Divine Mercy Novena...Pray With Us!!!

Today is Good Friday. It marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum and "day 1" of the Divine Mercy Novena.

for the history of this image click here.

My Mr and I have a great devotion to The Divine Mercy Message (as revealed to St. Faustina). In college, we were blessed to be able to visit the Divine mercy shrine in Poland (!!!) and St. Faustina's tomb. Several years later, we were engaged before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in the Mother-house of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (an order of priests dedicated to spreading the devotion of Divine Mercy). We were married by a friend and priest (Fr. Mark) from the same order. And at the tail end of our honeymoon we visited the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA.

These days, we TRY to remember to say a short prayer during the 3 o'clock hour each day (for the souls in most need of God's mercy) and we also love to sing the divine mercy chaplet together as we put our littles to sleep at night. This year we will be praying the Divine Mercy novena as a family and would love for you to join us!

Our Lord asked St. Faustina to prepare for the feast of Divine Mercy (the Sunday following Easter) with nine consecutive days of prayer for souls. On each day of the novena we are asked to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for a different group of souls:

Day 1: All mankind, especially sinners

Day 2: The souls of priests and religious

Day 3: All devout and faithful souls

Day 4: Those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus

Day 5: Souls who have separated themselves from the Church

Day 6: Meek and humble souls and the souls of little children

Day 7: Souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy

Day 8: Souls detained in purgatory

Day 9: Souls who have become lukewarm


I can remember praying this novena with my family each year as I was growing up and am so looking forward to starting this devotion in our home.

Resources:

• To listen to the chaplet (in song) click here. NOTE: I could not find the version that we usually pray but I think you can download it off of the MIC's website. I'll edit this post to include it in the next couple of days.
  
• For instructions on how to pray the chaplet, and for more information on the history and devotion, click here.
• For daily prayers of the novena click here.
• If you would like daily prayer reminders by E-mail, sign up here.

"Those who sincerely say ‘Jesus, I trust in You’ will find comfort in all their anxieties and fears."

 "There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God."

—Shrine of Divine Mercy in Cracow, Poland on June 7, 1997

Happy Feast of the Annunciation!

"26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her".

 
- The Gospel according to Saint Luke, Chapter 1

Have a Blessed and Happy Feast Day!

Celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph - Prayer, Craft, and Song

Happy Solemnity of St. Joseph!

Today I am praying for my beautiful son on his feast-day, for my holy, humble, and heroic husband who strives to follow the example of this blessed Saint each and every day, for my wonderful father and father-in-law, and for all of the other holy men in my life. I am so thankful for each and every one of you, and am a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, and woman because of your presence in my life.

 

This is my favorite prayer to this beautiful and blessed man:

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God. I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.

Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls - Pray for me. 

Taken from the Pieta Prayer Book

*This prayer was found in the fifteenth year of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In 1505 it was sent from the Pope to Emperor Charles when he was going into battle. Whoever shall read this prayer or hear it or keep it about themselves, shall never die a sudden death, or be drowned, poison shall not take effect on them; neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy; or shall be burned in any fire, or shall be overpowered in battle.

Here are a couple of ideas that you can use with your littles to celebrate today's Solemnity (and if they're too late for today, remember that the whole month of March is dedicated to this beautiful Saint. Or you can re-visit this post on May 1 for the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker):

Craft Ideas: 

1. Sacred Space:

Today we are going to change up our sacred space by placing an icon of St. Joesph in the center and adding a bouquet/vase of lilies (see craft below)...adding a hammer, a piece of wood, and a square would be neat too. 

2. Paper Roll Doll Craft:

We are going to make St. Joesph, Mary, and Jesus (the boy) dolls using paper and toilet paper rolls. Learn how here.

3. Hand-print Lily Craft: 

Last but not least we're making this awesome lily craft. The lily is a sign of virginity in the Church and St. Joseph is often depicted holding one. Get step by step instructions (with pictures) on how to make a St. Joseph lily here.

Song Idea:

This song was taught to me and my siblings when we were young, by my beautiful mother, who in turn learned it from  the sisters at her grade-school. Today I am thrilled to pass it along to my littles. I guess you could call it a family tradition!

St. Joseph the Carpenter

St Joseph was a carpenter, a carpenter, a carpenter,

and Jesus used to watch him hammer, hammer all day long

And Jesus learned to hammer too, to hammer too, to hammer too,

And he could make a table or a little chair for you

It really was not hard at all, not hard at all, not hard at all,

For God who made the lovely world to make a chair or two

 (author unknown)

I'll have to post a video with the melody...to find the time...if only.


PAX,

b

P.S.

If you'd like to read a beautiful little commentary on St. Joesph and the men in our lives hop over to Sarah's blog and read her post.

Survival

It is St. Patricks Day! As an Irish woman (well...1/4) I LOVE to celebrate this day with dancing, listening to Irish music, reading books about St. Patrick, telling Irish tales, singing Irish songs, making and eating Irish food, drinking Irish drinks, and on and on...

...alas. Yesterday, this mama was bitten by a bug, and today, this mama is sick. Today this mama is on survival mode...which means...

I'll be taking some of this...

 drinking some of this...

with this...

I'll be eating lots of these...

...and lots of this...

 I'll be using one of these...

and a lot of these...aaachoo!...

And we'll all be watching a LOT of movies.



As I was thinking about the dismal day ahead of me I had a thought...today I have a very unique opportunity to unite my "suffering" to the cross of Christ.

And so today, as I face all the difficulties ahead of me, know that I offer them up for you and your intentions.


Have a blessed and happy St. Patrick's Day!


"Lord God, our strength and salvation, put in us the flame of your love and make our love for you grow to a perfect love which reaches to our neighbor."
-taken from today's Office of Readings

Trading Spaces...

Today it is time for our green cloth to make way for...

 purple...


                              These are a couple pictures of our Lenten sacred space...

What is a sacred space? In our home it is a place where we gather for prayer. We usually have it decorated with the color of the liturgical season, candles, and also display a picture that goes along with that season/day of the year (for example, on a particular saint's feast day we may trade out the main picture for a picture of that saint). We also go through all of our books and pull out any that have anything to do with the season we are celebrating and also any special feast days within each given month...you can see my book bins peeking out below the table.

Let the journey begin! (Can you tell I'm a little excited about Lent?)


Have a blessed Ash Wednesday!

"Make few resolutions. Make specific resolutions. And fulfill them with the help of God."

~ St. Josemaria Escriva

Lenten Ideas for Littles

When I was in college, studying to be a teacher, I remember almost every one of my professors saying, at one time or another, that "Great teachers are excellent thieves".

What does this have to do with Lent?

Well, what was meant by that phrase is that as a teacher, in most circumstances, one does not have to come up with brand new ideas...the majority of the time, one has only to look at what another has already thought up and tweak it to ones liking. I decided to take my professors' word for it and become a "thief" of ideas.

That being said, I have "stolen" a fair number of these ideas for lent from others. The ideas listed below are not a conclusive list of every great idea I have come across, but merely the things that my Mr and I will incorporate into our home this Lenten season to use with our littles (specifically our 2 and 3 year old).

#1. Liturgical color wheel Craft (Sun/Mon before Lent)
Idea: Talk to your littles about the liturgical seasons and the significance of the liturgical colors. Explain that we are currently  in "ordinary time" but in the next couple of days we will be beginning the season of lent. Make a separate wheel for each child and let them turn the wheel to the appropriate season (this is something you can re-visit each day/week before going to mass - explain that the priest will be wearing purple, the altar will be decorated in purple, etc and them point out the colors and talk about their meaning when you get there)

(What exactly DO the liturgical colors symbolize/mean? Find out here.)

  

     This wheel is quite simple...perfect for little ones (bottom piece)

     

(top piece)

(click to enlarge)

                                                                      

This wheel is a little more elaborate and more appropriate for older children. (click to enlarge)

* This idea was originally taken from Catholic Icing, but I can't find the post to link it to. If you find it, let me know!

#2. Salt Dough Crown of Thorns (Tuesday before Lent)
Idea: This is a wonderful visual for littles when explaining the suffering of Christ. Each time your littles perform a good deed (share without being told to, help their siblings or friends, etc...) they get to take out a "thorn" (toothpick) from the crown. When all the thorns have been removed, the crown can be painted gold or decorated as you like, and used as an Easter decoration. Get direction on how to make this craft here.
                             
*This idea was taken from Catholics United For the Faith Website

#3. Merciful Cross (Tuesday before Lent)
Idea: This activity is quite similar to the crown of thorns activity in that it gives a visual reminder to little ones that their actions are directly united to the cross. Instead of pulling a thorn from the crown, your little gets to stick a flower to the cross each time they perform a good deed. I'm planning on making LARGE flowers and a small(ish) cross to make sure it is completely covered by Easter.

*See the original post by Kimberlee over at Pondered in My Heart here.

#4. Lenten Sacrifice Boxes (Ash Wednesday - Fasting)
Idea: Talk about the meaning of sacrifice with your littles. Also talk to them about Jesus' Sacrifice of Love. Have your littles choose a few items/toys to "give up/sacrifice" for Lent and put them in a box. Put the box of   out of their sight until  Easter.

"Good-bye for Lent...see you at Easter!"

                                                      
*See the original post by Lacey over at Catholic Icing here

#5. Stations of the Cross for Littles (to be prayed on the Fridays during Lent)
This is the BEST idea I've seen so far when it comes to praying the stations of the cross with little ones. It even has MANIPULATIVES! (If you haven't noticed...I'm a pretty big fan of manipulatives). You'll have to visit Kimberlee's blog to appreciate just how amazing this really is.
I am not quite sure if my littles are ready for this yet but we're gonna jump right in and give it a try...if it doesn't work this Lent, than it'll be something to look forward to next year.

Stations to color...

...and manipulatives to go with each station! Genius!

*See the original post by Kimberlee over at Pondered in My Heart here.

(I have to say that I just love this woman's blog. She is beautiful, intelligent, a first rate "thief", and oh so CREATIVE!)


#6 The ABC's of Lent
Idea: Make a new Lenten poster/picture each day to go with the "letter of the day". Write the "letter of the day" at the top of the picture, have the littles color the picture, talk about the picture, review the letter sound, and have the littles try to "draw" the letter several times.

Our two little boys are both learning their letter sounds and are VERY excited about letters right now so my Mr and I came up with these earlier this week.

A - Ashes, Alms giving
B - Bread, Blood
C - Cross
D - Divine Mercy
E - Eucharist
F - Fish, Fast
G - Give, Good Shepherd
H - Holy, Hope, Heart
I - I.H.S.
J - Jesus
K - King
L - Love (Jn. 3:16), Last Supper
M - Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene
N - Nails
O - Offering
P - Penance, Prayer
Q - Quiet
R - Repent
S - Sacrifice
T - Twelve Apostles, Tomb (ideas for "t" and "u" were contributed by Caroline, one of my readers)
U - Ubi Caritas (hymn traditionally sung on Holy Thursday)
V - Vinegar
W - Water
X -
Y -
Z -

#7 - Read!
Idea: Read as many age appropriate, Lent/Easter books to your littles as possible! I have listed two that our littles love below. (Please let me know if you have a favorite lent/Easter book...I'm always looking for great books that revolve around the liturgical seasons)

This historically accurate book is an adaptation of the award winning The Very First Easter and fills in the gaps left by other Easter books. It presents a fresh insight into Holy Week and Easter from both the Scriptural and secular contexts. Recommended for ages 4 and under.

Featuring the wonderful illustrations of Tim Jonke, this best-selling children's book tells the Easter story from a new and unusual point of view. Three trees on a mountain dream of what they wanted to become when they grew up. One wants to be a treasure chest, another an ocean-going boat, and the third a signpost to God. Their wishes come true in a way they never expected. Children will be deeply touched as they understand, perhaps for the first time, the significance of Christ's life and his atoning sacrifice on the cross. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

*descriptions taken from christianbooks.com

#8 - Sing
Idea: Sing as many of your favorite Lent/Easter songs with your littles as possible! We have 1/2 hr set aside each day for music time, so we'll just focus this time on songs for the season.


#9 - Pray
Idea: Pray a short morning offering with your littles each morning. We are also going to pray a decade of the rosary with them when they wake and one decade before bed using the rose counters and cards mentioned in this post.

This is the morning offering that we put together and will use with our littles:

Jesus, In my heart I believe in your tender love for me. I love you and give you all my thoughts, words, and actions today.
Amen. 

 


#10 - Plant Seeds/Bulbs
Idea: Flowers/plants are a sign of new life. Plant flower bulbs in a bowl of soil, covering halfway. Leave bowl in a dark closet for two months, keeping soil moist (a process known as forcing bulbs). When shoots appear, let them bask in the sun. Leave one bulb out as a reminder of how they began.
NOTE: If you plant your seeds/bulbs very soon then you will have some beautiful flowers for the Easter season.

#11 - Almsgiving
Make a little box with your littles and cut a slot in the top. Have them collect spare change throughout the week and empty the contents into the collection basket each week, or donate the money to a specific charity of your choice. Explain that they are helping to provide for those less fortunate/those in need.

find these and other ideas here

This sums up the main ideas that we'll be using at our house this lent. I hope that you'll be able to use some of them with your littles too!

It Begins With Ashes...

Ashes are a mark of penance, mourning, and mortality. For Catholics, on Ash Wednesday, they are a public sign that we have begun a journey towards conversion of heart. (What do ashes mean? Find out here).

I don't know about you, but taking a journey once a year that focuses on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving does my soul good. The idea of "spiritual self improvement" is refreshing. I know that the forty days of Lent ahead of us will be difficult at times, but in the end I hope that our individual journeys will lead us to a joyous and blessed Easter season.


In the next couple of days I will share our family Lenten resolutions with you (including lots of ideas for little ones). Stay tuned.

Praying the Rosary with the littles - Part II (How to Make Fabric Roses)

Here is a picture tutorial showing the steps I took to make the fabric rose counters mentioned in this post. It is really quite a simple project that is not so simple to explain so hopefully these pictures will give you a good idea of how to put them together. If you have any questions please feel free to write them in the comments at the bottom of this post and I'll try to respond promptly.


Step #1: Select and purchase fabric. Hint: For this project a thin cotton fabric is by far the easiest to work with. (I chose a two-toned red for added dimension. Almost all fabric comes on a bolt and is the same width so all you have to know is that for each rose you will need 2.5 inches of fabric. At the store I purchased mine, they required that I buy at least 8in. of each kind. So I purchased 8 in of the white fabric (this made 3 Our Father roses) and 12.5 in of the red fabric (this made 9 Hail Mary roses). This entire project cost me under $5.00(!)...which was less than I would have spent on yarn or cheap artificial roses).


Step #2: Mark lines on the backside of the fabric every 2.5 inches and cut along each line.

  

 Step #3: Fold one strip of fabric in half and pin all along the rough side (I prefer to place the pins perpendicular to the needle/thread path).

 Step #4: Using a running stitch, sew all the way across the rough side of the fabric.

Step #5: Pull your needle/thread to make the fabric "scrunch" a bit and then tie off and snip the thread.

Your strip should now look something like this.

 Step #6: For defined petals, sew perpendicular lines (to your original tread path), every 2 inches, all the way across the strip.

Can you see those petals?

Step #7: Start to wrap the petals around themselves and sew the bottom as you wrap (I use what I call a whip-stitch...I'm not sure what it is actually called).

 Step #8: Bravo! You've made your first rose! Give yourself a pat on the back and know that Our Lady is smiling upon you.


Here are some of the roses in our basket...

 I can't wait to get started on a yellow set for my "nearly two" and a pink set for my God-daughter!

I picked up this heart shaped basket from our local Goodwill for 99 cents! I think it is just perfect for our roses.

Our offering of love

I'll leave you with the following two quotes...


"I call upon all believers, all Christian families, all the sick, the elderly, and especially the young, to once more take up the Rosary in your daily lives. May this appeal of mine not go unheard."
                                                                                            -Pope JPII Letter on the Rosary

This image of Our Lady of the Rosary is the painting that Blessed Bartolo Longo obtained in Naples for the people of Pompei on November 13, 1875.

“O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain which unites us to God, bond of love which unites us to the angels, tower of salvation against the assaults of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck, we will never abandon you. You will be our comfort in the hour of death: yours our final kiss as life ebbs away. And the last word from our lips will be your sweet name, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompei, O dearest Mother, O Refuge of Sinners, O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted. May you be everywhere blessed, today and always, on earth and in heaven”. 
                                                                                                  -Blessed Bartolo Longo