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Family Advent Devotions

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Our Advent devotions are led by our oldest son (not the oldest children in the home whom are girls) when Dad is away and not available to call us for our family prayers. And the youngest always NEEDS to lead a mystery. We pray for all the intentions we hold in our hearts and those which you have shared with us.

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Prayer is the most necessary weapon of defense against our enemies; he who does not avail himself of it, says St. Thomas, is lost….

In order to understand better the value of prayers in God’s sight, it is sufficient to read both in the Old and New Testaments the innumerable promises which God makes to the man that prays. Cry to me, and l will hear you (Ps. 49,15). Call upon me, and I will deliver you (Jer. 33,3). Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. He shall give good things to them that ask him (Mt. 7,7). Everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds (Lk. 11,10). Whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father (Jn 15,7). All things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive them, and they shall come to you (Mt. 18,19). If you ask me anything in my name, that will I do (Jn 14,14). You shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done to you. Amen, amen, l say to you, if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you (Jn 16,23). There are a thousand similar texts; but it would take too long to quote them. #stalphonsusliguori my #advent patron

Our rhythm is slowing down – not like years past but a new season with more “lasts” than “firsts”. Our baby is 5!

I give thanks for them all and take none of it for granted — praying for the grace to live each moment to the fullest and to tend to my duties as He wills.

Veni, Veni Emmanuel

Previous Years:

Our First Week of Advent

by Filed Under: Advent, First Week of Advent, Jesse Tree, Second Sunday in Advent Leave a Comment

My boys and I made our own manger for Baby Jesus.

For years we have just put their hay (received for sacrifices, almsgiving,…) into our crèche floor. And every year we would say how much we wanted a larger scale, more realistic manger. I hadn’t ever found one and was even ready to resort to making one out of cardboard.

Instead, I took a trip down the craft isle while grocery shopping and came across the “pallet” wall hanging for $4.95. I bought two and $1 worth of paint. We improvised as we went and persevered despite having malfunctions with our tools — currently it’s being held together with hot glue. But I think that will be perfect, making it easy to take apart for storage.

Our “Baby Jesus” will be my son’s prop for his All Saint’s Day costume, St. Cajetan.

So, four days into Advent and we’re still getting things set — no perfection or rush. It would be nice to have our Jesse TREE and ornaments out but those have been misplaced. My oldest son said he will make it happen tomorrow.

We actually like the staggered start with all of our traditions — the anticipation builds naturally with nothing forced, only prompted by my children’s desires to pick up the traditions which they have so lovingly embraced.

On Sunday, we moved a step deeper into Advent…

Second Sunday of Advent {Affections and Prayers}

by Filed Under: Second Sunday in Advent, Second Week of Advent, St. Alphonsus Liguori Leave a Comment

O my Jesus! if Thou hadst not accepted and suffered death for me, I should have remained dead in my sins, without hope of salvation and without the power of ever loving Thee. But after Thou hast obtained life for me by Thy death, I have again many times voluntarily forfeited it by returning to sin.

Thou didst die to gain my heart to Thyself, and I by my rebellion have made it a slave of the devil. I lost all reverence for Thee, and I said that I would no longer have Thee for my master.

All this is true; but it is also true that Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he should be converted and live; and therefore didst Thou die to give us life.

I repent of having offended Thee, my dearest Redeemer; and do Thou pardon me through the merits of Thy Passion; give me Thy grace; give me that life which Thou hast purchased for me by Thy death, and henceforth mayest Thou have entire dominion over my heart.

Never let the devil have possession of it again; he is not my God, he does not love me, and has not suffered anything for me.

In past times he was not the true sovereign, but the robber of my soul; Thou alone, my Jesus, art my true Lord, who hast created and redeemed me with Thy blood; Thou alone hast loved me, and oh, how much! It is therefore only just that I should be Thine alone during the life that remains to me.

Tell me what Thou wouldst have me to do; for I will do it all.

Chastise me as Thou wilt; I accept everything Thou sendest me; only spare me the chastisement of living without Thy love; make me love Thee, and then dispose of me as Thou wilt.

Most holy Mary, my refuge and consolation, recommend me to thy Son: his death and thy intercession are all my hope.

– Meditations for Every Day of Advent – Second Sunday, St. Alphonsus Ligouri

Advent Planner

by Filed Under: Advent, Advent Planner, Prints 1 Comment

Four weeks of Advent are scarcely enough to “prepare the way of the Lord” for His coming to us as King. However, if we have used that season as a preparation, we are ready now to receive the Redeemer who will deliver us from sin in answer to our requests. Christ’s coming must be, not a lovely idyll or a pastoral scene, but a reality accomplished in our lives and our children’s. Forty days of rejoicing are not too long a celebration for so great an event. –

Advent and Christmas in a Catholic Home, Imprimatur 1950

This Advent Planner includes printables that will help you keep track of your resolutions and plan throughout the Advent season, a “mini Lent.” I’ve also included the basic framework of our very simple Family Advent Plans.

This resource is a labor of love. But well worth it as it is something that we use in our home to help us live out the Faith and tend to our Rule of Life within the Advent season.

The Advent Planner Includes:

  • Advent Plan to document your resolutions – 2 pgs
  • Advent Examination for the duration of Advent 2022 – 1 pg
  • Advent Weekly Log to track resolutions – 4 pgs
  • Liturgical Planner | Advent Feastday Planner – printed and used to help you plan for holy days & feastdays in the Advent season – 1 pg
  • Advent Calendar 2022 – list form for easy reference.  2 pages – 4 pages per sheet
  • Family Advent Plans 2022 – This is what we use for a reference for our basic Advent plans – helping to ensure that we follow the liturgical calendar and tend to our devotions while keeping things in order.  – 15 pgs

May we restore our hearts & our children to Christ through every means we can.

In Christo Rege,

Lena

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

by Filed Under: 11 November, Archbishop Lefebvre, Time After Pentecost, Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost Leave a Comment

The women of our parish were blessed to have a day retreat offered to us this past Saturday. I would have attended for the Holy Hour, alone.

Here is a sermon from Archbishop Lefebvre on Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost.

Today’s Gospel describes two striking miracles wrought by Our Divine Lord-the cure of a woman who for ten years had suffered from an issue of blood and the raising to life of a ruler’s daughter. In both miracles the divine power of Jesus Christ was clearly manifested. But even more evident was His tender mercy. Both cases were such as to arouse the deep sympathy of Our Divine Saviour because of the pathetic condition of those who sought His help the poor woman who had so long suffered from a distressing ailment without any natural hope of relief and the grief-stricken father who had just seen his little daughter snatched from him by death.

The mercy of Our Divine Saviour is just as great today as it was when He lived on earth, and He is just as willing to aid the suffering and the sorrowing today as He was nineteen centuries ago. But if we wish to profit by His mercy we must approach Him in the same spirit as the poor woman and the afflicted father-with a deep confidence that He can help us and thai He will do so if we pray to Him with humility and perseverance.

Neither can we say that we do not possess the same advantage that was granted to the people of Palestine of old, to have Christ personally in their midst. He is with us just as truly as He was with the poor and the suffering who gazed on His gentle face when He walked on earth. For our holy faith assures us that Our Lord is truly present on our altars in the Blessed Sacrament. There He dwells, night and day, to help us in our needs, to give us light and consolation in afflictions, to strengthen us in temptation, and even to relieve our temporal burdens when this will be for our spiritual benefit.

Practical Catholics come to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament with the same spirit of faith that was manifested by the sick woman when she said, “If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed.” We can do more than touch the garment of Christ. We can kneel before Him with the assurance of faith that we are conversing intimately with Him as with a beloved friend who is anxious to do us good. He may not grant us the particular favour we ask, especially if it is something temporal or material, because it may not be for our spiritual welfare. But He will always hear our prayers and grant us some favour that will be conducive to our spiritual welfare and to our eternal salvation.

Practical Application
Almost all those in the church today can if they wish, make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament daily, or at least several times in the course of each week. If you have a practical faith in the doctrine of Our Lord’s real presence in the Church, you will take advantage of this opportunity to visit Him frequently and to unburden to Him the needs of your soul.

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