Tag Archives: prayers

Snow: A Cross or Joy?

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Happy New Year! I hope this new year has started off well for everyone.

Last year, our family kicked off the new year with a new hot water heater – the old one having broken the very last day of 2014. A memorable New Year’s that was! Though it was a bit stressful, in the end it was a blessing to finally have hot, not lukewarm, water on a moment’s notice. It’s the little things in life!

Actually, they say the key to happiness in life is pleasure in the little things. Like today, snow is forecast, which means slippery roads and sidewalks, but it is also a call to slow down in every sense of the word. Take time. Don’t rush, not just on the roads and walkways, but in life. Like stopping to smell the roses, stop to watch the snow fall. This is the season of blanketed fields of white, sweaters and hot cocoa. Sure, we may pine for sunshine and breezy summer days, but those are joys for another day.

snowy road in winter

A call to slow down…

There are joys reserved for us every day. Sometimes they are disguised as crosses, as in the case of snow. It is all about perspective.

The following reflection from Day 3 of the 9 Days for Life Novena was offered on a day when praying for those who long for a child, but it applies to many situations:

It can be very difficult and painful when the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers the way we hope. We may have many doubts and questions, wondering why we face the challenges that we do. Yet even though our suffering is often shrouded in a sense of mystery, we believe that the Lord loves us with great tenderness and compassion that is beyond our imagination. Knowing this, we can trust that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

Whatever your cross is today, we pray that, in this moment as you read this, the Lord will bless you with His peace. May He show you the joy He has reserved for you today. And may we all praise and bless Him for His goodness!

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Happy Thanksgiving

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It is that time of year again!

I love how we have a national holiday to reflect and give thanks for all of our blessings.

I retain mixed emotional memories about Thanksgiving. As a kid, I found it difficult to spend hours at strange relatives’ houses, eating strange food in even stranger shapes and colors, cornered with interrogative questions, and always seeming to elicit a laugh I didn’t understand. But ironically enough, something I always enjoyed was the festive gathering of family from near and far, and the spirit of family. Though it was obvious not everyone always understood one another, love was the bond that brought and kept everyone together.

Coming from a large family has always been among my greatest blessings.

These days, my husband and I are creating new memories and traditions with our own little family. One of my new favorites is attending the Mass on Thanksgiving Day, and offering up special prayers that day. I have found some beautiful Thanksgiving prayers I’d like to share. This year our plan is to pick one to copy out and pray together that day while holding hands and bowing heads, offering thanks to God for all His bountiful gifts. So far, this one is my favorite:

O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen.

The holidays can be difficult for people for many reasons, but I pray that this Thanksgiving and upcoming Advent be a time of reflection, prayer, and peace in our marriages and families.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Credit: Couple to Couple League, Inc.

Credit: Couple to Couple League, Inc.

Prayers for Expectant Mothers

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1-baby shoes-001While devouring a good book (this one actually), I read of the author’s experience with the Blessing for Expectant Mothers, and was reminded of the time we received a special blessing during our first pregnancy.

We approached one of our parish priests and asked if he would mind offering a prayer over us as we were pregnant with our first child. He made us a better offer, and arranged to pray the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb after Mass one day. The Rite is very beautiful. There was more to it than we realized! Though not very lengthy, it contained readings, petitions, and special prayers for the safety and health of mother and child, and prayers for my husband and I as parents. Among all else, it was awesome to be recognizing the beauty and value of our daughter’s life though yet born. The full Rite is available online through the USCCB website, and I’m sure any priest would be happy to bestow this blessing upon your family if asked.

As for individual prayers that could be said anytime and often, I have found a new favorite in this Prayer to St. Anne. Or maybe this Prayer for the Expectant Mother is my favorite. I’m torn:

1-pregnancy-466129-003

When perhaps the Author of Life bestows a gift of life upon you, I hope you find great benefit in praying for your precious child, who will receive many graces and blessings from your heartfelt prayers.

Not to be lost among the expectant and joy-filled hearts, we remember that for some the longing for children and healthy pregnancies is a real living sorrow and cross. Keeping these families in our hearts, below are some prayers I hope are helpful, including a beautiful prayer written by Mother Angelica for those who have experienced a miscarriage (though it also works well for other types of child loss), and prayers for the blessing of a child. May God bless you with comfort and peace.