saying the "Hail Mary" by saying it in the following way:

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

Blessed are you among women,

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us, sinners, 

Spread the effect of grace of thy flame of love,

over all humanity, now and at the hour of our death.  

Amen."

From what I am understanding reading this information on the official Flame of Love Movement website, we are to say the "Hail Mary" like this even when reciting our rosaries from this point on.  When we do recite the Ave Maria in this manner, we will be able to deliver souls from Purgatory by our prayer.  In fact, the Holy Virgin promised Elizabeth Kindlemann the following:  

“Whoever prays three Hail Mary in honor of My Flame of Love delivers a soul from Purgatory. Whoever prays one Hail Mary in honor of My Flame of Love during the month of November, delivers 10 souls from Purgatory.”

Our Blessed Mother goes on to promise that those souls who will be delivered from Purgatory by our prayers will help us in saving souls from heaven.

These are AMAZING promises simply by changing the way we say one prayer!!!! 

I have to admit it is a bit difficult at first to change the way I have said the "Hail Mary" since I was little, but it helps to say it over and over again when reciting the rosary to get the repetition and it begins to come more smoothly over time.

Please join me in honoring our Blessed Mother's grace of the Flame of Love and saving souls by saying this version of the "Hail Mary".

Blessings to you and yours,

Chaplet of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

This chaplet is associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary's Flame of Love movement inspired by Elizabethe Kindlemann's spiritual diaries.  If you missed my review of the Flame of Love you can check it out here.  Read more about the Flame of Love Movement here and check out the official site of the Flame of Love here.


This chaplet is to be said on the regular rosary beads.

Begin by blessing yourself 5 times meditating on the 5 wounds of Christ (the nails in each hand, the nails in each foot and the lance pushed into His side).

One the larger/"Our Father beads say:  "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us who seek refuge in you."

On the smaller/"Hail Mary" beads say:  "Holy Mother, save us through your Immaculate Heart's flame of love."

End by: repeating the "Glory Be" three times.

I have begun saying this chaplet daily and it is a truly beautiful meditation.  Try it and see!

Blessings to you and yours,

Book Review: Praying for Vocations

Praying for Vocations: A Meditated Rosary for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life, written by Monsignor Peter Dunne and Vicki Herout, is a book offered for FREE (plus S&H) booklet from Maria Regina Cleri, a Catholic apostolate whose purpose is to pray for the priesthood and consecrated lives. The booklet offers a prayer for vocations and meditation for each mystery of the rosary (including the Luminous mysteries). At the beginning of each decade a scripture passage is presented followed by a prayer for those considering and in various stages of answering the call to holy orders.  This pocket size booklet is easily transportable as well.

  

I enjoyed praying this rosary and the meditative prayers often bring up thoughts about the discerment and holy orders process I never would have thought to pray for of my own volition.  In a time where vocations are in desperate need, this booklet can be a wonderful asset to all Catholics.

Click on the link above to order your copy for free also.

I give it: 4 "Chaotic" stars!

  

Catholic Tidbit: Divine Mercy Chaplet at the Moment of Death

Did you know there is something you can do for your loved ones at the hour of their death to incite the Lord's mercy for them?  Yep, that's right!

Through her visions of Jesus, Sr. Faustina Kowlaska experienced, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy was given to our world.  It is a beautiful prayer, one that can be prayed daily, and numerous times a day.  It can be prayed for both the living and the dead.  Maybe even more importanly, it can be prayered for those who are at death's door.

In her diary, Sr. Faustina recalls Jesus' words: "My daughter, encourage souls to say  the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. ... Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior" (Diary, 1541).

Jesus also promised:  "At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same" (Diary, 811).  It is important to note that one does NOT have to be in the physical presence of the dying person for this indulgence to take place.

So you see the power you have to incite mercy for your loved ones (and yourself) at the moment of death?  In fact Jesus employs us to offer our chaplets up for sinners and for the dying by saying:  "Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties [that is, insistent prayers] obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul" (Diary, 1777).

All quotes in this blog post are reposted from here.

Blessings to you and yours,

Catholic Tidbit: Last Rites and the Apostolic Pardon

Did you know there is a way you or a loved one can receive a remission of the temporal punishment of their sins at the time of death? What incomprehensible mercy the Lord has for us! I think this just illustrates how our God loves us infinitely and does not want to lose any of us to hell.  Let's check out this beautiful gift of mercy!

Well, like so many things in our AMAZING religion, this practice has unfortunately gone by the wayside.  In fact, some priests are not familiar with this blessing at all. So here's what you need to know:

1.  Last Rites and the Anointing of the Sick are NOT the same thing!  In fact, the Anointing of the Sick is only PART of the Last Rites sacrament.

2.  Another very important part of this sacrament is the "Apostolic Pardon" and, if given, is typically done so after absolution of one's final penance/reconciliation.  The apostolic pardon is a blessing (which can only be recieved if one is in a state of grace), that forgives the temporal punishmment due to sins but NOT the sins themselves which is why you need penance also.   The Apostolic Pardon (also known as the Apostolic Blessing or Apostolic Benediction) can be given by a priest during Last Rites at the time of death. BE SURE TO ASK FOR IT (or have a trusted family member ask for it at your bedside, some people have even put this specifically in their living wills, etc.) as not all priests know about it or maybe feel it is needed.  If you want it, ASK!!!!!

3.  Even if a priest is not available at the time of death, this gift of mercy is STILL available to the faithful, to those who "prayed regularly in some way during their lifetime"!  But you must remember to desire this pardon as death approaches.  Ask the Lord in your heart for this blessing and all the graces that come with it.

4.  Remember also that if a priest does not make it time for Last Rites, we have a few wonderful gifts at our disposal:  holy water (which washes away any venial sins), and the "perfect confession" (our personal confession to God followed by the saying of the Act of the Contrition).  Please understand that the "perfect confession" does NOT take the place of receiving the sacrament of penance but still can and should be used daily as well as when death approaches if no priest is available.

Note: We also have the Chaplet of Mercy, which I will discuss it's benefits recited at the time of death in another blog post.

What exactly does the Church say on this matter?  Well in the Handbook of Indulgences #28 it states:

 “Priests who minister the sacraments to the Christian faithful who are in a life-and-death situation should not neglect to impart to them the apostolic blessing, with its attached indulgence. But if a priest cannot be present, holy mother Church lovingly grants such persons who are rightly disposed a plenary indulgence to be obtained in articulo mortis, at the approach of death, provided they regularly prayed in some way during their lifetime. The use of a crucifix or a cross is recommended in obtaining this plenary indulgence. In such a situation the three usual conditions required in order to gain a plenary indulgence are substituted for by the condition ‘provided they regularly prayed in some way'." (Reposted from here)

Ok, so what exactly does this blessing say?  Well below is a copy of the two possible versions of this blessing a priest can say for you at the time of your death.  I made them wallet-size so you can laminate them and carry in your wallet in case of any emergency.  Print out the full page of copies and share with your friends and family!!!  I added my website address on each card so if you run out you can refer others to this site to get their own copy.

This is such a WONDERFUL GRACE from our Lord!  Let us share this information on our facebook pages, twitter, instagram, google+ and any other social media format you use.  Let's help to save souls today!!!!

Blessings to you and yours,

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Needing to Kneel!

Although we have been praying with our children since birth, we tend to say most of our prayers sitting down.  I recall when I was growing up the number of times, my dad made us kneel to say our rosary and how often as a young child I would fall asleep in that famous child position (on all fours with my bottom in the air...you know the one).  So I never really pushed the "kneeling thing" with my own children.  But I finally came to the conclusion that kneeling in prayer is actually a skill that needs to be learned.  And it's one of which I have come to forget the real significance.

Sometimes life really hits us with the unexpected.  Sometimes it beats us up and sometimes we just let it.  Sometimes life smacks us hard in the face and we have no way to respond but to get down on our knees and pray.

I have to admit that before this Lent, only in mass had I been kneeling in prayer.  I find myself kneeling and crawling on the floor while playing with my children and I cannot get on my knees for our Lord, the man who carried my sins, whose heart continues to be pierced by my transgressions, the man who had to see His mother's eyes filled with excruciating pain at the foot of the cross whilst He could hardly take a breath?  Well, when I put it like that...

How quickly I seem to forget His sacrifice in my daily life!  How far removed I feel from His passion in the midst of diaper changes, meal preparations, house cleaning and laundry!  I recall the difficulty I had trying to live in the presence of Christ after a life-changing weekend retreat while continuing my daily life in college.  I remember my frustration and the great crash!  The let down on "the fourth day"!  Maybe that's just the struggle in life!  Maybe it means my life has too many distractions.  Maybe it means I need to pray more simple little prayers throughout my day.  Maybe I need more time reading the bible in the evenings.  Maybe...just maybe I need to get down on my knees.  Just a few thoughts today.

Blessings to you and yours,

Catholic Tidbit: Remembering Forgotten Souls

Other than knowing this is "a state of purification", purgatory is something I feel I know or understand very little about.  However I did learn a few new tidbits about it recently that I'd like to share.

I was listening to a tv show one day about purgatory and two things said there stuck with me.  One, once there we cannot pray ourselves OUT of purgatory.  Meaning our time on earth is the only time we have to make choices and decisions, receive indulgences, and pray for ourselves and others that will directly affect our time in purgatory (for the better or worse). Two, there are so many souls in purgatory and many of which are forgotten or abandoned, as they are not prayed for because many do not believe in purgatory.  Then it hit me, “How LONG must it take to get out of purgatory once you are there if you have NO ONE praying for you?!”.  Did you also know that we receive special graces when we help pray for those in purgatory?  Although, souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves they can and will pray for us out of gratitude for our prayers for them.  If we pray for someone that is no longer in purgatory but has entered the kingdom of God we also receive a special grace!  AMAZING, right?!  For these reasons we, crazy Catholics, have an ENTIRE MONTH where we celebrate and remember those souls who have passed from this world.  November is the time to celebrate the saints and remember the souls.

I know, I know, you are saying...."But Maria, it's March so, what does this have to do with anything?".  Well I think, especially because it isn't November, the time when most Catholics are at least thinking of their dearly departed, it's a GREAT time to remember that we need to keep all souls in purgatory in our daily prayers.

 

So let us pray right now for all those souls who are forgotten or abandoned waiting in purgatory, whose souls are burning with the desire to see the face of the Lord.  Let us pray that ALL souls in purgatory, especially these forgotten and abandoned souls, be reunited with our Lord in heaven to sit among the angels and saints and to praise and glorify our Lord forever and ever. Let us say the prayer revealed to St. Gertrude the Great by the Lord who promised that 1000 souls would be released from purgatory every time the prayer below is said sincerely:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

Thank you for praying with me.  If you haven't chosen something to do for Lent to prepare yourself for the Easter season, may I suggest adding this simple prayer to your list?  What a quick and easy way to save 1000 souls each time you pray!

Also if you have any specific prayer requests feel free to head on over to our Prayer Requests page at the top of this blog on add your request there.  Share as little or as much information as you'd like and we will add your intentions to our prayer lists!

Blessings to You and Yours,