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Book review: Prayers for Children

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Prayers for Children (A Little Golden Book Classic)
Various authors
Illustrations by Eloise Wilkins
ISBN: 0307021068
ISBN-13: 9780307021069
UPC: 033500021060

This beautifully illustrated book was gifted to me at my baby shower. At first, I thought it was nothing more than a sweet little collection of prayers, but once I opened it up and began to turn the pages, those timeless watercolour illustrations flooded my mind with memories from my childhood. Suddenly, these 26 pages became nostalgia and something of an heirloom. Folks, this book has been rattling around bookstores (and now the internet) since it was first published in 1952… yes, over 70 years ago. And I think there’s a reason for it.

This book contains 19 prayers and poems, including the staple Our Father – it does have the doxology (i.e. “for the kingdom, the power and the glory…”) tacked on as the protestants usually pray it, but this isn’t a bad thing. There are other familiar prayers as well, such as the Evening Prayer (“now I lay me down to sleep…”). Some of the poetry was written by greats, like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The last page is dedicated to a musical arrangement of the evening prayer, so if you are a musically inclined family, you could even sing the prayer together!

Other than some of the thee/thou language that can simply be explained or changed to the modern version, it definitely stands the test of time. The many rhyming prayers will also help with memorisation, when the time comes for that.

We have the hardcover format, which is the classic format for Little Golden Book titles. It does not lay flat, but it is fairly light, and because of the nature of the book, you probably won’t be reading it from cover to cover in one sitting, so holding it isn’t too difficult. I can’t speak to the quality of the paperback or board books, though they are fairly scarce, so they may not be easily sourced, in any case.

In all, this is a good book of traditional style prayers. It is not strictly Catholic, but it has good material that can help little ones connect with God. The illustrations are what managed to stick in my memory for decades, and I still find them beautiful to behold. This is a good book for early prayers that has remained true to its claim of being a Little Golden Book Classic for several generations, and will likely continue for several more.

Do you have this book? Did you have it as a child? Have you bought this for your own child? Which prayers from this book stand out to you?

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week – April 16-22

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Time to build our community, count our blessings, and cultivate gratitude! Go on, share them in the comments, what are your joys of the week?

My baby has started doing the cutest thing when we do bedtime prayers: requesting to hold either the crucifix or the holy family diptych from the shrine(the Baptismal Candle is safely tucked. It is super sweet and just warms my heart!

I tried smores for the first time. Wow! You guys! As someone who grew up in Australia, these are just not in our cultural zeitgeist. I mean, where do I even get graham crackers – I don’t think I even saw them in Australian supermarkets? Who even is Graham? I  clearly have numerous questions, but there is no question on flavour when it comes to these delicious treats! I even got crazy and experimented with the chocolate element. Yum!

My bub has been dealing with a couple of health issues, but thankfully it’s all cleared! Oh, the relief! Thank you, Jesus!

Handing it over to you… hope to see you sharing your joys of the week in the comments! And if you know who Graham is, that could be a fun comment for you to share, too!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Reflections on Parenting: Praying as a Parent

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Real talk: I don’t have all of the answers. That’s above my paygrade (it would be even if anyone were paying me!). But I do have questions. Today, I’ve got questions for you about prayer. But first, a little backstory…

Personally, I do the bulk of my personal prayer just before bed. I’ve never been great at morning prayer, and adding Mom duties to the mix – hubby takes the first morning shift before he goes to work so I can sleep an hour or two – doesn’t give me a lot of time.

I pray with my baby, too. We do morning prayers (most days, I’m working on it), we say grace before meals (I’m so used to silent grace just before I eat, so again, this is something I’m working on), and bedtime prayers. I try to use that time as well, as a moment to connect with God.

In all, I spend probably about 40-60 minutes in prayer each day (I added probably an extra 30-40 minutes during Lent). I don’t spend all my prayer time asking for things and rattling off the classic prayers (although they do take a little space in my prayer time) and I am making time in my prayers to listen, letting God speak to me through the Bible. And I know that most of the time (when I don’t feel like I’m running on autopilot, at least), my heart is totally in my prayers. So, what my prayer consists of what I’m praying for, or how much or how fully I’m praying isn’t in question, at least not this time.

The thing is, I don’t believe I am offering our Lord the best of my time, because by the time my own bedtime rolls around, I’m exhausted and some days I find myself drifting off to sleep during prayer time – even when I’m sitting up! And I do want my time with God to be quality time. Trouble is, I don’t know what time of day those first fruits are.

I spend naptimes getting things done, making bookings and other arrangements, running home admin, various chores, that kind of thing. Most of these need to be done during office hours, so they can’t be moved. Admittedly, I take a little time during the day to blog (let’s call it digital journaling), and while it isn’t strictly prayer time, I consider it to be spiritually-motivated, as it does turn my thoughts to Godly things, I get to grow in my faith as I read and reflect on Church teachings, upper and lower case T traditions, the lives and writings of saints and the doctors of the church, and my own interior life. And I sincerely hope that publishing my own thoughts will also help to bring others to Him – other moms, and their children. Practically speaking, in terms of the technology I use, unfortunately it’s not feasible for me to switch this with my bedtime prayer time. Besides, some prayer – my daily examen immediately springs to mind as an example – must be done at the end of the day.

Then again, I think of St Paul’s words…

As parents we can offer up all of our day to God. Every diaper change, every middle of the night feed, every toy we pick up, every frustration, every mundane moment, as well as prayers of thanksgiving for every smile, the things they do that melt our hearts, and all the other good things that come with being a parent. In this way, we can be a living prayer, uniting our parental sacrifices with Christ and saving souls (perhaps our children’s souls!), offering our lives to God, literally praying without ceasing.

That said, I want to have time to just sit and be with God. I know it’s just a season and that God understands. I get that I have responsibilities that mean I no longer have the luxury of just skipping off to an adoration chapel whenever something is weighing on my heart (ah, youth, less responsibility, and living less than 10 minutes from a 24 hour adoration chapel…). But I still want to do better by Him. I would like to make quality time to pray.

So my question is, how can I make that quality time for God? How do you do it? How does it fit into your day? Looking for some real answers here, hoping you have some tips for me!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Saint of the Month: St George

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St George – martyr
Feast day: April 23
Patronage: knights, soldiers, scouts, fencers, archers

Many a fairy tale tells of dragons and princesses, most likely based on the legend of St George.

The real story goes like this:

Long, long, ago, in Selem, Libya, a frightening dragon lived in a lake. To keep this dragon at bay, the townsfolk would sacrifice their sheep to it, but later, they began to select children at random to sacrifice. One day, the king’s daughter was chosen, but while she was being led to the lake, St George killed the dragon, saving the princess, and freeing the city from the tyranny of the dragon forever!

Though our imaginings of fire-breathing dragons may not be accurate (it was probably more like a crocodile living in that lake), this tale echoes the victory of Christ over sin and death – in the battle of Good and Evil, Good always wins out in the end.

This is truly an inspiring story. But why?

Tales of courage and bravery openly appeal to our desire to help others. As Christians, we are called to be in relationship with others, and how we do that matters! It’s up to each of us to choose whether or not we want to help others reach their ultimate good: life with Jesus!

I think the story of St George can be used to teach little girls and boys of their duty to protect those who are weaker and more vulnerable than themselves and their capacity to play a role in bringing about the triumph of Good over Evil.

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week

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This is a little something I picked up from one of my former priests. After the youth mass (wow, that was a long time ago!), a bunch of us used to go out for a bite with whomever had celebrated Mass that day. One of them used to always ask us what our joys of the week were. Come to think of it, he used to ask every so often, not just at our post-Mass gatherings.

I love the spirit of gratitude it fostered, and to be able to share in one another’s joys was a joy in itself. I also think it’s a good way to acknowledge all the little blessings God gives us. And it’s encouraging to look at all the other good things we have, when some parts of our lives may not be going too well. Yes, if we are faithful, we have assurance of salvation, however, it doesn’t mean we should neglect to think of all the other blessings God gives us and be grateful for them! God is so good!

So, with that said, I have decided to regularly share joys of the week on the blog! It’ll be another way that we can build community. I invite you to share your joys of the week in the comments below – no limit to how many or how few, just share as you feel moved to share! Here are some of mine:

For me, starting this blog has been a breath of fresh air. Even though it’s still got a focus on mothering, it isn’t that same humdrum. It’s actually a bit of a break from the baby routine of eat, play, sleep (unfortunately I still don’t get enough sleep, ya feel me, Moms?), and it’s allowed me to reconnect to one of my old passions: writing. Thanks God for the inspiration and motivation to do this! I’m also encouraged by the support I’ve received so far. It’s not a heckuva lot, but it’s a start! I hope and pray that this blog will grow to be a blessing to many families.

I’ve also had some amaaaazing food. I am so thankful God gave me my wonderful husband who, among other things, makes such tasty dinners (and a majority of our amazing food this past week) most nights while I take care of the bedtime routine. We are definitely doing life as a team, and I love it!

And of course, so many joys come from our beautiful baby! New teeth, social skills, tentative steps, so many kisses… There are always so many joys, but probably the most memorable as I write this post is the first birthday party our child was invited to just yesterday. It was so fun to watch how our baby got on in a new environment with new people. And I made some new Mom friends!

Your turn, now; I’ll see you in the comments!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Divine Mercy Sunday

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This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday! What a beautiful feast to share with your children! Mercy is such a beautiful gift, but definitely a very advanced concept. Buckle up, Mamas, this one is a little long…

I have always loved Portia’s speech on mercy in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice:

The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
Portia, in William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1

Let’s break this down a little.

The quality of mercy is not strained
The use of “strained” here is linked to the word “constrained”. What Portia is saying is that mercy is a free gift – it is not something that can be forced out of someone or limited.

It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes
Similar to forgiveness, mercy is a gift not only for the person who receives the mercy, but it is also a blessing on the one who bestows it.

it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown… mercy is above this sceptred sway; it is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s, When mercy seasons justice.
This part of the poem talks about the power of earthly kings. This power strikes fear into the hearts of people, but while they wield this power, they have within them an even greater power: to be merciful, like God.

…in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy.
I think this is the part I like most about this extract. It highlights the importance of mercy in the framework of justice.

Now, justice isn’t bad. It’s a fair way to deal, particularly human to human. In fact, it’s the stepping stone between lawlessness and mercy. But imagine if God gave us justice – what we deserved. Even the smallest sin is a stain on our souls, and God is completely and utterly perfect – would we deserve to be in His presence, let alone be welcomed into His family and called His children?

Justice is good. It is fair and it is easy to see the merit in fairness. But mercy is better – it is unfair, but it is an unfairness that is freely given to benefit the person who would be slighted by justice. Thank God we have His mercy!

Now, how to condense all of that into something digestible we can give to our children in light of Divine Mercy Sunday… What do we know?

Nobody on their own is able to go to Heaven, because you need to be perfect to do that and there is nobody who is perfect except for God. Even the best person who ever existed is evil when compared with God. If people got what they deserved, it would be to be far, far away from God.

The good news is that Jesus came to be with humans on Earth and showed us just how much God loves us by giving up His life for us. He taught that there is one absolutely sure way to get to Heaven, and that is to trust in Him, that He will not give us what we deserve. Instead of spending forever far, far away from God, if we trust in Him and do what He says, we can go back to God and become part of His family in Heaven forever!

This Sunday, we celebrate the fact that God gives us so much good, even when we deserve something much worse. We place our trust in Jesus and decide every day to follow Him, that He will keep His promise to bring us back into God’s family.

Talking points

  • Do you remember a time you were merciful to someone? What did it feel like to show the other person mercy? Why did you do it?
  • Do you remember a time that someone was merciful to you? What did it feel like to receive their mercy? Why do you think they did it?
  • What did you do after giving/receiving mercy? Did it change anything about the way you and that person interacted?
  • What do you think might have happened if you didn’t give them/get their mercy?

How would you describe mercy to your children? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

April Monthly Devotion

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April is the month of the Holy Spirit.

Explaining the Holy Spirit to children can be tricky – it can be tricky to explain the Holy Spirit to adults!

I think the easiest way to understand the Holy Spirit, is to focus on what it does. So we can talk about the Holy Spirit’s power to help us witness to Christ, to enlighten us, give us wisdom, and speak to us. In simple words: the Holy Spirit is God who comes to us to guide us through life. He shows us right from wrong, helps us understand God and share God’s message, guides us to make good choices, and can tell us what God wants us to do, if we listen carefully.

I have rewritten St Augustine’s prayer in the image above into simple language to share with younger children:

Dear Holy Spirit, come down and fill up my heart. Make it Your home, and shine your bright and happy light in me.

How would you explain the Holy Spirit to your little ones? Let me know in the comments! I’m interested to see all the different ways we convey God to our babies!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

New Life, New Blog!

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He is risen indeed! Happy Easter!

Over the course of Lent this year, I felt a call to share my journey as a Catholic Mom. I decided that come Easter, I would begin, so, here I am! I guess I should start by sharing a bit about who I am and what I want to do with my corner of cyberspace.

My name is Bernadette. As you may have guessed from my ultra-Catholic name, I am a cradle Catholic – but don’t take that to mean that I’m lukewarm! I always held a firm belief in God, but only began to take a real interest in and responsibility my faith when World Youth Day came to my hometown, Sydney, Australia. I was appointed parish representative and worked with other parish reps in the deanery as we prepared for, hosted, and partook of this massive event. It was inspiring to see how these young people were so on fire for Jesus, and I wanted that, too! Over the next few years, I began to study the Catholic faith (and let’s be honest, the Faith is so rich that I don’t think I’ll ever stop!), give more and more of my life to God, and fall deeper in love with Jesus.

I got married in 2021 and we have been blessed with a beautiful baby, who we welcomed into God’s family last year. While you won’t get to meet our child out of respect for both privacy and free will, this baby is a big part of this blog. Since becoming a mother, I have been looking for ways to impart the faith to my child, as my parents did for me. But the world looks different now than it did when I was growing up: there are new minefields to navigate, and a never-ending selection of tools at our disposal, too!

There are a few things I’d like to dedicate this blog to:

  • Building Community: I believe that community is one of the most valuable things in life, especially for mothers. However, given the decrease in faith in society in general, connecting with other Catholic moms can sometimes be difficult. Thank God for the internet, though, because we can build a virtual community here! I’d like you to be a part of this blog, too, and for us to use this platform to create a little space for us to share our joys, foster gratitude, encourage each other in times of need, and pray for one another.
  • Celebrating the Catholic Faith: there are so many wonderful saints, and celebrations in our faith, so I would like to create some content around that, with the aim of sharing it with our little Christians, of course!
  • Exploring Motherhood from a Catholic Viewpoint: we live in a world where we face many challenges in fulfilling our marital promises (and the baptismal promises we made for our children) to raise our little ones in the faith, but we are also blessed with a multitude of wonderful resources that can help us do this! God willing, this blog will be a place to explore the timelessness of Catholic parenting in the modern age.

I hope you’ll follow me as I follow Christ amidst the ups and downs of the messy, strange, sometimes frightening, and always beautiful journey of motherhood!

Oh, and the name of the blog? Well, we all need God’s help, and I would say that parenting as a vocation is one place where this becomes evident! The title is a play on Philippians 4:13, and a reminder that God is always with us, helping us along our entire parenting journey. Let it be our motto; say it loud and proud: I can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens me!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!