Catholic Daughters: "Celebrating the Past, Serving in the Present, Embracing the Future.”
I want to share a quote from William Arthur Ward: "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." With that in mind, I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone of our Catholic Daughters this year. For your tireless efforts and spirit of cooperation in our ministry, the supporting prayers for those in need and most of all the Love that you show each other and our parish family both in the small ways and big ways. Please take time to be with your family this Christmas Season, enjoy this time, laugh, love, forgive, love more and express your gratitude in all the ways we must to be truly be His Catholic Daughters.
Some ideas to consider to enrich our spiritual lives:
Lectio Devina- The first part is to read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God’s word for us this day. Then Meditation (reflection where we think about the text we have chosen to understand what God wants to give us. The final two steps of lectio are (Oratio or response) to let our hearts speak to God and finally (contemplatio or rest) where we let go then rest in Word of God and his embrace. Check out the Irish Dominicans’ website www.goodnews.ie/lectio.shtml for an introduction to lectio divina.
Commit Random Acts of Prayer - Resolve to pray for at least one person each day who does not even know you or perhaps would never suspect you would pray for them. It could a famous person, or someone in a passing car, or in the grocery line. Better yet, pick someone who has been nasty to you, or cut you off in traffic
Daily examen - 1. Give thanks to God for favors received; 2. Ask for the grace to know your sins; 3. Examine how you have lived this day; 4. Ask forgiveness for any faults; 5. Resolve to amend with the grace of God. This can be done for 10 minutes at the end of each day.
Do a good deed every day, no matter how small. There was a bumper sticker a few years back that said Practice Random Acts of Kindness…I think this is something we should try to do more of.
Daily rosary -If you already pray the joyful mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays, the sorrowful mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, the glorious mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays, and the luminous mysteries on Thursdays, congratulations. If you’re head is still swimming from that last sentence, there’s no harm in starting slow.
Try a Single-decade rosary -You can pray a single decade—an Our Father and 10 Hail Marys—on a regular rosary, or you can pick up a single-decade rosary. The latter can be nice to use when walking or running—you won’t get twisted up in a full-size rosary while you potentially work on two New Year’s resolutions at once. For instructions on how to pray the rosary check out:
http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm#loaded
Or try a Chaplet. A Chaplet is also the name of a prayer form that uses rosary beads but assigns different prayers to each bead. Some are dedicated to Jesus, others to Mary, and still others to saints. These may take longer than 10 minutes but will still typically take less time than five decades of a traditional rosary. This site will give a complete list of chaplets: http://www.prayerbook.com/Chaplets/chaplets.htm.
Turn your Dial to Catholic TV and Radio. Find some Catholic programing you enjoy and make a point to tune in regularly.
Morning or Evening Prayer - The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of praise and petition that includes a hymn, psalms, a reading and response, intercessions, and silence. All told, Morning and Evening Prayer each take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. The church recommends praying it in community. That’s feasible if you’re a Nun or Monk but can be a touch more challenging for the rest of us. So you can start with Part of Morning or Evening Prayer. Try one of the canticles that are a part of every Morning, Evening, or Night Prayer. In the morning pray the Benedictus, also known as the Canticle of Zachary (Luke 1:68-79). In the evening pray the Magnificat, or the Canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55). Before bed, pray the Nunc dimittis, the Canticle of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32).
For more variety you can try one of the daily psalms. Here is a site where you can find the prayers for each day (or whatever part you choose) online at www.universalis.com it also includes helpful guidelines on how to pray the Hours.
Morning Offering -This 19th-century prayer is one way to get in the habit of starting the day with prayer. Additionally, it serves as a reminder of how to consider the events of the day, both before and as they unfold. This is the version that I use but I am sure you can find other versions online. O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass said throughout the world today for the, reparation of sins and reunion of Christians and for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. I then add my special intentions here.
Eucharistic adoration - St. Elizabeth, Good Shepard, St. John, St. Francis all offer adoration you can find these times in the bulletin or check online. “Eucharistic adoration fosters a genuine sense of conversion from over-preoccupation with one’s own will to the embrace of Christ’s will for oneself and others.”
Or; If you can’t make it to Adoration Try to Practice of the presence of God
One of the purposes of adoration is simply to spend time with God, meditating and praying in the presence of Christ in the consecrated elements. But because God is always with us, we can find the divine at all times, a good example of this was Brother Lawrence a 17th-century French monk who did just that as he worked as a cook for his Discalced Carmelite community. His sayings and letters were collected by Father Joseph de Beaufort and published after Lawrence’s death in a slim volume titled The Practice of the Presence of God.
Beaufort observed: “In the greatest hurry of business in the kitchen, [Brother Lawrence] still preserved his recollection and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hasty nor loitering. . . . ‘The time of business,’ said he, ‘does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clutter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament." With Brother Lawrence as a guide, remember to recognize and appreciate the presence of God during the regular events of your day.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The thought of absolution is appealing, but the steps to getting there—really taking stock of all those sins, then confession, contrition, and penance—feel pretty overwhelming. Where to start?
Go to confession more often. It’s a gift Jesus gave to us after his Resurrection. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 21:22).
Just prior to giving them the power to forgive sins, Jesus sent them out into the world to act in his place: “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” The only other time the Bible mentions God breathing on anyone was in Genesis 2:7 when he breathed life into the first human beings. Likewise, confession breathes new life into our souls.
Don’t dismay if you keep bringing the same sins back to Confession. I had a friend tell me that she told the priest she was embarrassed to keep confessing the same sins. The priest just said “Just be glad you aren’t bringing any new ones in,” It’s about improvement, not perfection.
Examination of conscience
Preparation is crucial to making Reconciliation a truly meaningful experience. An examination of conscience has been an important spiritual practice since the first centuries of the church. There are plenty of ways to do it: Reflect on where you are in relationship to the Ten Commandments, the seven deadly sins, or responsibilities and relationships of your life.
Download the Ladauate app to your phone and you have all the basics right there with you to help you conduct an examination of conscience. An examination of conscience based on the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are also available online at:
http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19990101/SCRMNTL/adultexam.htm
The wonderful thing about our Catholic faith in the face of resolutions is that it has checks and balances. It teaches humility and thanking God when we accomplish our goals. And when we fall short, we have Confession and an understanding that God’s mercy far outweighs our own attempts at holiness
My sisters in Christ, May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.
May the good Lord Bless you abundantly
I want to share a quote from William Arthur Ward: "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." With that in mind, I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone of our Catholic Daughters this year. For your tireless efforts and spirit of cooperation in our ministry, the supporting prayers for those in need and most of all the Love that you show each other and our parish family both in the small ways and big ways. Please take time to be with your family this Christmas Season, enjoy this time, laugh, love, forgive, love more and express your gratitude in all the ways we must to be truly be His Catholic Daughters.
Some ideas to consider to enrich our spiritual lives:
Lectio Devina- The first part is to read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God’s word for us this day. Then Meditation (reflection where we think about the text we have chosen to understand what God wants to give us. The final two steps of lectio are (Oratio or response) to let our hearts speak to God and finally (contemplatio or rest) where we let go then rest in Word of God and his embrace. Check out the Irish Dominicans’ website www.goodnews.ie/lectio.shtml for an introduction to lectio divina.
Commit Random Acts of Prayer - Resolve to pray for at least one person each day who does not even know you or perhaps would never suspect you would pray for them. It could a famous person, or someone in a passing car, or in the grocery line. Better yet, pick someone who has been nasty to you, or cut you off in traffic
Daily examen - 1. Give thanks to God for favors received; 2. Ask for the grace to know your sins; 3. Examine how you have lived this day; 4. Ask forgiveness for any faults; 5. Resolve to amend with the grace of God. This can be done for 10 minutes at the end of each day.
Do a good deed every day, no matter how small. There was a bumper sticker a few years back that said Practice Random Acts of Kindness…I think this is something we should try to do more of.
Daily rosary -If you already pray the joyful mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays, the sorrowful mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, the glorious mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays, and the luminous mysteries on Thursdays, congratulations. If you’re head is still swimming from that last sentence, there’s no harm in starting slow.
Try a Single-decade rosary -You can pray a single decade—an Our Father and 10 Hail Marys—on a regular rosary, or you can pick up a single-decade rosary. The latter can be nice to use when walking or running—you won’t get twisted up in a full-size rosary while you potentially work on two New Year’s resolutions at once. For instructions on how to pray the rosary check out:
http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm#loaded
Or try a Chaplet. A Chaplet is also the name of a prayer form that uses rosary beads but assigns different prayers to each bead. Some are dedicated to Jesus, others to Mary, and still others to saints. These may take longer than 10 minutes but will still typically take less time than five decades of a traditional rosary. This site will give a complete list of chaplets: http://www.prayerbook.com/Chaplets/chaplets.htm.
Turn your Dial to Catholic TV and Radio. Find some Catholic programing you enjoy and make a point to tune in regularly.
Morning or Evening Prayer - The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer of praise and petition that includes a hymn, psalms, a reading and response, intercessions, and silence. All told, Morning and Evening Prayer each take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. The church recommends praying it in community. That’s feasible if you’re a Nun or Monk but can be a touch more challenging for the rest of us. So you can start with Part of Morning or Evening Prayer. Try one of the canticles that are a part of every Morning, Evening, or Night Prayer. In the morning pray the Benedictus, also known as the Canticle of Zachary (Luke 1:68-79). In the evening pray the Magnificat, or the Canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55). Before bed, pray the Nunc dimittis, the Canticle of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32).
For more variety you can try one of the daily psalms. Here is a site where you can find the prayers for each day (or whatever part you choose) online at www.universalis.com it also includes helpful guidelines on how to pray the Hours.
Morning Offering -This 19th-century prayer is one way to get in the habit of starting the day with prayer. Additionally, it serves as a reminder of how to consider the events of the day, both before and as they unfold. This is the version that I use but I am sure you can find other versions online. O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass said throughout the world today for the, reparation of sins and reunion of Christians and for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. I then add my special intentions here.
Eucharistic adoration - St. Elizabeth, Good Shepard, St. John, St. Francis all offer adoration you can find these times in the bulletin or check online. “Eucharistic adoration fosters a genuine sense of conversion from over-preoccupation with one’s own will to the embrace of Christ’s will for oneself and others.”
Or; If you can’t make it to Adoration Try to Practice of the presence of God
One of the purposes of adoration is simply to spend time with God, meditating and praying in the presence of Christ in the consecrated elements. But because God is always with us, we can find the divine at all times, a good example of this was Brother Lawrence a 17th-century French monk who did just that as he worked as a cook for his Discalced Carmelite community. His sayings and letters were collected by Father Joseph de Beaufort and published after Lawrence’s death in a slim volume titled The Practice of the Presence of God.
Beaufort observed: “In the greatest hurry of business in the kitchen, [Brother Lawrence] still preserved his recollection and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hasty nor loitering. . . . ‘The time of business,’ said he, ‘does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clutter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament." With Brother Lawrence as a guide, remember to recognize and appreciate the presence of God during the regular events of your day.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The thought of absolution is appealing, but the steps to getting there—really taking stock of all those sins, then confession, contrition, and penance—feel pretty overwhelming. Where to start?
Go to confession more often. It’s a gift Jesus gave to us after his Resurrection. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 21:22).
Just prior to giving them the power to forgive sins, Jesus sent them out into the world to act in his place: “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” The only other time the Bible mentions God breathing on anyone was in Genesis 2:7 when he breathed life into the first human beings. Likewise, confession breathes new life into our souls.
Don’t dismay if you keep bringing the same sins back to Confession. I had a friend tell me that she told the priest she was embarrassed to keep confessing the same sins. The priest just said “Just be glad you aren’t bringing any new ones in,” It’s about improvement, not perfection.
Examination of conscience
Preparation is crucial to making Reconciliation a truly meaningful experience. An examination of conscience has been an important spiritual practice since the first centuries of the church. There are plenty of ways to do it: Reflect on where you are in relationship to the Ten Commandments, the seven deadly sins, or responsibilities and relationships of your life.
Download the Ladauate app to your phone and you have all the basics right there with you to help you conduct an examination of conscience. An examination of conscience based on the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are also available online at:
http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19990101/SCRMNTL/adultexam.htm
The wonderful thing about our Catholic faith in the face of resolutions is that it has checks and balances. It teaches humility and thanking God when we accomplish our goals. And when we fall short, we have Confession and an understanding that God’s mercy far outweighs our own attempts at holiness
My sisters in Christ, May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.
May the good Lord Bless you abundantly