Pray for Marriages (Love is a gift…)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

A few weeks ago while listening to the radio, the topic was marriage.  Of course, my ears perked up.   I heard the following:

Love is a gift, not a trade.

What would the state of marriages be if we lived that! out?!   What if everything we did, said, and provided for our spouse was all gift?

The host continued:

Marriage is dying to self.

Well, I thought, I guess that would be necessary if love is a gift, not a trade.   Can one love without expectations?  

Well, we do have a perfect example of that.  Stop, look at a crucifix, and mediate on His Passion.  Love as a gift, not a trade.

It (love) does not seek its own interests. 1 Corinthians 13:5

Pray for yourself, your spouse, and/or other marriages, that we as children of God may learn by His example, to give love without expectations. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Love someone without expectations.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (True Freedom)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Most of us would define freedom as the ability to do anything we want.  It seems to be not only an American ideal but a human longing….to be completely free.   Images quickly come to mind of what freedom looks like.  But then I read a quote from Blessed John Paul II that put it into a perspective I hadn’t considered.   Freedom isn’t having unlimited choices, but rather a choice between 2 things.

“Freedom is a decision about oneself and a setting of one’s own life for or against the Good, for or against the Truth, and ultimately for or against God.”

Reread and meditate on those words for a while. 

Hear Him calling you.  "Do you love me?"  John 21:17

Once we reconcile ourselves to God, we have complete freedom, because now our life has meaning, purpose, and direction.  We know that we have been made to know, love, and serve the Lord. Like a flower ready to bloom, reaching for the sun, we open ourselves to His radiant love.

Pray for members of your family, especially those who consider themselves free yet have shackled themselves to false idols (anything that moves them away from God, not toward Him).   May they one day find true freedom in Love Himself.

Pray that Love will set them free. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Set a captive free.  Pass it on.

Pray for Marriages (Engaged Couples)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

June is less than 6 weeks away, and marriage ceremonies will be on the rise.  Anticipation is high as engaged couples dream of their lives together.  While happily-ever-after is the goal, it is more easily achieved with abundant grace.  Please join me as I pray for those preparing for marriage. 

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. 

1 Corinthians 13:12

Lord, look lovingly upon those preparing to be united in marriage.  Give them the knowledge to understand the power of a commitment before you, and the strength of the bond you will create between them.  Teach them to love patiently, tenderly, and selflessly.  Give them the voice to praise you, thank you, and call upon you for assistance.  Grant them all that they ask in your name, especially children.  Surround them with family and friends who are living witnesses to your love.  Give them eyes to see the many gifts you have given them, and inspire them to pass your Light from generation to generation.  In your precious name, we humbly pray.  Amen.

God Bless you as you continue your commitment to pray for marriage.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Increase the prayer rising to the heavens.  Pass it on.  

Pray for Families (A Prayer for Families)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Do you ever have difficulty finding the time to pray?  Maybe you have the time, but not the motivation?  Maybe the motivation, but not the words?

Since sometimes I too find myself in need, I thought I’d write a prayer for families and share it with you.  Print it and slip it in your wallet for when you are short on time, short on motivation, at a loss for words, but still have a willing spirit.

Heavenly Father, I come before you in a quiet moment, fully aware of my need of your grace.  Alone, I can feel hopeless.  Or at least hopelessly tired.  With you, my hope soars, my spirit awakens.  Hear my prayer, that as a parent, I be given the grace to imitate your example of unconditional love for my children and spouse.

Lord Jesus, may we as a family contemplate your fidelity to obedience, not only within the Holy Family, but also to the will of your heavenly Father.  Bless my family and teach us how to imitate you.  Meet each member of my family exactly where they are at, giving them exactly what they need to grow in faith and fidelity.

Holy Spirit, fill us with your Love, that we may generously share that Love with each other.  May this exchange bring your Light into the darkness of our hearts.  May this growth in Love transform us, bringing us a joy and peace that this world cannot offer. 

Blessed Mother, may I imitate your example of complete humility, focusing not on myself, but on the needs of others.  Like you, may I encourage all to focus their attention on your Son.  May we all hear your voice, 

                              "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5 

and confidently comply with your request.  Guide us into a perfect union with your Son.  

St. Joseph, loving husband of Mary, may I be inspired by your strong and selfless devotion to your family. May I too protect my family by lovingly teaching my children, both young and old, all that I know to be good and true.  

Sweet Jesus, may my quiet prayers, spoken in the recesses of my heart, be received by you with joy.  With bold confidence I pray, Amen.

Thank you for your commitment to prayer.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Share a prayer.  Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Marriage Prayer)

Greetings Prayer Angels,

I composed a short prayer for marriages and I hope that you pray it as often as you feel called to. Change the pronouns as necessary. Please ask others to pray for marriages too, as everyone is touched by marriages in crisis and often feel helpless as to what they can do. Prayer is a most powerful and efficacious weapon and when prayed for someone else, is a beautiful act of mercy.

Lord, we ask that you bless our marriage and all marriages. Help us to see our spouses as you see them, and love them as you love them. Keep the flame of our love alive, or reignite it if we failed to tend the fire. If we haven’t already, may we invite you into our marriage to be the binding Love between us. If we invited you in, yet neglected to include you into our daily interactions, please teach us to live and love more fully through you. When our commitment and love are tested, may we know that through the fire, we will only be strengthened. May our witness to love, sacrifice, and commitment, be for the greater glory of God. We humbly pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7

Peace, Love, and Joy,
Janet

Share the hope. Pass it on.

mercy   [mur-see] noun
• the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

• an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

• something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

It can be extremely difficult to be merciful to someone who has caused us physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain. Our humanness seems to demand retribution. But in the silence of our aches, we sense a stirring inside. It is like a David to the Goliath hurt that we feel. It is the Holy Spirit stirring within us, calling us to be merciful as Christ was merciful.

Let us pray for our families and each other, that all may have a heart to forgive. Then let us ask for the grace to be merciful to others in deed, word, or prayer.

For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13

Let us also pray for the Lord to bestow mercy on others.

According the diary of St. Faustina, the Lord told her to “call upon my mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.

Spend time today and this weekend praying for mercy on your family and on the whole world.

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Share a merciful message. http://simplyinspiredprayer.blogspot.com/

Pray for Marriages (Beauty, Wisdom, or Faith?)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Beauty, Wisdom, or Faith?
Which one is the most important for a marriage to last?

When I look at so many marital relationships in disrepair, sometimes I ask myself, "Is it a marriage problem or is it a faith problem?"

Did the Lord call them to the vocation of marriage?
Did they ask Him to help them find the spouse He intended for them?
Did they invite Him to their wedding?
When problems arose, did they call out to Him for help?
Did they have the patience to wait for an answer?
Do/did they trust that he had the best answer?

Beauty fades, wisdom comes way too late, but faith held secure will bring you peace. The Lord will meet you wherever you are at, on the road, off the path, or in the desert, and He will lead you into His comforting arms. If you trust in Him, He will guide you into the fulfillment of His will.

For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. 1 Cor 15:53

Let us pray for the spouse(s) that is/are disconnected from the Lord.
Lord hear our plea!
Let us pray for the spouse that is trusting alone.
Lord hear our plea!
Let us pray that the seeds of faith and trust begin to flower, bringing about a new springtime in marriages.
Lord hear our plea!

Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Water the seeds of faith. Pass it on.

Pray for Families (Judas or Peter?)

Good Friday

Dear Prayer Warriors,

We make choices everyday in our attitudes, responses, and behaviors.

During trials, do we hold on to an attitude like Judas’ or Peter’s?
Despair or Hope & Repentance?

When challenged, do we respond like a soldier or a servant?
Battle or Love?

In our behaviors, are we a Child of the Darkness or Child of the Light?
Evil or Good?

Do we respond to others as an antagonizer or a consoler?
Pain or Comfort?

Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 1 John 3:18-21

Meditate on the Passion of Christ. It was to purge our collective sin that He made the ultimate sacrifice. Contemplate your behavior toward each family member. How might your behavior change to imitate that of Jesus? Pray that each member of your family will remain or become a Child of the Light.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. John 3:16-21

May all of us continually accept the gift of our salvation.

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Share the gift. Pass it on.

Pray for Marriages (Share love itself)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

I am out of town and have been fighting with the internet all day…now yesterday…or perhaps it’s been fighting with me!

We are in the final stretch of Lent. Some of you may be proud of the Lenten sacrifices you’ve been able to maintain while others might be thinking….oops…… good intentions…..really…!

It is not too late to ready yourself for the joys of Easter and the Resurrection. As we enter into Holy Week, fully participate in any way you feel called: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, acts of kindness, acts of service, patience.

Meditate on the Passion. Unite yourself with Christ.

Contemplate that God is love itself. If you want to love, don’t place yourself beyond love’s reach.

God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 1 John 4:16

If you are married, consider how you can praise God through loving acts in your marriage. Ask the Lord to help you. If you are not married, please keep marriages in your prayers. Many marriages feel like they are walking the Way of the Cross; participating in the agony, scourging, crowning of thorns, carrying of the cross, and the crucifixion. Please pray most fervently for these marriages, that they may experience a resurrection of their love.

May all of you be richly blessed as you unite yourselves to Christ this week Remember that without the cross, you would never experience the resurrection.

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Share love itself. Pass it on.