St Michael defend us!

My daughter was born on the feast of St Michael, a decade ago!  I still can't believe that!  Each year, we try to take some time to commemorate the feast day as well as her birthday.  My oldest son has a very special love for St Michael, but never before have I felt such a need to cry to the Prince of Heaven for help.  The cosmic battle rages on but I hold faith in the fact that God has already won.  Still there is darkness that gathers and seeks to claim souls, we must at the same time be steadfast in our abiding faith that our Eternal Father holds His children in the palm of His Hand and pray earnestly for deliverance from evil.

Did you know that the original translation of the Our Father said, "deliver us from the evil one" not just evil?  There truly is a mastermind of evil and though he can wreak havoc in this world, he has no dominion over the eternal.  St Michael cast out the fallen angels from Heaven. Only what is pure, good, beautiful, and holy can enter the dominion of the King of Kings for He is good and love and beauty in its purest form.  And though there is a dreaded place of eternal fire, and desolate separation from God forever, the gates of Hell shall never prevail against the Church.

In dealing with evil of this world, we must keep our eyes on heaven and work to protect the vulnerable, serve God, purify our life to make us fit for heaven and never lose heart that Jesus reigns and the Most Holy, All Powerful LORD has already won the ultimate war, not just the battle.  Prepare, pray, proselytize, protect, but do not fear. Our God is bigger than any dark cloud, and stronger than any weapon. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being so it is in Him that we must trust.  In the end His Will will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, until then storm Heaven with prayers of deliverance and rest in His indescribable Peace.

Looking for ways to Celebrate Michaelmas? Check out Shower of Roses for recipes, activities, and links to resources for your family.  God bless!

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen For the complete, original prayer, visit here.

Remembering Our Holy Father in Prayer

I've heard it said that there are many priests in purgatory simply because they have no one to pray for them.  We so often forget that our shepards need prayer and support as well, they are human and face the same challenges as we do. Whenever our choir sings hymns that remind me of my parish priest from college, I offer up prayers for the peaceful repose of Father Joe's gentle soul.

As attacks rage throughout the world against clergy, Christian faithful, and ancient churches, the militants have turned their sights to the Chair of St Peter.  The children of Fatima reported seeing a vision of the Holy Father kneeling at the foot of a cross praying in tears.  Could this be what they saw? Could Pope Francis be who they saw in great turmoil?  Surely many popes have prayed through tears as they pleaded with God on behalf of their flock. Pope Francis himself spent three hours praying the Rosary for peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict in Syria. As he has prayed for us, let us pray for him.

An email is circulating asking for a simple Hail Mary from each recipient. Just moments of Prayer for the leader of our Mother Church. Please do at least that or more and continue to pray for the conversion of our enemies. Thank you.

Prayer for the Pope

From A Catholic Prayer Book

V. Let us pray for Francis the Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and may the Lord not hand him over to the power of his enemies.

V. May your hand be upon your holy servant.

R. And upon your son whom you have anointed.

Let us pray. O God, the Pastor and Ruler of all the faithful, look down, in your mercy, upon your servant, Francis, whom you have appointed to preside over your Church; and grant, we beseech you, that both by word and example, he may edify all those under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length unto life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. R.

A Faithful Community

Before our current parish, we belonged to a small, traditional, country parish.  The priest was very devote and devoted, and known for well developed, lengthy, serious homilies.  His homilies contained a good deal of catechism but we're sprinkled with stories to drive the point home.  Decades later, there are stories that my husband and I still repeat and reference.

One, particularly amusing story went like this. (Imagine if you will the following delivered in a strong Polish accent.) There was a man who went to church every Sunday, and then one Sunday he didn't come.  After three Sundays, his priest was concerned and decided to pay him a visit.  The man lived in a big house on the hill over looking the village.  It was dark, cold, and windy when the priest walked up to the house. He knocked on the door and the man opened it and welcomed the priest into his living room where there was a large, warm fire blazing. The man sat down in his armchair and started talking, "I know why you are here, Father. I just don't see why I need to go to Mass.  Sunday is a day of rest, I say my prayers, I read my bible, why do I need to walk all the way to church to worship God?"

The priest said nothing, he turned and picked up the fireplace tongs and took a bright ember from the fire and placed it on the hearth. The ember glowed bright and seemed to grow in size, then it swiftly faded to grey and was just cold ash.  The priest, then picked up his hat and coat and began to leave. As the man showed him out, he said, " Thank you for the firery sermon, Father.  I will see you on Sunday."

 The priest simply smiled and walked back to the Church.

The point is, without a community, worship begins to die out.  You may begin all afire but just as swiftly begin to cool.  Jesus promised that where two or more are gathered in his name, there He also will be.  He realized that we needed support and each other to stay the course and attain deeper worship.  Our present parish has a church "motto" if you will, the begins with the phrase, "a community of believers."

That is our aim, to not be solely a collection of church attendees but a community, a family.  Apart from fellow believers, it is difficult to maintain focus on the narrow path, to keep going when the going is tough.  It is not to say that we go to church for the people, but we go for the collective worship.  We each have a part in the worship, no matter what our role in the Church, if any, is. Our collective prayers are joined to those of the angels to form the highest of all prayers, the Mass.  Even if we were unable to have the Eucharist present, Jesus would be there because we are gathered in His name.

However, we tread a fine line in building community and losing our sacred purpose. While we are a family, our primary purpose of attending Mass is giving glory to God and receiving grace from the Eucharistic sacrament.  Our sight is to be on the LORD, not each other.  It is a joy to have such dear friends through our parish, but social circles are not the aim of Sunday obligation. Our first obligation is to God.  We must remember this and strive to point others toward God that together we may grow in faith.  So please, remember that Church is God's house, come and leave quietly and reverently. Dress in a way befitting of meeting the King of Kings intimately in the sacrifice of the Mass, so as not to draw attention away from our heavenward advance.  Seek to not just get at the Mass but to give your whole self to Him who has given you all, not even sparing His only Son.

Let us be a community of believers striving evermore for holiness and grace.  In little ways, with great love, we can revitalize our churches, but it is not found in greater comfort or ease nor more socialization. It is found in a deeper, collective purpose to worship and exalt He who is above all, the Great I AM, our beginning and end.  For why did God make us? God made us to know,  love and serve Him, to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in Heaven. (Baltimore Catechism) Let us show forth His goodness to every member of our worshiping community by coming together for the sole purpose of lifting high the cross and bowing down to our Loving Savior who from all good things come.  God bless you!

Forming a Battle Plan--step 2

Once you have discussed and prepared how you will participate in the International Week of Prayer and Fasting, you can begin to think of how to make this accessible to children and give them a visual of the sacrifices they are making.  A good way to do this is making spiritual bouquet posters.

There are several ways to do this, but I will discuss two versions.

The first is an actual bouquet of paper flowers glued onto a poster, like this one.  You can find print outs of small flowers here and here.  First have each person design a poster with green stems or a vase to be filled.  The posters should then be hung in a common area for the whole family to view.  Cut out various flower printables or make your own.  Place the blank flowers in a small bowl or basket.  Every time someone offers a prayer or sacrifice for the IWOPF, they then take a blank flower out of the basket, color it, label it with what they offered up, and glues it onto the poster.  As the nice days progresses, the beauty of love, prayer, and sacrifices will be apparent through the blossoming bouquet for each family member.

 

The second version can be purchased as a download from Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families  shop.  This version involves adding petals to a flower center to create a flower of prayers.

 

This craft kit comes with pre-made petals with the prayers of the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet typed on each petal.  I especially like the vine motif that could be used to decorate a hallway.  You could also make a similar project on your own by printing and/or cutting out petals for each person to add to the vine to create flowers as a family.   You can find petal printables here and here.

Whatever you choose to do, it is important to involve the children and make the emphasis on the beauty of their prayers and sacrifices not the perfection of the project.  Thank you.

Have any plans for next week to share?

Forming a Battle Plan--Step 1

Here is the first step in readying for the International Week of Prayer and Fasting.  Decide what you as an individual, family, group, and/or parish will be offering for the conversion of our enemies and end of the dark culture of death.  The IWOPF website has a registration page where you can pledge actions, prayers, and alms.  This is a great place to start but is not an exhaustive list.

For action as a family, I have the following steps planned:
1.  Hold a family meeting to discuss the week of prayer and fasting.
2.  Come up with a prayer plan and fast to complete as a family and individually. (For example, add an additional family prayer such as a decade or litany, and also choose a personal prayer addition such as a novena.)
3. Write down your plans and post them in a common area.
4.  Create Spiritual Bouquet posters for each member of the family (I am doing a post specifically on options of how to do this tomorrow.)
5. Make a family pledge to do little sacrifices with great love throughout the nine days, promise to make as many sacrifices as you can.
6. Read about martyrs and Saints to bolster your resolve and deepen your faith. ( I am posting a list of suggestions and sources later this week.)
7. Pray that you will have the strength and conviction to die to self and offer all you can to God.
8. Find a family to share your plans with and seek their advice and support throughout the week. Plan a time midweek to pray together and check in with each other to see how each family is keeping up with their pledges.
9. Acknowledge that we are weak and imperfect, this will be hard and we may falter along the way. If that happens, pray a prayer of repentance and begin again.
10. Remember to thank the LORD for all your great blessings and the opportunity to pray and fast for our world.

I hope you are having a blessed week. If you have any other suggestions, please share. I love to hear from my readers. God bless!

St Michael the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, oh prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl around the earth, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Forming a Battle Plan

For those of you on Facebook, you have seen this prayer request below already, but I am posting it for everyone else, because great prayer is needed.

This Sunday, September 20th begins the International Week of Prayer and Fasting.  It is our opportunity to do battle with the evil and darkness of this world.  Throughout this week, I am going to post suggested family activities for this important week.  I apologize in advance for this lackluster post, though, I am still without a laptop and attempting to do this via my Kindle, but God is good.

I struggle often with how much to tell my children about the true character of the world.  I do not want them to grow up thinking everything is rose colored and everyone is a saint; however, I can remember being exposed to more than I was emotionally ready to handle and still struggle with those little losses of innocent.  They know that there are Christians being mistreated and killed that need prayer, but the graphic and heinous nature of the actual news reports is more than even I can truly comprehend and process.

I choose to expose the children to the world and its flaws through the lives of saints.  There are so many of our holy friends who have suffered greatly.  However, when presented through a story of a greatly devoted lover of God, seeing what this cold, broken human race is capable of is uplifting instead of degrading.  Even still, it amazes me often the saint tales my children can listen to and not be frightened. I suppose that is the blessing of a child like faith. They implicitly trust that God works all things for good and His good and faithful servants are resting happily in Heaven.  Despite all that their saintly heroes have endured, my children long to be saints. I pray that is always true.

Please read, pray over, and share the request below and come back tomorrow for my first post on preparing to do battle as a family of Prayer warriors. Thank you.

PS If you are not following Facebook, please consider doing so, since I am able to post there more frequently. Just search Veils and Vocations and click like. God bless.

Veils and Vocations

Sun · 

This is an urgent prayer request that I just received. Please pray.
Father Ben is a Priest that fills in at our Parish and is from the Maiduguri area in Nigeria, which is located in the state of Borno near the state of Adamawa. Yesterday, he told us that his family and parishioners are in great peril from the Radical Islamists in Nigeria who are targeting and attacking Christians in that area; killing and maiming non-Muslims; kidnapping women and girls as young as 15 and robing them in burkas rigged with explosives-making then human bombs or selling them into slavery. They are taking over Catholic and other Christian churches and using them as bases. Priests and Bishops have fled and along with many of the people there are hiding in the bush, surviving by eating grass and plants.

> Father Ben said that many of his family members-brothers and sisters; nieces and nephews have fled or have been captured as he has no contact with them and has no knowledge of their safety.
>
> Father had talked about his Diocese in the past as one of thriving Catholicism, where people pack the Churches knowing full well that terrorists have in the past and are continuing in to gun down parishioners as they leave and blowing up Churches. He paralleled it to the indifference of the faithful regarding Mass attendance prevalent in America.
>
> Recently we did a fundraising drive to provide for the children in his diocese, many of whom have been orphaned and raised a good deal of money for them. However, because there is a fear that Boko Harum and the Radical Muslims will take over the accounts, that money is being held for those people until it can be channeled to whom it was intended.
>
> Speaking to those who are on the front lines of atrocities like these opens your eyes to the truth. Political correctness, while attempting to show respect for all, only hides the truth. We must call it as it is,or we may all be in peril. In America, we have not yet had to guard against the dangers that they have in Nigeria, but little by little freedoms are being eroded. Freedom of religion; Freedom of Speech-unless you agree with what is popular.
>
> We need to pray for those poor people in Nigeria; the Christians and others in Iraq and Syria under the thumb of the same satan and we need to pray for peace.

Writing through the Grace of God

I have been told that I have "a flare for language", a "talent for writing", a "gift for the word."  For many years, family members and friends have at times "commissioned" a piece of writing from me.  In fact, my grandmother has told me that she has in her will that I must compose a poem for her funeral.  I have tried to explain that it doesn't work that way, that I can't just make myself write.  She will hear none of it, she says that she has it in writing and since it is her final wish, I must obey.  (She is a feisty one!)

However, it is true.  There is nothing that I have written that has come solely from me.  When I have attempted to force the gift, it has failed miserably.  That is because the gift, is not my own, but the LORD's.  I am only His instrument.  I never feel this more acutely than when an entire essay, poem, or story comes to me in an instant, like a stiff breeze blowing into my mind, yet I cannot nor will not write it down immediately.  Try as I may, if I seek to recreate that piece of writing later, I may be able to in some sense, but will never achieve the original level of eloquence and undoubtedly some of my favorite key points will be lost.

It is by the Holy Spirit that I write, it is by His intercession and grace that they words flow.  This past week, I began to wonder if my blessing of this blog had run it's course, if God had already decided that my work was done.  My trusty laptop effectively died, and with great effort I sought other means to compose a post, but it would not be.  I was frustrated, there were readers waiting for my posts, the small band of followers I amassed would seek inspiration elsewhere.  Didn't God know how difficult it is to make any kind of headway in the Catholic blogging world?  I started blogging to evangelize, and now my ministry had been cut short!  But, in my beginnings of devastation of my "lost empire," I forgot the King that I serve.  I had mad it about me, and not about Him.  I was not evangelizing last week in my contrived posts, I was seeking glory, and He knew it!

Today I was blessed with a Day of Recollection with Father Andrew Apostoli.  (If he ever visits anywhere near you, you must go hear him pray and speak).  In the middle of the day was a Holy Hour, my truly favorite institution of the Church.  There is, I believe, nothing more powerful than adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  You have no choice but to be moved and changed simply by being in its presence.  It is a power that defies explanation.

During the Holy Hour, I prayed about many things, but one constant theme was seeking God's will for my life, particularly this blog.  Was this the end?  Should I end my writing, because it was interfering with my sanctification instead of spreading the Good News.  I had become acutely aware of God's Hand in my technical difficulties and was seeking guidance on what He wished me to learn from it.  Then I recognized my sin of pride, this blog is not mine, it is His, as are all my "possessions."  I prayed ardently for the chance to do my mission as set forth by the Father, whatever that would be.  Even knowing that that could mean the end of this much prayed over blog.  However, God not only reveled His wish for me to keep writing, but promised me a post on writing by His Grace.

This was confirmed during the afternoon talk, when Fr. Andrew stated that, "Nothing belongs to you but your sin."  Nothing!  None of this is ours, it has come from dust and to such it will return. When we entered this world, we carried nothing, and when we leave we will do the same.  All that we have and are is but a temporary loan from the God Almighty.  The only piece that comes in with us is Original Sin, and the only part that we take out to judgement is the culpability of our earthly transgressions.  I have always known this, but it is good to be reminded. In such a possession thirsty culture, the worldliness creeps into every crevice when we aren't looking.

Father Andrew concluded his talks with this admonition.  "Without Christ I can do nothing, but with Christ I can do anything."  Through true humility and devotion to Christ, through sacrifice and faith, all is possible for His glory.  And so, I came to the library, not knowing if this attempt would work, but trusting that God would deliver a post as He promised when it suited His Will best, and here is the post.  Written by my hands, but composed by the spirit.

I am praying to St Joseph for a miracle resurrection of my computer--frivolous I know.  There are people dying for the faith, without food and water and I am praying for a computer.  However, I have asked for it so that I can begin again to use it as a tool for Him.  I had gotten into the habit of praying through the Divine Office online and reading and researching to deepened my faith.  I wish to have this link, so that I can evangelize as God sees fit.  I know that through Christ it can happen, but without His blessing even the most amazing of machines is rendered useless. 

I have more ideas of what I wish to write, but I lay them at the feet of Jesus and wait for His timing to coming.  I ask for prayers for me and my computer so that I can continue to reach all the ends of the Earth as I feel God has asked me to do.  If you are at any of those ends, please pray for me.  God bless you all, and I will continue to pray for each of you, as God's humble servant.  Let thy Will be done!

A Peak at Our Little Oratory

I am finally getting to post some pictures of our (very) little oratory.  Our wall space is incredible limited and there was no where to put an additional table, so I decided to get a small shelf for the kitchen and turn that into an oratory.  I contemplated rearranging furniture once more to squeeze in "just one more thing" but I think after doing that for eight years, I have truly exhausted every nook and cranny.  So, a shelf it was.  Then came the debate of where to put the shelf. There were a few spots that crossed my mind, but none of them were conducive to congregating as a family and would be awkward to actually use for family prayer.  When it came down to it, the kitchen was the most logical place to put a space for family gathering.

While our kitchen is large compared to our home (it is nearly 25% of the house) it is a very busy spot. It serves as our kitchen, dining room, school supply closet, classroom, arts and craft workshop, sewing area, laundry, office, and play space.  It is a rare occasion that no one is in the kitchen.  That made it challenging to place the oratory here, because I could not use too much of the already much used space. However, it also made it very special to have a holy spot where we spend most of our time.

I looked at many items online, and perused Pinterest for ideas of what I wanted.  There were gorgeous oratories and home chapels, so many lovely statues and candles, prints that were so moving I wanted to cry; but then I realized that sowing the seeds of envy is never a profitable crop. So, I stopped looking and started looking at what I already had--which is much, we are truly blessed!

Above is a picture of our oratory in progress.  In the bottom right corner is the pile of Morning Meeting books.  I hope to find a basket for them soon!  Out of everything pictured, I only purchased the shelf and linen cover at thrift stores for a grand total of $1.  I really see finding what I need at thrift stores or for free as God's provision and providence.  Sure, it must be wonderful to open a catalog, enter a store, or visit a shrine and just buy what you want; but to have God place exactly what you are looking for and need right in front of you for a price you can easily afford is a great blessing and miracle. I am infinitely more grateful that I am blessed with the second scenario.

The "linen" is actually a cotton handkerchief. I still need to iron it (I know Auntie Leila would not approve, but I am a most lackluster presser and thought it probably would look better if left alone;)  The Marian statue was given to me by Cowgirl for Easter one year. I'm not even sure where she picked it up but, it is just perfect for this.  The small crucifix came from the back table at church.  On one of the tables in the atrium, people drop off religious items that they do not need. I have always been blessed to find so many of the little devotional items I am searching for right there on that table. God is good!  The St Micheal and St Joseph prayer cards we already had.  They are special saints for our family, so I decided to take them out of our collection for display. The Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart card was put out with the bulletins one week after Mass, just as I was considering how to obtain some pictures of both. God is very good!  Lastly, the cross was picked up at a book exchange held at a friend's home.  It ties in perfectly.

Our CSA allows us to pick flowers and herbs at the farm each weekend. Cowgirl and I have enjoyed this immensely.  So, I found a small vase on our bookshelf and have been replenishing the flowers each week. I have already found some silk flowers in my craft stash to use for winter months.  I will miss the beautiful pinks, oranges, and yellows of our farm flowers, though.

The Bethlehem Crafters visit our church each Advent with heavenly, hand-carved, olive wood pieces from the Holy Land. We always try to support their efforts and the Christian community that the profits benefit.  However, hand-carved, olive wood is a bit out of our budget.  So, we have made an effort to put some money aside in the fall and pick up a small piece, often for gifts for others.  Two years ago, my husband bought this lovely candle stick for us.  It is truly a prized possession. I am hoping that this year, we can buy a matching mate.  The candle in the holder is one that we made out of beeswax for Candlemas.  The children really enjoyed rolling the candles and decorating them as well.  (This one is not decorated but some of the others have red wax designs).  We have started lighting the candle during our St Michael Prayer and Psalm at the end of each Morning Meeting.
We also light a candle in that holder for special feasts, as part of our Advent wreath, and when we have a special prayer request.

Future Plans

The oratory is still evolving as I have time and resources to work on it.  I still have not gotten any of the icons up because I need to purchase frames.  That is my next step in this venture. Of course, I need to narrow down the icons to two---this may take awhile.  

After that, I really hope to get a small print or icon for each of the children's patron saints.  I would hang them in a line above the icons. This past spring, I purchased prints from Portraits of Saints as Confirmation gifts.  Everyone enjoyed them and I was awestruck by their beauty and detail. I will probably get a prayer card of each saint and then mat it to fit into a 4 x 6 frame.  They have such beautiful art work, it is nearly impossible to pick just one item. 

I also am thinking of incorporating a hook for some liturgical ornaments inspired by Jennifer at Catholic Inspired.  I have not gotten to make any of these ornaments, but I really like the idea.  I first need to figure out a place to store the ornaments and buy some felt. I encourage you to follow her series, she and her daughter have been cranking out a couple a week for many of the feast days the past couple of months. The birth of Mary is my favorite so far!

For awhile now, the children and I have discussed creating mini vestments to hang on a wooden cross like Jessica did a few years ago.  Next time we are near Hobby Lobby, I am going to pick up a standing wooden cross.  I still have not decided if I will make the vestments out of felt or fabric.I do have plenty of craft glue, trim, and ribbon though.  I'm also debating between the Ordinary form and traditional Latin versions of vestments. So many decisions!  Perhaps we will just make both!  (LOL)





Finally, I hope to add holy water to our oratory.  We have a couple of fonts already in the home, which I confess, I am poor at remembering to fill. So, I have not decided if we will just keep a small bottle of it there or place an additional font.  We already have a very pretty Our Lady of Lourdes bottle that we fill at church, so that would be the most economical way to go. I hope to add blessing each child to the end of Morning Meeting.  Oh, and I am going to get battery operated tea light candles from Dollar Tree the next time I am there AND remember what I am looking to buy!My thought is that if someone has a special prayer intention, they can "light" one of the tea lights and place it on the shelf for the day.

How are your oratories coming along?

Proverbs 31 Catholic Woman--the Femine Genuis

I stumbled upon this series on the Proverbs 31 Woman written from a Catholic perspective and had to share.  The first weeks of school has led to a backlog of work, so I as I pull together a post for tomorrow, please check out this series of posts.  Catholic Sistas is a great site for all Catholic women with a wealth of information and encouragement.  See you tomorrow!

 

While you are on the web, check out Shower of Roses.  Jessica is just wrapping up seven giveaway posts in seven days!!!!  An awesome feat with a birthday and first week of school thrown in.  Most of the giveaways have closed but there are still one or two open.

Getting Spiritually Fed on a Mom Budget

I am not one to say, "Time is money."  However, money and time do have a lot in common, for one thing, they are both finite resources.  You must budget because once they run out, it's over.  There are only 24 hours in a day and there is no way to change that.  While you could work a couple more hours or pick up a side job to earn some extra money, there is no way to earn extra hours of the day.  As a mom, time is even more precious.  Our time is not our own and so we must seek good resources that will nourish our soul and still fit into our time constraints.  Below are seven quick takes to get you fed spiritually, and just to make sure they are easy on your financial budget, too, they are all free!

 

1

YouTube is a very underutilized resource for spiritual growth.  While not everything on YouTube is acceptable, nor recommended; there is much that can help in your walk of faith. The best, quick resource is the collection of Father Barron videos from Word on Fire.  each video is only a few minutes long, but inspiring and informative.  If you have a bit longer, check out Scott Hahn's talks, which are usually under an hour. Just have a notebook ready, Mr. Hahn is a very well read and knowledgeable man, he has so much information to share.

2

 Catholic apps allow moms to access great teaching and inspiration on the go.  If you have five minutes to spend while picking up or dropping off the kids you can read the daily Mass readings, find a favorite prayer, read the current Catholic news stories, or even learn about the life of a saint.   My favorite is Catholic Companion, but there are many more.  Most are free, but if you have a bit of money to spend, check out this beautiful Divine Office app.

3

E-books have the advantages of not cluttering up your home, costing significantly less, and usually being shorter reads than print published books. Grab your favorite e-reader and check out the collections of free reads from the Catholic eBook Project, St Patrick's Basilica, and Two Hearts Network. 

4

EWTN is a wonderful ministry that has touched millions of lives.  Even if you so not have cable, you can watch it's beautiful and uplifting programming. Just visit the "watch live" tab on the homepage and stream the programs in real time.  It is also possible to stream EWTN radio. You can also download the EWTN app to watch the programs via wi-fi on the go.  I hope to get back into this routine, my children and I really enjoy many of the family programs, we just often forget to tune in at the correct times.  If you can't watch live, there are an number of programs available on the EWTN YouTube channel.  

5

 Catholic blogs are a great support network for mothers and I have highlights many of my favorites in past posts.  Another one I would recommend is CatholicMom.com

I have really enjoyed being able to follow my favorite blogs through Facebook, it floods my news feed with positive messages and helps me keep up with all of them, even if I don't always get to read every post.  

6

Have a bit of faith and inspiration delivered to your Inbox or cellphone.  Join Flocknote to receive a "daily tidbit of Catholic faith" everyday through email.   The Knights of Columbus also offer "My Catechism Day by Day."  There are also a number of Bible SMS services that will text a bible verse to you.  I have subscribed to one of these and it is always nice to get a message with a biblical verse, usually comes just when I need it, too.  I have not been able to find a solely Catholic service, however.  I also encourage you to join JoyNotes and receive joyful and uplifting letters each week from the Poor Clares in Spokane, WA.

7

Go to church!  All of the high-tech, modern devices are wonderful and having a library of spiritual books is lovely but really to get grounded in God, we must spend time with Him.  Stop into your church for a few quiet moments, visit an adoration chapel for even fifteen minutes, take a Sunday afternoon walk at a shrine, or work it out with your husband to let you show up alone a bit early or stay a little later for Sunday Mass.  Spending some quiet, prayerful moments will draw you closer to the LORD and refresh your soul.

For more ideas, visit my Pinterest board for Moms.

A Hijacked Pretty-Happy-Funny-Real

So, I had planned on posting a new {p,h,f,r} with Auntie Leila, since it has been a whole month since I have. Where does time go?  However, it seems God has other plans, since I cannot get my pictures to load and something has just come through my news feed that I must share!  So here is an unconventional, but important {p,h,f,r} post.

Pretty

 

On September 20th at the beautiful Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, there will be a "kick-off" event for the International Week of Prayer and Fasting.  All Catholics are asked to pray, fast, give, adore, repent, and attend Mass during this week for the conversion and defeat of ISIS.  Please join in.  The Basilica's website has information as well as the official IWOPF website and this article from Zenit.

Happy

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I am happy that attention is being brought to the need for prayer in this crisis.  I have been dismayed with my home parish for the past month with what seems to me a complete disregard for what is going on.  Here are some resources to help you get the most out of this week:

Live the Fast offers fasting kits of fresh, ancient grain breads and support for those who fast and how to fast effectively.  

If you do not know when and where confession is offered in your area, consult Mass Times. Remember also, that most priests will allow you  to schedule a time for confession if you cannot make it to their normal hours. 

If you cannot find a church that offers adoration during the week or are unable to get to church.  Savior.org hosts an online perpetual adoration for all.   

There are many funds looking for donations for the Iraqi Christians.  I am not comfortable giving t most.  You are free to give to whomever you want, but please do a bit of research and make sure it is a legitimate fund.  Much of the money used for this assault by ISIS was raised through fraudulent charities that were meant to help Iraq's orphans.  Knights of Columbus have their own fund and is where I plan to give. 

Funny

There really isn't much that is funny about this situation, I only find it funny that the Catholic community in America seems so silent.  Why aren't we raising our hands and voices, crying for help for these people?  Why are parishes not holding prayer vigils and offering extra times for adoration?  why do we seem so indifferent?  To be clear, this is not an isolated incident, it is an on going genocide and it is not relegated just to Iraq.  ISIS and groups like it are targeting and "cleansing" out Christians in many parts of the world.  The latest I have heard about is in Africa where a Catholic radio station was shut down and people were driven from their homes.  We are not only accountable for what we do but what we fail to do, and that is no laughing matter.

Real

 source

The threat to Christians is real.  If you do not know the full scope of what is going on, please read the following articles.  It is real, these are real people, these are real mothers losing children and real children being slaughtered.  This is real suffering and we are called to ease the suffering of the "least of these."  Please pray and fast and cry out to the LORD, but most importantly share these concerns and prayer requests with all you know.  We must not be silent any longer.  

Iraq Crisis Worst Persecution since the Holocaust  

ISIS beyond anything we have seen 

Iraqi TV Host Cries of Air over ISIS

Purging by ISIS  

Christian Persecution Info

Sudan Church Demolished