Pray for Marriages (Entangled in Knots)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

While married, in but an instant we can find ourselves on an unfamiliar path, be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. We sometime aren’t even sure which misstep got us there. These paths can be dark and frightening, especially when we find ourselves at odds with our spouse and alone.  If we attempt even a whispered call to the Lord for help, He is there with us in the darkness of our lives.  Some times he comes not to “fix” our marriages but rather just to walk with us on our journey.

I will lead the blind on a way they do not know; by paths they do not know I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are my promises: I made them, I will not forsake them.  Isaiah 42:16

Lord, once we’ve “tied the knot” we unknowingly create more and more knots that eventually entangle us.  Send yoru Mother, Mary Undoer of Knots*, into our marriages to untie all that we have tangled.  Lord, make our crooked ways straight so that all paths lead to you.  We trust in your merciful love and ask for an abundance in our marriages.  Amen!

For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, Do not fear, I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

In great trust Lord we place our hand in yours!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for marriages to be untangled!  Pass it on!!  

*  http://www.maryundoerofknots.com/history.htm

Pray for Families (A Path of Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Parenting is the hardest job on earth, but also the most fulfilling.  We spend a lifetime teaching and protecting our children, while also encouraging them to go out on a limb for what true and good and just.  These are the hard lessons in life, as it seems the correct path is always the one with the most resistance.

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering. At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. [   ]  …knowing that you had a better and lasting possession. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense.  You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.  Hebrews 10: 32-36

Lord, grant us the grace we need to follow your will and persevere on the path to Truth and Life.  Release the scales from our eyes so that the truth is not obscured. Put the fire of your love in our hearts so that love will envelop everyone we meet along our path.

I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for your family each step of the way! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Finding Joy)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life—for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete. Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.  1 John 1:1-5

Jesus is Life and Light and the source of all joy.   Yet, like a stubborn child thinking he doesn't need a parent, we sometimes hide from Him.

Lord, enter into the darkness of our lives, the darkness that creeps into our hearts, our minds, our families, and our world.  Your life will only enliven our lives if we choose to live your law of love and invite you into our hearts.  Help us to become beacons of your Light so that darkness flees and Life abounds.  We pray for our families that all may encounter You through us. We pray for our new president, that they he may walk in your light and be protected from all influences of darkness. May we become a country grounded in Love, for Love never fails and is the source of all joy.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

In Him, there is no darkness.  Come to the Light and find new joy in Him. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Defend us in Battle)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

If you’ve ever wondered why marriage can be so difficult, it is because it is good and holy, and subsequently despised by Satan.  He will attack it at any cost. Satan wouldn’t waste his time instilling doubt, twisting the truth, and creating havoc if marriage wasn’t important to God’s plan. All this begins to make sense when you see in scripture that Christ uses marital imagery to reveal his divinity to us. 

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

For your husband is your Maker; the LORD of hosts is his name, Your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth.  Isaiah 54:5

Satan wants to keep us from the Divine.  The unity found in marriage between a man and woman, where two become one flesh, mirrors the intimacy of Jesus with the Father, the fire of their love being the Holy Spirit. This is the intimacy the Lord calls us to and that he desires to have with each of us, His bride.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her. Ephesians 5:25

“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.  John 17:20-23

Jesus, we ask for a special grace upon marriages so each of us may withstand the snares of the devil.  Send St. Michael the Archangel to protect us from both the worldly battle for marriages and the battles that lie within hearth and home. Open the eyes of those contemplating marriage, so that they may see the truth and be led by the Truth. Lord, sustain us when we are weary, so that we may forever walk the path to You.

Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Help others to hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Knocking at His Door)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Sometimes when we know we should pray, the words don’t come, the desire isn’t there, or we don’t think it will affect anything.   Perhaps this is exactly when we should pray, because then we can more easily recognize that we can’t even pray or persist in prayer without heavenly assistance.

And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Luke 11:9-10

 The Lord tells us to continue to ask, “knocking” until we receive a response.  Trusting in the love of our heavenly Father for His children, let us pray for our family and all families, knowing that it would grieve him to be silent when His children are calling out for Him.

Lord, hear our prayers, even those moaning in the quiet recesses of our hearts.    Hear our prayers for each family member. Bless them and fulfill their desires in accordance with your will.  Jesus we trust in your love, mercy, and generosity!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Knocking is effortless when done with each beat of your heart.  Love changes everything. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages. (Immersed in the "for worse")

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When couples marry, I imagine that little time is spent contemplating the "for worse" part of the wedding vows.  Below is what I imagine many must think, and I must say I don’t exclude myself from such naiveté.

For better, for worse

“Oh, I've already seen my fiancé at their very worst!” (Insert your thoughts here)

For richer, for poorer

“Who needs lots of money to live on? We will live on love! I am sure if one of us loses a job, we'll just find another one (soon).”  (Insert your thoughts here)

In sickness and in health

I’m sure my spouse will get the flu and colds and stuff like that.” I won’t mind making chicken soup. (Insert your thoughts here)

Until death do us part

“Nothing can separate me from my beloved! We'll be pretty old by then anyway, so guess death is to be expected.” (Insert your thoughts here)

The truth, as you know it, is probably much different. Once kids, responsibilities, mortgages, health issues, and so on enter a relationship, scenarios that you never dreamed of arise. You enter the land of the unknown. This is when vows are put to the test.

There is no wealth better than health of body, and there is no gladness above joy of heart. Gladness of heart is the very life of a person, and cheerfulness prolongs his days. Distract yourself and renew your courage, drive resentment far away from you; For grief has killed many, and nothing is to be gained from resentment. Envy and anger shorten one’s days, and anxiety brings on premature old age.  Sirach 30:16, 22-24

Let us pray a prayer of love and fidelity for couples whose marriages feel like they are gasping for air in the tides of "for worse".

Lord Jesus, you have a special place in your heart for marriage, since your first miracle was to turn water into wine at a marriage feast so that joy wouldn’t be diminished. Lord, increase the joy of all married couples, especially those caught in the riptides. You are the air that we breathe, the healing waters of mercy, and the Sacred Heart that brings inexplicable joy!  Lord, infuse marriages with new life!  Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Let us rejoice in the fact that in a sacramental marriage, “the consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself.” (CCC 1639)  Thus, our Lord will not withhold his grace!  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Lessons from the Magi)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

What joy a heart must have experienced to be one that was blessed with the news that the prophecy of the Messiah had been fulfilled!

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  

Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

What lessons can be learned from the Magi?

• In leaving all behind to seek the Lord, they showed that they loved the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind and with all their strength.
• It is a privilege and a blessing to be in the presence of the Lord,  (So much so that the Magi made a very long trek.  How difficult is it for you?)
• Placing oneself in the presence of God physically or through prayer brings joy!  (Aren’t we always looking to increase our joy?)
• No matter our status or rank in this world we must humble ourselves before the Lord for we are nothing without Him.  (Herod obviously missed this point.  Lord, help us see our need for You!)
• We must give back to the Lord the gifts He has showered upon us.  (That doesn’t necessarily mean material gifts.  Were you given a beautiful voice?  Praise Him with it!  A gift of hospitality?  Share it with others!  A passion for prayer? Pray for others! 

Spend some time meditating on Matthew 2.  What is the Lord saying to you?

As always, take a moment to pray for your family, that they may be given the grace to praise and glorify the Lord, each in their own unique way.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

May you be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God!  Pass it on!