Nurturing Relationships in Hospitality and Prayer

 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Heb 10:23-24, RSV). 

It is on my heart to share with you why, in a time of being told to distance ourselves, we should nurture our relationships with prayer and hospitality. I’d like to first touch on what our faith has to say about these things. Secondly, I’d like to share with you a wonderful way to put this into action: The Holy Family Prayer Cenacle. A prayer group with leader guide and prayer guides to make it easy to begin.

{LINK TO A PRINTABLE FILE - HOLY FAMILY CENACLE GUIDE}

ABOUT PRAYER & RELATIONSHIPS

“I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I'm praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.” - Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta

Jesus came to teach us a great many things, including how to pray in love, in manner and in intentions.

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

“This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:7-15 

The Our Father has been a treasured and most perfect prayer for all Christians. It’s more than a prayer to recite, but also a guide to the order of all prayer. It begins with praise and thanksgiving. It expresses hope in the eternal, and trusting in God each day. It encourages us to show mercy and seek forgiveness. It seeks protection from sinful temptations. Do you notice, it doesn’t include petitions, because they are fulfilled through a trust in God and protection from sin. The verse before states that God the Father already knows our needs before we ask them. Shortly after this verse he reiterates our need to trust and be free of anxieties.

^“Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” Matthew 6:26-34

“Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” ~ Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

This is not to say that prayers of petition and requests for intercession are unnecessary. It’s the next part of the conversation, which we have as we form a relationship with God, and the communion of saints. Would you go to a stranger and tell them all your problems and desires? First you get to know each other. Do you know much about God? Have you been still and listened to him (Ps 46:10)? This relationship with God grows to be valued above all others, all things, all wants, all worries. Someone to lean on, but that He can turn back to rely on you. We let Him love us and we return that love.  It is a most precious friendship.

“For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.” ~ Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta

When in friendship with Jesus, we learn to express our love and fidelity in a variety of ways.  There are different expressions of prayer:  thanksgiving, offering, contemplative, intercessory, petition, recitation, praise, adoration, and even in the stillness of our hearts our prayer continues. The Rosary is a combination of prayers and reflections that engage us in several expressions of prayer.

"A similar need for commitment and prayer arises in relation to another critical contemporary issue: the family, the primary cell of society, increasingly menaced by forces of disintegration on both the ideological and practical planes, so as to make us fear for the future of this fundamental and indispensable institution and, with it, for the future of society as a whole. The revival of the Rosary in Christian families, within the context of a broader pastoral ministry to the family, will be an effective aid to countering the devastating effects of this crisis typical of our age." St. Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae 6

Lent Fasting Challenge

Last year a new book came out called "Eat Fast Feast: Heal Your Body While Feeding Your Soul. A Christian Guide to Fasting" by Jay W Richards. It quickly became the go-to book for all those wanting to give their Lenten Fasting a boost; backing it with science, sacrifice and church tradition. It was a game changer for me. I really appreciated this Catholic perspective. For the online support group I was leading, I created this calendar for us to keep track of what to read and when to fast according to the pace of the book. May God bless your journey to health of body and spirit.

For those who've already read the book, or have already begun a life of ketogenic nutrition and intermittent fasting, and just want the 6 week fasting plan, here is a faster paced calendar.

I've learned so much through the process, I know it is well worth sharing to all my fellow fasters.

 

Another great read like this, with more of the science behind it is "The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss" by Jason Fung, MD which I read also and enjoyed learning how my body works and what I've been doing wrong (under the guidance of medical professionals).

Latin-English Hand Missal for Ordinary Form

 Our parish has added another time for Mass to spread out the congregation, still in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo), but one with much more Latin and incense. The priest also says the Liturgy of the Eucharist ad orientum (facing East). This was the perfect opportunity to give the traditional parishioners this style of liturgy, apart from the regular and charismatic liturgies available.

It's been so lovely to have this richly traditional Mass in our community. However, most of us are very new to the Latin responses. Unable to find a hand missal online that fit our needs, I created one to distribute.  It doesn't contain every response, but it does have all the long and more difficult responses. I wanted to include the English translation because many of us find it helpful to glance over and recognize what we're saying. Overall this mini missal makes the transition to a Latin Mass less unnerving, and it has received a good response from our priest and parishioners.

This is free for you to open the images and print back to back for your own copy. HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE PDF FILE for clear printing. (Not for sale or manipulation)

If anyone has information about the artists, I would love to give proper credit. In a time crunch, I "borrowed" these images until I can draw my own. I hope this black and white image will be fun for you to color.

Saint Valentine's Day Printables

Praise God for the gift of creativity! I whipped up a variety of Valentines cards this year, many bookmark style to attach to the treats we have. The plan is to get these in a PDF to share with you, but until then here are the images I am hopeful you can print if you need a last minute idea for this week.

It's as simple as print (and laminate). Then with ribbon or tape I attached the treats, like a ruler for "Love Beyond All Measure," a chocolate heart for "Jesus wants your whole heart," and bubbles for "A Bubble of Wisdom" scripture bookmarks.

For a special treat this year, I made white chocolate popcorn with heart sprinkles and conversation heart candies. Putting it in these red and white popcorn bags labeled with everyone's names made it safer during sick season. {affiliated link}

Popcorn Bags