Pray for Families (Branching Out)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

When we were young and dependent, we longed for the day we no longer had to live in our parents home under their rules. Once independent, it didn’t take long for us to realize the cost and the price.  Unbridled freedom has consequences, either positive or negative.  Self discipline and some tethering are a good thing.  There is safety in the security of family, of being valued and being loved.  Sometimes family is a blessing that in time we grow to appreciate more and more.  It just takes perspective.

The same is true spiritually.  Freedom is not found by turning away from God and leaving  behind the foundational principles that we learned: the commandments, morality, The Golden Rule, church/Mass attendance, generosity, kindness, etc.  It is realizing that if we are not tethered to Christ, we will never understand our true purpose, our inherent dignity and beauty, or how much we are loved by the Father.  We remove ourselves from all the gifts the Lord wants to bestow on us.  We also become easy prey for the Evil One, as he lures us to fleeting delights.. 

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.  He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.  John 15:1-5

Don’t be afraid when you feel like you are being “pruned” in life.  It is a sign that the Lord is encouraging you to bear more fruit and bloom.  In doing so you are a witness to those for whom you pray, (those who are no longer on the Vine), alluring them to the beauty of a life branching forth from the Vine.  Pray for your family and each other, that all may find true nourishment, refreshment and purpose, through Jesus Christ. 

“I am the way and the truth and the life.  John 14:6

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray that all may find their way to the truth and live life!  Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Encouragement and Understanding)

Greeting Prayer Warriors, 

Throughout life, we get many messages from family and loved ones that seep in, even if we try to block them.  My well-intentioned mom, who turns 93 today (say a prayer for a birthday blessing please!) with no prompting on my part, decided to tell me that marriage isn’t meant to be fun.  I think she continued on with other marital negativities, which I tried to put in the proper bucket.  I don’t discount her because she and my father were married 47 years due to their faith and belief in the indissolubility of marriage.  Sometimes though, we need to hear encouraging words! Yes, marriage is a struggle, but each sacrifice can be a beautiful offering to the Lord as well a path to sanctification and a growth in the virtues. My parents’ marriage only ended with the passing of my father. I will give my mother allowances for not having a filter anymore as well as being a witness to perseverance through difficult times.  However, the conversation  got me thinking about how our expectations and behaviors in marriage are often shaped by what we see and hear from childhood onwards.  We rarely hear anyone talk about how to have a good, solid, healthy, and holy marriage.

Listen to your father who begot you, do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth and do not sell: wisdom, instruction, understanding! Proverbs 23:22-23

May [all] be encouraged as they are brought together in love, to have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2: 2-3

Let us pray for the healing of memories, wounds, falsehoods, distortions,, and of all things that would make you think that marriage could never be good, fun, unified, holy, and so on. You are beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.  He loves both you and your spouse (or future spouse) despite all your sins and shortcomings.  He awaits your calling out to Him, as He has so much grace and many gifts yet to give you.

The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5

Journey on in faith, hope, and in prayer, for it will bring about the charity you struggle to show, give, and receive. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

You never walk alone. Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Claiming Victory)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Can you feel the tug? The force of the evil powers tugging at the hearts and souls of your children? Your spouse? Your relatives? You? His tools are confusion, distortion of truth, lies, and accusations. You have heard, seen,  and experienced many of them. “You can choose your sex and gender.” “Love is love.”  “Your truth is your truth”. “You aren’t good enough.” "You'll be rejected if you talk about Jesus." “If you don’t go along with the crowd, you’ll have no friends, no job, etc. “

Take heart for we were made in the image and likeness of God. We are children of the Most High King and have a beautiful God-given dignity that Satan despises. The Lord  has claimed us as His own. Claim Him for your family!

Today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies. Do not be weak-hearted or afraid, alarmed or frightened by them. For it is the LORD, your God, who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:3-4

Own your family’s royalty. Find a quiet space or place, and pray. Pray much, for the souls in your family depend on it. Let’s join our prayers as a beautiful incense rising to God, that  blinds and disarms Satan.

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. Ephesians 6:12

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Seek new recruits!  Keep praying and pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (The Gift of His Grace)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

It is so easy to feel alone in one’s struggles. Even more alone if it concerns one’s marriage.  As difficulties arise, we often draw in and close ourselves off.  Sharing with others can feel like a downer.  Yet, we are not alone, for the Lord wants us to pour out our hearts to Him.  We are His beloved.  He prays for us by name. 

“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.  John 17:20-21

The Lord wants to work wonders in your marriage, helping you to fulfill the realization of: “The two shall become one flesh.“ Mark 10:8 Perhaps your difficulties are so that you may grow in perfection and thus glorify God.  Perhaps the Lord wants you to be the beacon of what a good marriage looks like.  Whatever His plan, He is praying for you, hoping that you will persevere and respond to the gift of His grace.   The Lord doesn’t promise you an easy life here, just a banquet of delights and a place of infinite peace, joy, and love in heaven.   

So let’s unite our prayers for one another with His, increasing their efficacy. You never walk alone. You have the Trinity and the ever faithful prayer warriors. You ARE blessed! 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Embrace your journey and offer your sacrifices to God! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (A Reflection of Christ)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriages need lots of grace to blossom in the manner God intends, because there are so many weeds that seek to choke them before they flower. Consider how quickly a spouse can go from the ‘love of your life” to someone you figuratively want to kill!  Did your spouse change, or just your perspective of them?  Kind of reminds me of how Christ’s journey went from “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” to “Crucify Him!!”  How fleeting and fickle our love can be!

Our marital relationship can be similar to our relationship with God: hot and cold. Maybe that is why this last week of Lent is a good time for a final self-reflection. Where and why, in my marriage and in my relationship with Christ, do I “crucify”?  Where and why am I not looking for the blessing?  What is Christ trying to teach me about love as I journey in my marriage?  How is my refusal to love, wounding Jesus? What might you learn from Jesus’ life of poverty, relocation, obscurity, loneliness, loss, betrayal, and torturous death? 

Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness and found human in appearance, he humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8

Lord, reflecting on both your life and death, immediately jolts us out of any self-pity party.  How many times have we looked for your reflection in our spouse?  In their woundedness, did we recognize you? When we withdrew from them in anger, did we withdraw from you? When we rejected them, did we reject you?  When we spoke poorly about them, did we denigrate you?  When we chose sleep over being present to them in their need, were we also abandoning you, Lord?  Where have we sinned, Lord? In your mercy, please also remember our goodness in word and deed. With contrite hearts, we ask for your forgiveness. Guide each of us on our unique paths to you, while still uniting us as couples on this  journey. Heal any deep wounds and enlarge our hearts to love more.  Shower us with your healing grace so that on Easter, we too may resurrect from our old selves and be renewed in You. Amen.

The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5

Renewed, may we love you more!

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Hope is eternal. Love never ends. Pass it on! 

 

Pray for Families (The Way of the Cross)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,


We fight our crosses most of our lives, yet it takes a long time to realize the gift that they are. They wrestle us from pride, vanity, selfishness, and dependence on earthly goods, just for starters. They sanctify us, and bring us closer to God.

They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

While we grumble about our crosses, more difficult is seeing relatives struggle with theirs, especially when they have little faith. Our hearts ache for them on both accounts; their heavy crosses and their weak faith. Many are easy to pray for, but others, not so much. Perhaps we blame them for their crosses and believe they deserve them. Yet, we are not called to judge them, but to love them, as Christ loved us.

Christ’s Via Dolorosa exhibits what an unfathomable love for the unlovable, unloved, and loved looks like. Yet, how many of us still do not return an ounce of that love? He calls us to love Him by loving others as He loves us. Sometimes love hurts.

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

Lord, if we are honest with ourselves, we too are weak in faith and charity. Please accept our gifts of prayer on behalf of ALL of our family/relatives. We pray that their faith may flower, their burdens may feel lighter, their joy may be increased, and Christ’s light may dispel their darkness. Accept our prayers in atonement for our own anemic love. In gratitude for your unfailing love, may we one day be able to unite with all family members in prayer and pray:

I give you thanks, LORD and King, I praise you, God my savior! I declare your name, refuge of my life, because you have ransomed my life from death; You held back my body from the pit, and delivered my foot from the power of Sheol. Sirach 51:1-2

Jesus, we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Just love. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (The Rise of the Son)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Life is changing. We can sense it, yet struggle to name it.  Evil is being called good, gender is becoming blurred, lies are being called truth. There is a state of confusion between what we see and what we hear. To make matters worse, economic difficulties are creeping in and all sense of security and confidence is weakening. Those controlled by the Evil One are systematically blocking the Light of the World and more and more minds are becoming darkened.

For although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools. Romans 1:21-22

This distorted environment can be fertile ground for conflict and tension in your marriage, as the Evil One seeks to stuff out your light to increase the darkness. Instead, be the resistance, as Satan seeks to destroy all God-defined marriages. Unite through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and open yourselves up to the Light, allowing it to flood in.  May His light shine in your hearts, to give you the knowledge of the Truth and the glory of God.

Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth. Ephesians 4:23

Now more than ever, worship the Lord in spirit and truth, strong, firm, and resolute. In gratitude and thanksgiving glorify the infinity of His Love and the greatness of His Justice. 

Lord, accept our prayers of reparation for the many offenses against you and grant our marriages the graces necessary to increase in faith, hope, and charity. May your light radiate through us, making us lanterns of your light, helping to facilitate  the rise of the Son in this darkened world. Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Let your light shine before others. Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Warriors of Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

In scripture, when the Jews were waiting for the Messiah, they were expecting a warrior king. Imagine their disbelief when a humble man as gentle as a lamb, claimed He was from God. Laughable they thought. Yet, It’s worth our own self reflection. Who do we choose to listen to, believe, and follow? Is it the loud forceful leaders who demand and dictate, the celebrities that wow with smoke and mirrors, or the confident, humble Christ-like warriors of The Truth? Is it those with money, power, and riches or those rich in virtue, poor in spirit, and humble in attire?

To be Christ-like today,  is very counter-cultural. It demands we call out lies and reveal the truth, all in love. It requires the fierceness of a lion and the gentleness of a lamb. This difficult path, the way of the cross, is meant for all, yet it is the road less traveled. There can be many snares upon it. 

Let us lie in wait for the righteous one, because he is annoying to us; he opposes our actions, [...] He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD, to us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us.  Wisdom 2:12-14

God needs warriors! Having the courage to take this path requires lots of prayer! Even Christ prayed and fasted for 40 days in the desert to prepare for his ministry.  Collectively,  let us  pray for one another and each other’s families that we might have the courage to always stand for Christ, and to stay on the narrow path and show others The  Way. 

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all [...] might hear it.  2 Timothy 4:17

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Proclaim the Good News to a weary world.! Pass it on!