Pray for Families (and Marriages!)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As the year comes to a close, many (including me) reflect on the year that has just flown by. Could it be that we will soon be entering 2023?!

As I review the year, I’ve learned to not be so hard on myself. (Yes, I’ve missed a few blog postings here and there). Consequently, I’ve also learned to be more patient and give grace to others. As each day seems fuller and fuller, I have learned that I need to schedule prayer time, and the best time is the quiet of the morning.

I for one have grown in my awareness of truth and Truth. I see and sense that the Father of Lies is growing in power, since more and more people either don’t know Him, or have walked away from Truth.

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

As Judeo-Christian values are purged from our culture, more people walk in blindness unaware of the danger of their passive assent and that the path to perdition is broadening.

You live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear. Ezekiel 12:2

When I started this blog, I was unaware of the Fatima Message that speaks to the “Final Battle” being over marriage and family. Sister Lucia, the Fatima seer, stated:

“the final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid, she added, because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. And then she concluded: however, Our Lady has already crushed its head.”

The Evil One hates marriage as God ordained it, between one man and one woman who are instructed to “be fruitful and multiply”. He hates the family as it represents the domestic church and where children first learn about God. So if you were Satan, wouldn’t you do everything you could to distort and destroy marriage, family, and procreation? Even blur the genders? Consider all that has transpired in the last several years and decades.

There is much to reflect upon, but most importantly, I want to THANK YOU for being a prayer warrior for marriage and family. YOU are greatly needed and the Lord delights in your prayers. Never underestimate the power of your prayer. Only Satan wants you to believe it’s worthless. Most of all, he fears the rosary, so if you don’t pray it, consider starting or increasing its recitation in the New Year!

Praying that you will be abundantly blessed in the New Year!!

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!! Don’t delay! Pass it on!

Pray for Families (St. Mother Teresa Wisdom)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Christmas is almost here and I don’t know about you but I am already feeling a bit frazzled and out of focus. This is not the temperament I want to enter into Christmas with!  So, I thought a little wisdom from Saint Teresa of Calcutta  would get me back on track.  Hope these quotes resonate with you as well. . 

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

“Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.”

“I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.”

Enjoy your family! Keep in prayer for it will help you be kind when it’s difficult, and will guide you in all circumstances. Family is the blessing that continues to teach, humble us, and love us.  

May your Christmas be filled with blessings, may you experience the love of the Lord in new and profound ways, and may praise of God be forever on your lips.

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14

Peace on Earth, 

Joy to the World, 

For His Love never ends,

Rejoice!

Janet

Be generous and kind with your words, so they will echo and reverberate throughout time. And pray. Always pray!! Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Believing in Miracles)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Now is a great time of year to contemplate miracles. How often God did for man what he considered impossible, unattainable, unfathomable. Consider just a few examples: Barren, sometimes elderly women, gave birth. (Sarah Elizabeth, & wife of Manoah) Faithful men were saved from certain death (Mananiah, Azariahm Mishael, Daniel) The abandoned went from poor to prosperous. (Joseph, Ruth, Naomi) The greatest sinners were redeemed. (Saul/Paul, Mary Magdalene, the Apostles) 

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

How wonderful it is to know that God pursues us poor sinners! We only must cooperate with His Holy Will  and believe in His love and mercy. For those who struggle in their marriage, either a lot or a little, don’t give up but in prayer, keep praying for the little or big miracle. For those who pray on behalf of another couple, stay persistent in prayer, believing in God’s plan, even if it takes a long time to unfold.

Faith blossoms  when we admit that we need a Savior. 

On that day it will be said: “Indeed, this is our God; we looked to him, and he saved us!  This is the LORD to whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” Isaiah 25:9

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

 Believe in miracles.  Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Participating in His Plan)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect on the birth of Christ and all that led up to it. Mary had to say “yes” for God’s plan to move forward. 

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  

Luke 1:30-31

We too are part of God’s plan.  We too  are asked to participate in God’s plan for humanity. Are we saying “yes”?  Or is our common response, “I’ll think about it?”  What if the Blessed Virgin Mary responded that way?  We want change in the world, and the Lord hears our prayers, but we all need to assent to His plan for the world to change.

Begin at home as friends and relatives who come to visit.  Are you witnessing to Christ by keeping Christ in Christmas?  Are you being kind and loving to  the hard to love?  Are you challenging lies with the truth in love? Or are you trying not to make waves?  In which way are you imitating Christ?

Perhaps you think this can't be that important, but perhaps it’s best to practice now, because it’s likely there will soon be a time when Christians are not allowed to speak out. There might not be a tomorrow to put it off to. 

Persevere in prayer for your family and one another.  Pray that the Light of the World would shine more brightly in our souls, so that together with Christ, we can chase away the darkness. 

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. Luke 1:46-47

Come Holy Spirit, fill us with your Light that we may fully proclaim and rejoice in our King!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prepare to receive the Light. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (According to His Word)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The Word calls us to be ministers of his love, compassion, and mercy in our marriage, to turn the other cheek, to nurture one another in sickness and in health, and to “love our enemies” which can be our spouse during an argument! Fulfilling marriage vows can be challenging to say the least. Yet the Lord has made it our vocation. 

Have you ever tried to understand the mind of the Lord? Just when you think you have him figured out, he throws you for a loop! He knows us so thoroughly, he knows exactly what we need and when we need it!  Yet, we have different ideas on the timing of his grace, the speed in which we need to see change, and what we think his help should look like. However,  we only need to look to the Blessed Mother to understand what our response should always be to the crosses the Lord grants us.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

Lord, help us believe in your love for us, for when we doubt your love we doubt the power of your grace. Your mother knew that the grace you granted her was sufficient to carry her through all of her heartache and pain. Similarly, grant us the gift of endurance, especially when we are weary of walking in the low valleys of our marriage. Remind us that the sun is rising, its visibility only blocked by the mountains before us. As we traverse to the mountaintop, may we thank you for sustaining our hope with new vistas of beauty and awe. May we continue to persevere to reach the fullest heights, for there we know of the glory that awaits us.  

But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5

May the Lord be your constant companion who never fails to carry you when you are weary! 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

You can get there with prayer! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Mission Possible)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The Lord has called us all to be his ministers, his voice and presence in the world.  Yet, it is so easy to lose sight of that as we get sucked into the busyness of this world.  Give some thought to the following passage. Read it slowly  and contemplate what the Lord may be saying to you.  What is he asking you to integrate into your day and perhaps your life?

I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me 

to bring to completion for you the word of God,

the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. 

But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,

to whom God chose to make known 

the riches of the glory of this mystery [...]; 

it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.

It is he whom we proclaim, 

admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, 

that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 1 Colossians 25-28

We have all been called.  No mission is impossible when Christ lives in you.  Now is a time to be bold, for the counter messages are getting louder, rooting themselves into our culture and penetrating deeper into our families. A wise warrior only goes into battle if he knows he is covered in prayer.  Amp up the intentionality of your prayer for one another!  Battles for souls need to be waged, especially on the homefront.  Hold the line! Pray without ceasing. 

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Bring more into the fold. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Faith and Humility)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Marriage as a vocation is a journey the Lord sends us on as a path to perfection.  Any married person can attest that it is not an easy road and is a continual purification!  The Lord knows that we will have missteps, occasionally  veer off course, take detours, get lost, and eventually come to terms with our strengths and weaknesses. Most of all, He hopes that we become humble enough to call out to Him for assistance. 

But pride and destructive self-talk enters in to block humility. We think we can singularly handle all that comes our way.  Sometimes we self-sabotage and become too harsh with ourselves, our spouse, or both. Other times we  can’t admit our faults but point out all of our spouse’s.  We worry about our lives without realizing our biggest enemy is fear and a lack of faith.

.  

Say to the fearful of heart: Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you.  Isaiah 35:4

Lord, increase our faith in you. Guide us, redirect us, and heal our woundedness.  Ever merciful Father, You love us beyond our comprehension, and yet how often we doubt your support!  We entertain fear when we should  confidently proclaim your compassion and steadfastness. Infuse us with unshakeable faith, so that we can confidently withstand any storm, while humbling acknowledging your gift of grace.

When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” 

Luke 5:20

Humility trusts in the mercy of the Father.  Be of humble heart and put on love, for love covers a multitude of sins. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for a growth in faith. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Preparing for the Light)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Every year it feels the same; mounting pressure and stress to prepare for Christmas. But on the long list of what needs to be accomplished, we often fail to make time for the most important thing: Preparing ourselves for the coming of the King. 

Who would go to a banquet without the right attire? Would you greet a dignitary without ensuring you have prepared yourself properly, including your disposition? We must look at our heart and soul. Is it cleansed and open to receiving the King and all that he has for you?

“Son of David, have pity on us!” Matthew 9:27

How might we direct the focus of our family toward the Lord and minimize the distractions of material pleasures? Have we considered what gifts might most please Him?

Yes, there is lots left to prepare for and indeed we still have time if we redirect our attention to Advent. Pray to discern what is dark within you so you may purge the murkiness and be illumined by His light. Then go out into the world beginning with your family and dispel the darkness.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.

Grow in these virtues and be the gift that keeps on giving! For you know that  it all begins with prayer, the foundational  gift.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Now is the time for prayer and preparation of self. Pass it on!