Category Archives: prayers

CCD, Confession, Faith Formation, freebie, holy ghost, holy spirit, Penance, prayers, printables, Teaching Religion

Come Holy Ghost, Enlighten My Mind {Printable}

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I have the privilege of teaching CCD to a group of ALL boys this year.  As we get closer to First Penance, Father wanted me to teach them this special prayer he loves.  It is a prayer to help them as they examine their conscience and it goes like this:
“Come Holy Ghost , enlighten my mind, strengthen my will, that I may know my sins, be truly sorry for them, and humbly confess them.”
Isn’t it just beautiful? So the printable I created has five pages, here are the instructions for all five of them {though they are pretty obvious}.  What I did was print the first page as a cover page and the additional four front and back to save on paper, then I stapled them on the left hand side like a little book:
1. Cover Page, to color.
2. Page 1, to trace the prayer and color.
3. Page 2, to color and practice the prayer.
4. Page 3, to color in the picture and also the bubble letters.
5. Page 4, to practice the prayer and also copy it on the lines.
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advent, Arma Dei, Blog Carnival, christmas, Equipping Catholic Families, Keeping Christ in Christmas, prayers, Truly Rich Mom

Keeping Christ in Christmas Blog Carnival

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“I’m co-hosting in the Keeping Christ in Christmas Blog Carnival, along with Tina from Truly Rich Mom and Monica from Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families. We’ll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Jesus as the Reason for the Christmas season. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.”


Before even thinking about Christmas, as a Catholic we must first take the time to properly prepare for this wonderful Feast Day, the birth of our Savior.  Understanding Advent and it’s purpose within the liturgical year and our domestic church (our homes) is vital in truly living out and preparing for His holy birth and properly keeping Christ in Christmas. It’s interesting that we only think of these things during Lent, while this to the human mind is understandable as one is the birth, a joyous occasion, and the other is the death, synonymous with sadness.  Nevertheless Advent should be practiced much like Lent in many ways.  This is another excellent opportunity for us to grow in holiness.  So by keeping a Christ-centered focus this Advent, we must reflect on three things when seeking sanctification: 

1.  voluntary amendment of life,
2.  acts of penance, and
3.  works of charity.  

So what are some examples of these three things?  
By voluntary amendment of life I mean giving up those things that block you from sanctifying grace, namely the bad habits that surround us all the time and we have a hard time breaking.  The goal is to get rid of this habit for good.  I would begin by going to doing an thorough examination of conscience and then heading to Confession regarding this and if you are able to, to Communion.  The graces you receive from these beautiful Sacraments will help us in our goal to amend our lives. Here are Fr. Z’s 20 Tips For Making A Good Confession o{]:¬)  Dare I say to also replace these things with good things like participation in the rich traditions of our faith like: 
Next is acts of penance.  By this I mean to perform some kind of penance, the little things that will help strengthen your will in saying NO to some small items, like lets say giving up chocolate, or soda.  Minor acts that help you with bigger temptations.  You may or may not resume these acts after Advent but this little exercise of giving this little thing up helps you in the long run to avoid temptations.
Lastly, is works of charity.  This is really important in our Catholic faith as we must do good and holy actions for others to strengthen our relationship with the Christ Child and Holy Mother Church.  Christ gave us a prime example of the need for works by His actions while here on earth.  These are great ways to start actions that might become good habits in the future (beyond Advent and Christmas).  In our home we reinstated the daily family Rosary, going to Mass as often as possibly, spending more time focused on our children and less socializing, reading and celebrating the feasts of the saints (Advent is particularly a good time to start this in your homes as there seems to be a slew of popular saints during this time).  On a personal level, I began reading a book about deeper spirituality which will definitely carry over after this liturgical season but will help my spiritual life in the long run.  Part of this could also be to give others that are lonely during this time more of your time, and also sending Christmas cards to those that might not get as many cards as others.  (don’t forget your priests at Christmas either).  Also, donating to charity, your Church or offering Mass intentions for others is a great way to do acts of charity.
The biggest focus or work of charity that our family is going to focus on as a whole is towards the priests involved in the situation in Newton, CT.  Many of the wakes, funerals and burials for both the children and adults of Newtown, CT are being held this week. While many of us are looking for ways to reach out to the this community, prayer is the most powerful way we can help to sustain the victims’ families, the Priests, and the so many loved ones involved in this very difficult time. Our family is offering different prayers for that community specifically for Saint Rose of Lima which is the Catholic Church in Newtown, Conneticut.   So I’m participating this activity as well:

Today, I caught a post going around on Facebook that was written by Father Suarez’s (the pastor there) sister.:

My friends,
All of you, I am sure, have heard so much about the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Many of you have received emails from me about my younger brother, Father Luke Suarez, who is a priest at St. Rose of Lima parish, a Catholic church just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary. He, and his pastor, Monsignor Weiss, arrived at the school within moments of the shooting, and have been caring for the community ever since. The picture I have included was taken at the school.

Father Suarez has an impossible task before him. His diocese is without a bishop right now, and there is very little leadership and assistance from above. Monsignor is older, went through a serious surgery recently, and is personally devastated by the losses. The parish is very large, and parishioners tend to be wealthy and somewhat ill-catechized. The rectory has received serious threats, and as my brother gave the homily Sunday at the noon mass, the church had to be evacuated by SWAT teams. After experiencing identity theft and online hacking incidents, he had to erase all of his internet accounts. After a weekend of endless media requests, notifications and vigils with heartbroken families, and little sleep, he now has two wakes and two funerals every day, until the fourth Sunday of Advent. Father Suarez has not even been ordained two years.

My large family has been trying to send Father Suarez our love and support from afar, and one of my brothers was able to visit with him briefly a couple times. All he asks for is prayer.
I have been wracking my brain, trying to think of a way that our beautiful, loving community could tangibly reach out to Father Suarez, Monsignor Weiss, and the St. Rose parish, to support them in this most awful of times. I have sent many prayer requests, and I am asking for more prayers again. But I also want to ask everyone to search their hearts, and if the Holy Spirit moves you, please consider sending one of your family’s Christmas cards to the rectory, with a few words of love and encouragement.

My brother has said over and over again that without the prayer support he is receiving, he could not keep going. And this week is only the beginning. Everyone there is still in shock. Their peaceful home has been desecrated by violence. They will need to live with this sorrow forever.

But in our weakness is His strength. Grace abounds. Can you help me carry him through this time of trial?

On a hopeful note, Father Suarez did say that no media coverage has even touched the deep, beautiful awakening of faith that has occurred there. Their tiny church, where my children have received sacraments and where Father Suarez was ordained, has been full of people in prayer without ceasing since this tragedy happened. Love is stronger than death.
Please feel free to share the address with your family, friends, and community. An outpouring of love will sustain these good priests through their impossible ministry–impossible on their own, but possible with God.

I am so grateful to live in this community. We are all so blessed with one another. Every day, I see you all loving one another as Christ loved. Thank you for letting me reach out to you now
With humble appreciation,
{name deleted on purpose by me}

As members of the Body of Christ, we join our hearts and prayers to remember our brothers and sisters in Newtown, CT.  In addition, my children will be making snow flakes for the children of Sandy Hook Elementary, the PTSA there will be collecting them until the 12th of January, they want to surprise the children when they get back to school with them.
Please join us in keeping Christ in Christmas by taking the next five days and the week ahead in keeping this focus, remember Christmas ends on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany, so there is still time to put these ideas to practice.  God bless you and keep you in this Advent season.
Blessings,
Erika

Here are the links to the other blog carnival participants. I hope you’ll take the time to visit them and leave a comment on their posts! 🙂 The list will be updated throughout the day, so please do come back and check on them. God bless us all!


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father's day, Holidays, prayers

Father’s Day 2012

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Hope everyone had a great Father’s Day.  Ours was great and very quiet.  We woke up had breakfast then went to Mass.  I can’t get enough of our new parish, it’s a Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) church.  Yesterday they had Confessions during Mass, so I got a chance to right before Communion!  🙂  Then we came home had a great lunch and Dada wanted to nap, so he took a long nice nap.  Once he awoke, we took off to the park and played for about an hour.  We got back home, had supper.  It was quiet but perfect!
This year I created a new one:
What did you do for Father’s Day for your dads?
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Act of Contrition, first communion, First Confession, prayers, Sacraments

First Confession Prep: An Act of Contrition {free printable}

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Do you have a little one receiving Sacraments this year?  We do, two actually!  Our eldest is doing Confirmation and our second son is preparing for First Communion and First Confession this year!  I’m so excited for him, he’s got all his prayers down except the Act of Contrition.  He is an auditory learner but with this one he just can’t get it right.  SO, I made a pictograph poster for him to practice with.  Of course, I’m sharing it with my dear RLS friends! 🙂

A made a PDF file and a PowerPoint Presentation of it.  Enjoy and feel free to pass it around to others.

Click  HERE  for the Act of Contrition printable PDF.

Act of Contrition

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Consecration to the Sacred Heart, God, God's Will, Immaculate Heart of Mary, prayers, St. Joseph

A Simple “Recipe” for Spiritual Happiness

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Do you feel like everything you plan just doesn’t work out?  Looking around and seeing so many people moving forward in life in so many levels but you feel like you’re stuck in neutral?  Do you sometimes feel like you pray, and pray, and pray and maybe God is not listening?  Do you feel like He is punishing you for something you have done in the past?  Do you feel spiritually dry?

We’ve been there and felt that way.  The economy is so bad, so many people out of work, it can get a bit depressing.  But looking back, I remember specific things we did to get out of this and move forward WITH God!  Here is a recipe that worked for us. (DH was laid off 5 times in less than 4 years, so imagine).

Click on picture above
to read this wonderful book!

1. Give all your worries and finances over to God. Trust the HE will provide for you, not you, not your DH.

2. Trust in God’s will for you. Say, “I would love this Lord but I want your Will to be Done not mine.”  (I know this is easier said than done but trust me one you really do ask God for His will not yours, the graces start to fall because you trust the Lord.)  The BEST thing that happened to me was coming across a book by Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri entitled, “Uniformity with God’s Will.”  And if you click on the picture there >>>  you have FREE access to the book 🙂

3. Go to Confession and Mass as often as possible.

4. Keep on praying even if you don’t feel like it.

5. Get your kids to pray for your situation, teach them to say, “Lord let your will be done for our family.” Pray the Rosary as a family.

6. If you can, have your home blessed at least once a year and have your home Consecrated to the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts.

7. Say the Old St. Joseph Novena daily until the perfect job comes.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request & don’t forget to ask for God’s will to be done with your family!)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.  Amen.



8. Don’t be shy to ask family, friends, and even strangers for prayers. (SUPER IMPORTANT)

9. Be thankful for every. little. tiny. thing you have. I was even thankful we had running water, no kidding.

10. Accept the answer God gives you with grace and a smile on your face, sometimes the answer is NO, and not necessarily an unanswered prayer.

It is my hopes in sharing this (and this really is the “recipe” my family used to get out of this cycle) it might help you or someone you know.  God is there the whole time, in the good times and the bad times.

Please leave me a message asking for prayers as I will be praying for you!

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christmas, hyms, O Come Emmanuel, prayers, preparing for the coming of Christ, Veni Veni Emmanuel, vespers O Antiphons

A Hymn and a Prayer: Veni, Veni Emmanuel

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One of my favorite hymns during this time of the Liturgical year is Veni, Veni Emmanuel. The original Latin hymn was taken from Psalteriolum Cantionum, Colgne, 1710. If you are not familiar with the lyrics in Latin, here they are:

Veni, Veni Emmanuel! 
Captivum solve Israel! 
Qui gemit in exsilio, 
Privatus Dei Filio. 
[Refrain:] 
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel 
Nascetur pro te, Israel. 
Veni, O Jesse virgula, 
Ex hostis tuos ungula, 
De specu tuos tartari 
Educ et antro barathri. 
[Refrain] 
Veni, Veni O Oriens! 
Solare nos adveniens, 
Noctis depelle nebulas, 
Dirasque noctis tenebras. 
[Refrain] 
Veni, Clavis Davidica, 
Regna reclude caelica, 
Fac iter tutum superum, 
Et claude vias inferum. 
[Refrain] 
Veni, Veni Adonai! 
Qui populo in Sinai 
Legem dedisti vertice, 
In Majestate gloriae. 
[Refrain] 
Veni, O Sapientia, 
Quae hic disponis omnia, 
Veni, viam prudentiae 
Ut doceas et gloriae. 
[Refrain] 
Veni, Veni, Rex gentium, 
Veni, Redemptor omnium, 
Ut salvas tuos famulos 
Peccati sibi conscios. 
[Refrain] 
Saint’s Faith Blog

Notice that this hymn contains the O Antiphons which are sung or recited at Vespers of the last seven days in Advent.  Each Antiphon is the name of Christ which are mentioned in Sacred Scriptures as Messianic Prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ.. Therefore, “O Come Emmanuel” is a lyrical paraphrase of these antiphons.

The importance of “O Antiphons” is twofold:

  • Each one highlights a title for the Messiah and 
  • each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. 

Let’s now look at each antiphon with just a sample of Isaiah’s related prophecies. Then thre’s another interesting tid-bit, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose, see the first letters of the titles taken backwards form a Latin acrostic of “Ero Cras” (Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia) which translates to “Tomorrow, I will come”, mirroring the theme of the antiphons.

Each one is used on a different day during the last week of Advent as we approach the Nativity of our Lord and Savior.  These are:

  • December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom) 
  • December 18: O Adonai (O Lord) 
  • December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse) 
  • December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David) 
  • December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring) 
  • December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations) 
  • December 23: O Emmanuel (O God is with Us)
ORIGINS:
According to Fr. William Saunders:

“The exact origin of the “O Antiphons” is not known. Boethius (c. 480-524) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence at that time. At the Benedictine abbey of Fleury (now Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire), these antiphons were recited by the abbot and other abbey leaders in descending rank, and then a gift was given to each member of the community. By the eighth century, they are in use in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the “O Antiphons” was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases, “Keep your O” and “The Great O Antiphons” were common parlance. One may thereby conclude that in some fashion the “O Antiphons” have been part of our liturgical tradition since the very early Church.”  (Source:  Catholic Education Resource Center)



Here is the English translation {translated by John M. Neale (1818-1886)}:

December 17, O Wisdom 
O Come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things mightily
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain: 
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
December 18, O Lord and Ruler
O Come, O Come, Thou Lord of might:
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In Ancient times did give the law
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Refrain
December 19, O Root of Jesse
O Come, thou rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust Thy mighty power to save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Refrain
December 20, O Key of David
O Come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home,
Make safe the way that leads on high,
That we no more have cause to sigh.
Refrain
December 21, O Dawn of the East
O Come, Thou Dayspring from on High
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Refrain
December 22, O King of the Gentiles
O Come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the world with heaven’s peace.
Refrain
December 23, O Emmanuel
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain




Readings/Meditations:

O Sapientia (December 17) O Wisdom (Eccl 24: 5), you came forth from the mouth of the Most High (Sir 24: 30), and reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly (Wis 8: 1). Come, and teach us the way of prudence (Isa 40: 14).
O Adonai (December 18) O Adonai or O Lord and Ruler(Exod 6: 13) and Ruler of the house of Israel (Matt 2: 6), you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush (Exod 3: 2), and on Mount Sinai gave him your Law (Exod 20). Come, and with outstretched arm redeem us (Jer 32: 21).
O Radix Jesse (December 19) O Root of Jesse, you stand for the ensign of all mankind (Isa 11: 10); before you kings shall keep silence and to you all nations shall have recourse (Isa 52: 15). Come, save us, and do not delay (Hab 2: 3).
O Clavis David (December 20) O Key of David (Apoc 3: 7) Scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no man closes; you close and no man opens (Isa 22: 22). Come, and deliver him from the chains of prison who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death (Ps 107: 10).
O Oriens (December 21) O Rising Dawn (Zac 6: 12), Radiance of the Light eternal (Hab 3: 4) and Sun of Justice (Mal 3: 20); Come, enlighten those who sit in darkness & the shadow of death (Ps 107: 10; Lk 1: 78).
O Rex Gentium (December 22) O King of the Gentiles(Hag 2: 8), Desired of all, you are the cornerstone that binds two into one (Eph 2: 20). Come, and save poor man whom you fashion out of clay (Gen 2: 7).
O Emmanuel (December 23) O Emmanuel (Isa 7: 14; 8: 8), our King and Lawgiver (Gen 49:10; cf. Ezek 21: 32), the Expected of the nations and their Savior (Isa 33: 22): Come, and save us, O Lord our God.
Activity Source: Original Text (JGM) by Jennifer Gregory Miller, © Copyright 2003-2009 by Jennifer Gregory Miller  {Source: Catholic Culture}



FOR OUR FAMILIES:
I love the idea of reviving the old monastic custom of doing something special on each day before Christmas which is another way to celebrate the “O Antiphons” in the family atmosphere. Here’s a list of blogs or websites with crafts for the O’ Antiphons for some ideas:

O Night Divine


In the Heart of My Home


Waltzing Matilda
Just Another Day in Paradise
Under Her Starry Mantle


Under Her Starry Mantle
By Sun and Candle Light

O Antiphon House
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Chaste guardian of the Virgin, St. Joseph, pray for us!
Our best friends, our guardian angels, pray for us!

Pax Christi,
Erika
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catholic, father's day, father's day prayer, prayers

A Catholic Prayer for Earthly Fathers

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Most gracious Heavenly Father,
We thank you for our earthly fathers,
those to whom you have entrusted the responsibility
to provide loving protection of their families
and guidance of their children.
We thank you, also,
for our priests and bishops,
whose spiritual fatherhood is so vital to the faith of your people.
May our earthly fathers imitate the manly courage of Abraham,
Jesse and Joseph,
and all the holy fathers of the past
in providing wise counsel to the children
you have given to their care.
And may our spiritual fathers be guided
by the examples of Saints Peter and Paul,
all the Apostles and their saintly successors.
Give them valiant faith in the face of confusion and conflict,
hope in time of trouble and sorrow,
and steadfast love for you,
for their families,
and for all your people throughout the world.
Assist all fathers of families,
all spiritual fathers,
and all Christian men,
that through your Grace they may steadily grow in holiness
and in knowledge and understanding of your Truth.
May they generously impart this knowledge to those who rely on them.
As you, our Heavenly Father, so loved the world,
sending your only Son to be our Savior and Redeemer,
we ask you to help all men to imitate His fatherly gentleness
and mercy toward those who are weak;
His humility, perfect obedience to your Will,
and fearless witness to your Truth.
May their lives be examples to all of heroic faithfulness to you.
We ask your blessing on all those to whom
you have entrusted fatherhood.
May your Holy Spirit constantly inspire them with justice and mercy,
wisdom and strength,
fidelity and self-giving love.
May they receive your Grace abundantly in this earthly life,
and may they look forward to eternal joy
in your presence in the life to come.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
your Son and Our Lord.
Amen.
Thank you, my beloved, for being the BEST Father to our beautiful little blessings!  Your love for me is evident in your love for them!  Thank you!
Happy Father’s Day to all Dads who are Raising {& Teaching} Little Saints!

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prayers

Prayers answered…

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I’ve prayed for months about asking for bloggers for RLS, and “ask and you shall receive!” You’ve met Cristina…soon you will be meeting two other Catholic Homeschooling Mamas that will be sharing their journeys with us as well. I’m so excited!!! Can’t wait to have it all ready for you!!! (can you tell how excited I am?) The power of prayer never ceases to amaze me! Thank you, Lord!

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homeschooling, prayers

Prayers Needed….

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Catholic Homeschooling Mommies, join me in praying for Laura Berquist’s husband , Marc, and family as her husband passed this morning on the Feast of All Souls…Please pray for the repose of his soul and the consolation and comfort of his family. Thank you.

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