Tag: Catholic

Saint of the Month: St Monica

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St Monica
Feast day: Aug 27
Patron saint of mothers and wives

Mothers, who among you does not hope for your children to know, love, and serve Jesus? Yet this is not a choice we can make for them. Yes, we can teach them about our faith, and tell them all the great things God has done for us, but when it comes down to it, they are the ones who need to decide whether or not they will follow Christ. That can be scary, I get it – when it’s about their soul and eternity, it’s crazy important, but faith is always a personal choice.

Say it with me, ladies: conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. We can only lead our proverbial horses to water. It’s the Holy Spirit that shows them how to drink.

St Monica knew this. So while her son rebelled and fell into a life of sin for 17 years, she grieved, yes, weeping for him, but she also prayed. She prayed for his conversion daily. And the Holy Spirit worked so hard in that young man that he became a Doctor of the Church – one of the greats! If you didn’t know or haven’t guessed who her son was, it’s none other than St Augustine of Hippo.

Mothers of children who have fallen away, who are falling away, or who may be tempted to fall away from the faith (ok, so basically any mother with any child), take St Monica as your example, pray for your children daily, hope that they heed God’s voice,  and leave them in His hands. In the words of St Padre Pio, “pray, hope, and don’t worry”. Remember, your children are even more precious to God than they are to you.

St Monica, pray for us!

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: July 23-29

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Happy Sunday! Let’s count our blessings. What are your joys of the week? I’ll start!

We invited a bunch of friends to come and hang out with us at our local lake on Sunday afternoon for a Christmasin July. It was so nice to just chill and enjoy the warm weather! We also had fun playing a game of dirty santa – if you’ve never played, you must try it at your next get together (it really is a case of the more the merrier) – and we ended up negotiating and trading and whatnot and everyone was happy in the end!

We made friends with a neighbor! It’s pretty densely packed in our neighbourhood, but it was lovely to be able to chat with somebody who had been through the whole motherhood thing before. I didn’t ask but I get the sense she might be Christian, too, so it might be nice to have some fellowship!

Yesterday we had some fun at a farm with one of my Mom friends. Someone who’s been through it before is good, but someone who’s in the trenches next to you is even better. And our kids got to interact a bit, too, which is always lovely to see!

Alright, your turn! Box up your joys in a little comment and send it over!

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

Reflections on Parenting: Perfection

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More often than I’d like, I find myself repeating in my evening prayers, “Sorry I missed morning prayer”. And then I think about why I missed morning prayer. And then, I start to justify it with “but we were in a rush to get to Mass, because sometimes, things that throw the baby’s schedule out just happen”. But justifying an apology negates the apology. It’s like saying “I’m Sorry I yelled at you, but you shouldn’t have left your wet towel on the bed” (Iused to internally yell at myself a lot for this). The person who left their wet towel on the bed (me, it was me) hasn’t received a genuine apology because the justification of the apology, on some level, communicates that they deserved it, at least in part.

I can’t and don’t want to negate my apology to God. He doesn’t deserve to be forgotten or relegated to lesser importance. Ever. So what am I really sorry for? I am sorry that I let Him down, that He wasn’t important enough for me to make myself find other ways to give him praise and offer Him my first fruits.

If I were perfect, as God is perfect, and as we are called to be perfect, I would have found a way to fit in my morning prayers – maybe I could have done them in the car on the way to church. Maybe I could have sung some hymns of praise while I fed or dressed the baby. There are plenty of options that I see in hindsight but that I was blind to as the morning went on, all because God wasn’t as high up on my priorities as He should be.

What I’m trying to say is, “I’m sorry I’m not perfect” isn’t always a snarky teenage response to a parent’s request that they change the way something is done. An apology for our own imperfection, even though we are not directly at fault for it, can be something that we hold in complete congruence with the acceptance of those imperfections. And it can be entirely sincere.

The real reason for our regret may be something else (in the scenario I described, it is my non-attempt at trying to find alternative ways to give God my morning and to show my baby that example), but we can also acknowledge our imperfection, which is really where those reasons stem from. I actually think it’s a very healthy thing to do and to show our children, especially in our spiritual lives. It is another reason to need God, another way to grow in humility.

Let’s bear in mind this quote from St John Fisher:

God alone is perfect, but if we follow His will and empty ourselves so that He might fill us up, we will become more like Him, and we will be perfect too, one day. This may also be an honourable and even aspirational model for our children.

Are your imperfections crosses for you to bear? What practical things help you to bear these crosses? I would love to get your tips in the comments!

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: July 16-22

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Another week, another chance to share our joys! As usual, I’ll start, but please feel free to add your own in the comments!

Well, my baby’s growth and development never ceases to amaze, and it is a constant source of joy. More milestones, more improvement, and all in the cutest little package!

I got to go to a social dance – in the before times, I used to do a lot of swing dancing. Then there was a pandemic. And then I had a baby. So opportunities became scant. But today, I had an opportunity, and my wonderful husband volunteered to mind our baby while I enjoyed a couple of hours of afternoon dancing. It was so good to move my body and to connect with the music and other adults!

I quite unexpectedly caught up with some old friends. An old dear friend of mine, it turns out, lives not too far, and has a child close in age to mine, as well! My heart was filled with joy to reconnect.

So grateful to the Lord for these blessings and all the others He bestows on me every day. God is indeed good! What blessings have lifted you up this week? Let’s share in one another’s joys.

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

To Such as These: The Kingdom of Heaven

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I write these “To Such As These” posts every now and then to explain some aspect of the Catholic faith to children. I try to use simple language so you can just read it directly to them instead of having to put it into your own words! The category name is inspired by Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Today, quite fittingly, we will be looking at the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you have any topics you’d like me to cover in this category, pop them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

This Sunday at Mass, we’ll be reading about the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven to help people understand what it’s about. We hear about the kingdom of heaven at other times, too, like when Jesus says “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Every time we pray the Our Father, we say “thy kingdom come”. But what is the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven?

Because God uses concepts we can understand to relate Heavenly ideas to us, it might be helpful to take a look at what a kingdom is in Earthly terms first.

A kingdom as we understand it on Earth, is everything that is ruled over by a king (or queen), who is sometimes called a monarch. The monarch has the final say on the rules of the kingdom and everything in the kingdom ultimately belongs to the monarch.

When we talk about God’s kingdom, St Paul writes in the letter to the Romans, that the kingdom of God is not something physical like the kingdoms of the world. He says, “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17). This means that the way that we live can bring the kingdom to others! If we are righteous, or do what is right by God, and we keep His peace and joy shining within us, this is us living in the kingdom of God! By doing this, and loving others and praying for them, we can help the kingdom grow.

When we talk about God’s kingdom, it’s already begun. When Jesus came to us, He brought the Kingdom of God to Earth. And we know that although He ascended into Heaven, He left us His presence in the gift of the Eucharist. And after He went up to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us to become good representatives of the kingdom, like we just talked about.

So how can we ask God “thy kingdom come” if it’s already here? St Augustine points out that we are asking for His kingdom to come to us. The Church teaches that we are asking for the final, glorious appearance of the kingdom, when Christ comes again – and what a day that will be!

Talking points

  • Is Jesus the King of your whole life? What can you do to give Him more power in your life?
  • What are you doing to represent God’s kingdom to the people around you who don’t know Him or don’t love Him as they should? Can you think of other things you can do to help grow the kingdom of God?
  • What do you think it will be like when Jesus comes again? What can you do to prepare?
  • Let’s pray the Our Father together.

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

Book review: Bless My Child: A Catholic Mother’s Prayer Book

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Bless My Child: A Catholic Mother’s Prayer Book
Julie Cragon
Cover art: Rose Walton
ISBN-10: 1594710147
ISBN-13: 978-1594710148
UPC: 033500021060

This book review is on a book of prayers for Moms! I actually bought it for myself while I was pregnant, having discovered it when I purchased the grandparents’ version as a gift to my own mother in celebration of her first grandchild. There is a lot of overlap between the two, but I don’t think it hurts to have more than one person praying for the same thing!

This thoughtful collection of prayers can be used for many stages of your child’s life, from gestation into adulthood, including for the sacraments!

The prayers themselves are quite modest in their language, without pretense or ostentation (haha, the irony of this review!), and seem to have been written from the heart. They relate to our daily parenting life, the joys, struggles, milestones, and everything in between, and they resonate well with the yearnings of a mother’s heart – some have definitely brought a tear to my eye! Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it also reminds us to pray for ourselves as moms, asking for God’s help and guidance in raising our little saints.

I acknowledge that it is difficult to write prayers for an individual without knowing their gender (that he/she can get a bit clunky and impersonal!). Cragon’s prayers address this by cycling through the use of masculine and feminine pronouns, so some prayers are written using he/him, and other prayers with she/her, but can be prayed for a child of either sex. This may be a stumbling block to some, but I find it easy enough to replace pronouns that didn’t apply with the appropriate ones for my child – I simply think about my child while I read each prayer, and correct as I go along.

There is a Catholic spin on it, hence the title. This is mainly because of the prayers written for receiving the sacraments, as I mentioned earlier. There are also prayers to patron saints of various issues our children may encounter on life’s journey, though neither of these are strictly Catholic things. Aside from these categories of prayer, the book contains many other prayers that could be applied to parents across denominations.

I have the paperback edition, although it is also available as an e-book for Kindle. The satin finish book cover has a sleek feel to it, with just enough grip to be easily held. The paperback book itself is fairly light, and isn’t too big, so it won’t take up too much space on your bedside table or in your bag.

This prayer book would make a great addition to any Catholic mother’s repertoire! It would be a touching gift for any faith-filled mother to celebrate a pregnancy, new birth, baptism, or just because!

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: July 1-8

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These weekly reviews always sneak up on me… how do they come so often?! Anyway. Let me kick us off.

Our baby started walking! Still a few tumbles here and there, but it’s enough steps to stop counting. It’s so bittersweet… but if I cut myself out of the picture, I’m happy that bub is getting more independent and gradually spreading those wings! I’m so wary that I’ll blink and it’ll be time to head off to college, but that’sgoing to be another (bittersweet) joy for another day.

I bought matching summer swimwear for the whole family this week. Usually I don’t like to match (and often avoid matching with my husband!), but these outfits have a fun citrusy summer vibe, so I’m actually excited to wear them together! It was a bit tricky, as I had bought hubby’s swim trunks online and had to go to the ohysical stores to see if they had anything in my size that would work… and they did! We even got a matchy picnic blanket!

I got off the waitlist and onto the real list for a dance event! It’s not for a few months, but I have been looking for opportunities to up my dance, and I am glad to be going! I’m pleasantly surprised at the level I was put in, as well! Feeling a little rusty at present, but there are a few opportunities between now and then, where hopefully I will be able to dust off the cobwebs and get back into it.

Let me know what your joys have been this week – I’d love for us to celebrate one another’s little victories and give thanks to the Father! 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 Ignatius of Loyola

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St Ignatius of Loyola
Feast day: July 31
Patron of Dioceses of San Sebastian and Bilbao, Biscay & Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, Society of Jesus, Soldiers, Educators and Education.

This month, we celebrate St Ignatius of Loyola. The founder of the Jesuit order, which was important in the wake of the Reformation, he is patron of a number of communities and educational institutions throughout Spain and the Philippines, and well-known Loyola University in Baltimore MD, educators/education in general, soldiers and spiritual retreats, as well as the order he founded (SJ).

I chose to look at St Ignatius of Loyola this month because I think his Imaginative Prayer, or Ignatian Contemplation, is something we can introduce to our little ones to get them praying about the Gospels. This form of prayer lends itself so well to young minds!

I would introduce it by saying something like, “today we’re going to be in a Bible story! We’ll read it together first, and then pretend we are part of it to imagine what it might have been like for us personally”

Below is a description of how to engage in imaginative prayer.

  1. Choose a bible story – one that really has a story feel. Probably not from anything like Leviticus, Psalms, Proverbs, or the Epistles. Children’s Bibles are a great resource for this, as they tend to be much more story-oriented. There are also a few audio and a video contemplations on this website (you’ll have to scroll down a little to get to the good stuff).
  2. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you join in the story
  3. One person reads through the story aloud in prayer
  4. Act out the story using prompts, or for older children (or yourself!), you can simply have some silent prayer thinking about the story (in traditional Ignatian contemplation, you might choose a character or an object in the story and think about experiencing the story from their point of view) and then discuss it. It is important to consider what message God is sending them through this exercise.
  5. Read the story aloud again, but this time, ask your children to bear in mind (or act out) the new details they were able to see from the imaginative time.

Try it out and let me know how it goes!

St Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us!

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

Monthly Devotion: the Precious Blood

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The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood.

There are so many things that I could say about this, but I think I’d like to focus on the life-giving aspect of blood.

The Jewish faith, which is the early basis of our Catholic faith, holds that the life is in the blood and God gave it to make atonement through sacrifice (Leviticus 17:11). This is the context into which Jesus entered our world as God’s word incarnate, and gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice. The significance of blood throughout the Old Testament is vital (no pun intended), and it prefigures Christ’s sacrifice, which carries that same significance. Perhaps that’s something to dive deeper into in a future post, though. Today, I’d like to look at the role of the blood in motherhood and what it can reveal to us about Christ’s Precious Blood.

When I think about blood specifically as it pertains to motherhood, there are two functions that stand out:

  1. As women, we bleed monthly (more or less). This blood is what forms the lining of the uterus. It is usually replaced at the beginning of each cycle, but that uterine blood is retained if a woman falls pregnant. The new baby, which at this point consists of a fertilised egg, is implanted into this cushion of blood, which surrounds the new life as it continues to develop inside the womb. The very beginnings of every human life require blood – blood that is not theirs.
  2. After the baby is born, many mothers take up breastfeeding. In this process, the milk is made from their blood, and for newborns, this milk contains all the nutrients required for growth and development, and even anitbodies that can help protect them from some diseases. Mothers give of their own blood in order to continue to sustain their dependent infants and help them grow.

The life-giving graces we obtain through the spilling of the Precious Blood of our Lord are elevated above our human understanding of blood, but in my reflection on this subject, a couple of parallels have emerged for me.

Jesus’ blood is necessary for us to partake in new life, just as the lining of the uterus provides the environment needed for a new baby’s life to take hold. The zygote is implanted, literally buried in this lining, so it is completely covered by it. In the lining, it is protected and begins to grow. Had Christ’s Precious Blood not been shed on the cross, we would not be washed before God and adopted into His family. His blood is on us and on our children (Mt 27:25), covering us and making it possible for us to begin our lives as God’s children.

Then, like the nourishment a baby receives from breastmilk, the blood of Jesus which we receive each time we partake in the Eucharist (who is present in body, blood, soul, and divinity no matter if the form is under the appearance of bread or wine), is spiritual nourishment. I find Christ’s title of “Good Pelican” to be particularly poignant in this regard. When there is insufficient food for her babies, a mother pelican will use her beak to take parts of her own flesh to feed to them and help them grow – though extreme, it is similar to how breastfeeding works, and is also analogous to the Lord’s own sacrifice of self. Through the gift of the Eucharist, we receive Jesus, and He takes us to Himself to change our hearts little by little, helping us attain spiritual growth. The Eucharist also provides a protective factor. You see, much like the antibodies in breastmilk can help babies fight off illness, the Eucharist washes away venial sins, helping to heal our souls of spiritual ills.

Anyway, these are just some musings, but I hope they can help us to appreciate the life we receive through the precious blood of Jesus in a new way.

Have you noticed any other parallels when it comes to the Precious Blood? Let me know your thoughts!

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

July Prayers

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As the month draws to a close, it’s time to start a new prayer thread. Just like last time, simply leave your prayer requests in the comment section! I will come back throughout the month to see if there are any new prayers I need to add to my personal prayer list, so even if it comes up a few weeks from now, just come back to this post and pop it in and know I’ll pray for you! Since this is about community-building, I would ask that you keep everyone else who comments in your own prayers too, along with Pope Francis’ prayer intention for July which is:

July: for a Eucharistic life

We pray that Catholics may place the celebration of the Eucharist at the heart of their lives, transforming human relationships in a very deep way and opening to the encounter with God and all their brothers and sisters.

I can’t wait for you to see next week’s monthly devotion post to find out why this is so apt! 

Thanks for being part of this community and for your prayers. I truly believe it’s the most you can do, even (and especially) when you alone can do nothing.

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