Beautiful Prayers

Every Choir practice I attend begins and ends with a prayer. Tonight's ending prayer was very nice. Our leader just finished practicing the last song with us, and continuted to play the music as we stood in prayer. There's something beautiful and touching about saying a prayer and our intentions while soft church music is playing.

Occasionally, we do this just after we sing the "Our Father" at Mass on Sundays. The music keeps playing softly as the priest says a blessing. After the blessing we continue singing, "For the kingdom, the power ... "

These things are wonderful spiritual experiences. You just want it to continue on forever. Each time I encounter this I feel myself growing. Music and prayer - the perfect way to worship God.

The Miraculous Prayer

We pray often. God is always listening to us. However, there is a special prayer given to us by Our Lady - the Holy Rosary. Just the make-up of the Rosary makes it special. We include the prayer Jesus taught us so long ago( The Our Father - Matthew 6 9-13), and we use lines from the Bible about Mary: "Hail Mary full of Grace. The Lord is with You."(Luke 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Luke 1:42).

I try to make a habit of praying the Rosary everyday, but I often fall short. When I do, I'm always filled with peace. Many times when I am upset, I am filled with the deepest sense of peace by the time I finish this prayer. This is true especially after an argument with a family member. The Rosary has helped me focous on what was important in life, not who is wrong or right. It is an amazing feeling. I've often felt that I had been consoled by my mother. I guess that's true. I was being consoled by my Heavenly Mother, who not only made me feel better, but instilled a little wisdom along the way. Pray the Rosary...you'll be glad you did!

Judge Not

Today I saw someone who was just pulled over by the police --probably a routine traffic stop. I thought to myself, "What a way to start the day." Thoughts were running through my head. The first thought was about the driver of the car. I thought how he should have followed the traffic rules. Then I thought more about that. The first thought was true, however we are also told not to judge each other.

Something inside told me this man needed some prayers. I wondered what this guy's life was like. Was he rushing off to work? Did he just not see the stop sign? Was this the first event in a really bad day? I decided that no matter what the situation is, even if the man intentionally broke the traffic law, that I should offer him a prayer. Maybe the prayer would help this man have a better day or make him see the need for traffic laws.

As we drove by, I said a silent Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory Be with the intention to help this man have a better day. Somehow in my soul I knew these prayers would be answered. Even though I wouldn't be able to see the results of my prayers, I knew in my heart that I helped make this man's day a little brighter. That alone filled up my heart with joy. I found a way to change my heart from a judging one to a praying one.

January 6: The Feast of the Epiphany

One of my favorite parts of Christmas (other than the birth of Jesus) is the feast of the Epiphany. That is when the Wise Men visited Jesus in the manger. It's an amazing story of faith, wisdom and adoration. As the Wise Men were not Jews, the story also represents how Jesus was sent here for the Gentiles as well. He came here to save us all. It's up to us to accept it or not.

All Hope Is Not Lost

My husband took me and the girls out to breakfast this morning. There's a cute diner that we visit sometimes. Today we were seated at a nice booth. The diner was all dec'd out with Christmas decorations, garland, santas, winter themes. Then I saw something wonderful. On the ledge directly behind our booth was a lovely Nativity Scene.

A few years ago many people would expect that. But with all the efforts by others to erase God from our country, seeing a Nativity scene in a public place other than Church is rare anymore. It warmed my heart to see it. This gives me hope that there are still people in this world who always will love and respect God - whether it's a popular decision or not. This was just the message of hope I needed this week.

What a Blessing Written June 6, 2008

Every morning, I walk my daughters to their Catholic school, then visit the church for the 8:00 mass. The other day on the way to school we saw a small dog wandering without a leash. It was evident he was a lost dog, and when he approached me I checked his tags. I was caught in a dilemma. Do I find the dog's home and make the girls late? I couldn't leave him there in good conscience due to the risk of him being hit by a car.
A few neighbors on their way to church approached us and helped. One neighbor in particular offered to sacrifice her mass that day and help the dog.
I was grateful, but also felt guilty. To miss Mass - especially if you were really looking forward to it- can be a let down.
So as soon as I dropped the girls off, I went into church and prayed for my neighbor. I asked God to bless her - to double any blessings she would have received from today's Mass.
A priest visiting our parish was the celebrant. When it came time for Holy Communion, he offered not only the host, but the wine as well. In my experience the Church only distributes the wine on certain occasions such as Holy Thursday. I had recently asked an expert friend of mine about this very issue.
I think about that day often and always wonder: Was that God's way of showing his approval of my prayer for my neighbor?
God is always with us and He speaks to us in more ways than one. I felt very blessed that day. May all of you experience many blessings as well.

It's Only $1.49 Written May 28, 2008

That's what someone told me last night. He was referring to the magnet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which I bought yesterday. When I took it out of the bag, I noticed there were two magnets. I checked the receipt and saw that they only charged me for one. There was that voice in my head that told me it was only $1.49 and nobody would miss it. But still, it wasn't honest to keep it and not pay for it.
When I told my family where I was going, I was questioned on why I would go all the way back to the store to pay $1.49. The truth was I just didn't feel right about keeping something I didn't pay for.
So I brought my daughter with me ( she is 6 and loves Jesus with all her heart. She loves the religious store.) When I went to the cashier, she was shocked, but happy that we returned and paid.
I gained more than a magnet for my $1.49. Even though the trip was out of our way and an inconvenience, I gained a free conscience. I taught my children that honesty is important - no matter how big or small the element is in question.
I've often prayed that my children will grow up and continue the Catholic morals I'm teaching them now. I'm sure by being a positive example, as described above, will help that mission.