Pray for Families (From Grumbling to Joyful Acceptance)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Are you a grumbler? Do you find yourself grumbling out loud, under your breath, or in your heart? Why me? Why now? Lord, why? Why! Perhaps grumbling is hereditary. More likely, acquired! But in many ways, it is a natural human response.

No finger pointing here. As much as we try to follow Christ and tell Him we want to conform our life to His, when He does “gift” us a cross, as His Father gifted Him, we don’t always accept it with gratitude and thanksgiving. Yet, Christ shows us the appropriate response.

Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” Mark 14:36

Christ contemplated the will of the Father, understanding that the Father finds sacrifice both pleasing and good. Self-sacrifice takes discipline as well as love for another more than self. Sacrifice produces an eternal good. 

At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

When you find yourself weary from a cross(es), challenge yourself to practice contemplation in lieu of a negative default response. Ask the Lord to help you understand which virtue needs pruning, fertilization, and growth. Then carry that cross with pride, knowing the beauty of your “yes” will bud and blossom, creating new virtues in the garden of your soul.  May these virtues emanate fragrantly, awakening others to a renewed peace as they witness your silent contemplation, acceptance, and joy in the midst of your crosses. May your discipleship be the template by which positive and holy ways are “acquired” throughout your family.  

Let’s pray for one another and each others’ families, that we may become imitators of Christ and true disciples, 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Each step is propagated by prayer! Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (The Image of the Trinity)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Are you ever fascinated by the Lord’s ways? I know I am!  

I’ve spoken often of Satan’s attacks on marriage and the family. Do you understand why he has such animosity?

As explained by St. Augustine, the family is the image of the Trinity.  God is the Father, the Lover. The Son is the Beloved. The love between them is so immense that a third person proceeds from them, the Holy Spirit.

Now think about marriage and family. The husband is the father, the lover. The wife is the beloved, and the result of their love is a child or several children.

Is it any wonder that Satan constantly tries to redefine marriage and family in his image, neither male nor female, sterile, and with an immense love of self?  He  promotes ways that result in over abundant self-love, a lack of child-bearing, and thus seeks to destroy the Trinitarian image of family.  He promotes fear, narcissism, vanity, and anything else that will convince young adults not to have children.  For those already married, he tempts them constantly and manipulates their perceptions to create division.

We are on the battlefield EVERY DAY. Our prayers are a mighty shield against Satan, so stay in the battle!

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. Ephesians 6:10-13 

May your eternal blessings be great!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be a soldier for Christ. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Celebrating like a Valentine)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Many consider Valentine’s Day a time to celebrate love, with dinner, flowers, and chocolate. All those things are wonderful and show you care, but those are the easy actions. Rarely, however, do we hear about the origin of the day, which is named after the valiant St. Valentine. 

One would guess he was a man of great romance and love, who had the ability to make women fall in love with him. But no, that would just be a fantasy. He was a holy priest with a  great and deep love of the truth, which ultimately brought about his demise.  

“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

Emperor Claudius II banned all marriages and engagements in the late 3rd century, thinking that would help him build his military. Valentine, a priest, saw how unjust this was and counter to God’s law, so he secretly performed marriages. That deed was Love personified. While the Emperor ordered Valentine’s execution ending his earthly existence, Valentine did receive an eternal heavenly reward.  

We, like St. Valentine, are called to love as Christ loved, especially in our marriage and in our family. Love is sacrificial (not just a box of chocolates!)

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. John 15:13-14

May your love flourish in your family and in your life.  It is all made possible with prayer, so pray for your family!!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Love until it hurts. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Heavenly Focus)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Blessing of joy to all of you!  

Marriage is a blessing, but during some days/weeks/months, it may not feel that way. When you have doubts, remember who the true bridegroom is and stay the course, recognizing our final destination.

 I will betroth you to me forever: I will betroth you to me with justice and with judgment, with loyalty and with compassion; I will betroth you to me with fidelity, and you shall know the LORD. Hosea 2:21-22

The Lord is the true keeper of your heart, so in love and trust, give it to Him more completely. He will protect it, renew it, and fill it with His love, so that you can persevere in love.

I love you, LORD, my strength, LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. Psalm 18:2-3

Beloved Lord, guide each of us on our path, strengthen us in faith, and renew our marital love each day, so that our marriages may be a beautiful reflection of Divine Love, as unfailing as Yours. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Introduce others to the heavenly Bridegroom. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Lifestyle Reset)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Family life can get crazy, and it seems like the frenzy ramps up with each generation! I remember a simple life. School, homework, playing outside, board games, playing cards, TV, and family time. Kids would be in scouting, music lessons or play on a sports team during the summer, but that was about it. Sundays were made for God and family, and there was Mass, followed by a family-affirming activity (picnics, socializing, etc.) Businesses were closed.

What we’ve lost is the calm and connectedness. Now there is school, followed by multiple activities, many of which encroach into and dictate the weekends, separating family members while stealing away time. The family meal around the table, which used to be a given, has been squeezed out by competing schedules, and is too often replaced with drive-through, takeout, or meals eaten on the run. Now, there are two working parents trying to make ends meet. Parents become frazzled due to the double-shift of work followed by home responsibilities. Electronics (between phone, tablets, computers, television and streaming services) while helpful in some regards, can be anxiety provoking in other regards. In excess, they have replaced in-depth human conversation. No one planned this destination, but here we are! Look all around you and everyone is engrossed in something electronic! Change is in our hands.

Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile. Mark 6:31

The Lord never stops beckoning us. Are we hearing Him? If only we put as much effort into connecting with him as we do getting a good cell signal! Can you hear me now?!

Let us pray for a rediscovery of calm and connection, both with our family and the Lord. 

Lord, frenetic nonstop activity and mindless preoccupation is the Evil One’s way of drowning out your voice, your peace, and your presence. Help us to be mindful of that. May we each do an inventory of our time spent with you versus other activities and make some hard but life-affirming choices for the good of marriage and family. Help us to plan out our time for conversation and connection, until it becomes a habit. May we seek quiet in a world so noisy one can hardly think. May your peace fill our souls, making us hungry for more. Help us to increase our family connectedness, through a “spring cleaning” of useless activities. Finally, may family life be one that glorifies you, versus us. Jesus, we trust in your never ending love and assistance!

The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose. Besides restful waters he leads me. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. 

Psalm 23:1-3

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pass it on, then put that electronic device away!

Pray for Marriages (Forever Accompanied)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Marriage is very nuanced. Perhaps over time, some of you may feel that your particular situation and subsequent struggles have not been represented here. If not, this one's for you. Yes YOU! 

Each journey is indeed unique.  The only commonality is the purification. My hope is that no one feels that they walk alone. Ever. May each of you feel the strength of the prayers said for you. Whether you have the perfect marriage with only occasional conflict or you have the  conflicted marriage with only occasional perfection, we pray that the Lord blesses your union. 

Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God. 1 Peter 1:22-23

Lord, there are those deeply pained by the state of their marriage. Hear our prayers for them! There are those in various stages, from good to teetering. Come, Holy Spirit and fill the empty spaces in their hearts with love, hope, and peace. Guide their journey to one of perfect unity.  May they never feel alone, but rather always accompanied by prayer. Increase their faith. Work miracles, so that more may come to know you. We trust in your merciful love, so may it come forth like a tsunami! Jesus, we trust in you! 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer is a mighty weapon. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Sacrifice of Love)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

One of my coworkers was extremely stressed this week because her parents, who just moved from out of state to be near her, had some minor medical issues. At first I was perplexed at what seemed to me an overreaction, but when I stepped back, I realized that never having children (nor wanting them), she wasn’t used to sacrificial love. She was a first time parent to her parents and responded like any first time parent!!

Parenting is one of the hardest vocations on earth, yet also can be the most rewarding. It involves much sacrifice, and frequent denial of self for the good of the other.  When parents are sacrificial in attending to the needs of their children, or grown children are sacrificial in attending to the needs of their elderly parents, they are reflecting Christ, whose love was kind, gentle, and unconditional. Christ came to give us an example and to show us the way. Not so that we would have a cushy life here, but that we might have eternal life. 

I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10

When we are challenged to deny our own desires for the good of another, it is a gift, as the journey strengthens and purifies us.  We will always fall short, but with the grace of God we can be renewed in perseverance and love.

He gives power to the faint, abundant strength to the weak. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the LORD will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:29-31

Lord, as we all labor in these earthly pastures, we ask for special graces for parents, and those who care for them. When we are fearful of what lies ahead, may we contemplate your time in the Garden of Gethsemane, and like you, pray to the Father to have the courage and strength to do His Holy Will. When what we do for others isn’t appreciated, but instead taken for granted, may we not complain about the scourge of unappreciation but instead contemplate how little appreciation you receive. When our position of authority is disregarded and mocked, and as our hearts are pierced, may we meditate  on your crown of thorns and what you endured for us. When we are exhausted, may we unite ourselves with you as you carried the cross of our sins.  And if we find ourselves crucified socially, physically, or intellectually, may we turn toward you, knowing you have already won the battle through your death and resurrection. Father, strengthen us, and grant us the perseverance, disposition, and love necessary to expand your kingdom here on earth, especially within our families. Jesus, we trust in you!

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Imitate Christ. Pray! Pass it on!