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striving to radiate Him always

Pro-Life Generation

by Filed Under: March for Life, Pro-Life, Rose, Rose GFG, Walk For Life 10 Comments

IMG_5648

On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 22, 1973…

I’m thankful for His grace to say YES to life.  I was sixteen when I became pregnant.  I told no one until I was 7.5 months pregnant.  I was full of fear and shame for my poor choice.  He showered His mercy upon me and I was able to bring a beautiful healthy girl into the world.  My parents and close loved ones also said YES to life by loving me and supporting me through it all. 

My husband, then boyfriend, stood by me.  Together, we have six children on earth and five whom we pray are with Our Lord.  My daughter, now eighteen years old, is in Washington DC today marching for LIFE.  She is the PRO-LIFE GENERATION!

DEO GRATIAS!

~~~

May we be bold in word and generous in action
To love and serve the unborn
And to awaken our world to know
That the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.
Fill us with love, bring us peace, and let
us share your life forever.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~~

{phfr} journey of discernment

by Filed Under: {phfr}, 2014 Journey, Homestead, Lil' Man, OLR, Rose, Rose GFG 1 Comment

~Love of God, the Church, the Family, the Land, and Catholic Culture~

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We brought in the New Year as a family, in a remote location, for peace, and discernment — another blessing along this journey.

JOYfilledfamilyOLR12014

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The entire family went running with the bulls, unintentionally of course.

OLRRunningwiththebulls

It was an intense experience that I would wish on no one.

We give thanks to the good Lord for His protection and Our Lady’s intercession during this trial. 

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Rose is able to return to college.

ROSE2014

Laudētur Iēsus Christus, hodie et semper! Deo Gratias!
It has been a humbling and edifying experience to see our Good Lord, through the intercession of His Blessed Mother, bring together the hard work and resources of our students, families, old friends and new friends to our cause in order to achieve this noble goal. From the planning and organizing, to the praying and giving, this was truly a collective achievement.

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Lil’ Man is almost one and making some major milestones.

Lilman1152014

He is now waking in series of 6-10 steps at a time.  He is devouring all foods we put within his reach.  He says mama to melt my heart and get his way.  He understands many signs and is using a few signs on his own.  He’s become a bit resistant to me leaving his sight since I’ve returned to work part-time.  He fell in love with his big sis, again, when she returned home from college.  He loves to talk on the phone with his Nana.  He is especially fond of the view from Papa’s arms.  His hair seems to be getting lighter.  He has 6 teeth – 4 up top and 2 on bottom.  Dad and I tease that he will be a surgeon due to his precise hand-eye coordination that was impressive from day one and has become bionic.  He gives sweet kisses!

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Prayer to the Holy Family

This prayer is taken from Prayer Book for Religious, compiled by Fr. F. X. Lasance, S.J. (Benziger Brothers, 1904)

O most loving Jesus, Who by Thy sublime and beautiful virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, patience and gentleness, and by the example of Thy domestic life, didst bless with peace and happiness the family Thou didst choose on earth, in Thy clemency look down upon this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee; for to Thee we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look upon us in Thy loving kindness; preserve us from danger; give us help in time of need, and grant us the grace to persevere to the end in the imitation of Thy Holy Family; that having revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully on earth, we may bless and praise Thee eternally in heaven.

O Mary, most sweet Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy Divine Son will hear thy prayers.

And do thou, O glorious Patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation, and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen.

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{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

Love of Our Neighbor

by Filed Under: Homestead, Love of Our Neighbor, Weekends with Chesterton 1 Comment

“It may be very difficult for modern people to imagine a world in which men are not generally admired for covetousness and crushing their neighbours but I assure them that such strange patches of an earthly paradise do really remain on earth.”

~G.K. Chesterton (The Outline of Sanity)

OLREarthlyParadiseCHESTERTONv2

No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  ~1John 4:12

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Linking up with Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things for Weekends with Chesterton...

Motto & Word of the Year ~ 2014

by Filed Under: Motto, New Year, Peace, Weekends with Chesterton, Word of the Year 5 Comments

My word of the year is PEACE.  I seek the peace that encompasses simplicity, contentment, thanksgiving, appreciation, patience, tranquility of the soul, and conformity to God’s Holy will.  I seek peace not as the world gives.

There are many reflections that I will be mediating on this year to help me grow in peace.  G.K. Chesterton offers  great reflections on contentment.

True Contentment - JOYfilledfamily Word of the Year 2014

Content ought to mean in English, as it does in French, being pleased; placidly, perhaps, but still positively pleased. Being contented with bread and cheese ought not to mean not caring what you eat. It ought to mean caring for bread and cheese; handling and enjoying the cubic content of the bread and cheese and adding it to your own…

True contentment is a thing as active as agriculture. It is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in it. It is arduous and it is rare. The absence of this digestive talent is what makes so cold and incredible the tales of so many people who say they have been “through” things; when it is evident that they have come out on the other side quite unchanged. A man might have gone “through” a plum pudding as a bullet might go through a plum pudding; it depends on the size of the pudding–and the man. But the awful and sacred question is “Has the pudding been through him?” Has he tasted, appreciated, and absorbed the solid pudding, with its three dimensions and its three thousand tastes and smells? Can he offer himself to the eyes of men as one who has cubically conquered and contained a pudding?

In the same way we may ask of those who profess to have passed through trivial or tragic experiences whether they have absorbed the content of them; whether they licked up such living water as there was. It is a pertinent question in connection with many modern problems.

~ G.K. Chesterton (The Contented Man)

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2014 Motto

These words are imprinted on my heart.  Perfection is not sought.  My goal is only to move closer to Him and do His will.

PEACE - JOYfilledfamily 2014 Word of the Year

Printable 2014 Motto

Printable G.K. Chesterton Quote

select fit to sheet

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Word of the Year Posts

2013 – NOW |  2012 – Pray  |  2011 – Charity (LOVE)

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Linking up with Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things for Weekends with Chesterton...

Epiphany 2014

by Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, Epiphany Of Our Lord 1 Comment

O my Jesus, while I beg You to reveal Yourself to the world, I also beseech You to reveal Yourself more and more to my poor soul. Let Your star shine for me today, and point out to me the road which leads directly to You! May this day be a real Epiphany for me, a new manifestation to my mind and heart of Your great Majesty. He who knows You more, loves You more, O Lord; and I want to know You solely in order to love You, to give myself to You with ever greater generosity.

~Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, OCD

~~~

Omnes de Saba venient
aurum et thus deferentes
et laudem Domino annuntiantes.
Alleluja.

Dadwrintingonthelentil14

Dad marked the lintel of the two main entries into our home with the Epiphany Chalk Blessing on the feast of The Epiphany of Our Lord.

All they from Saba will come,
bringing gold and frankincense,
and announcing the praise of the Lord.
Alleluia.

~Gradual for The Feast of the Epiphany. Isaiah 60:6

~~~

Epiphany Chalk Blessing

The lintel of the main door of the house is marked with blessed chalk by the father of the household in the following manner:chalkblessing

20+C+M+B+14 (the suffix of the current year) while saying the following prayer:

  • The Three Wise Men
  • C  Caspar
  • M  Melchior
  • B  & Balthasaar, followed the star of God’s Son who became Man
  • 20 Two-thousand
  • 14 and fourteen years ago
  • + May Christ
  • + Bless our home
  • + and remain with us
  • + through the new year.

Almighty God, incline Thine ear.  Bless us and all who are gathered here.  Send Thy holy angel who will defend us, and fill with grace all who dwell here.  Amen

~~~

JOYfilledfamilyEpiphany2014

2013  | 2012 

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….O Blessed parents of the Infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph,we humbly and earnestly implore you to beg for us, at the crib of your Infant Son, that like Him and as His true and faithful followers, we may love to live in true humility, disengagement from creatures, contempt of the world and it’s vanities, constant recollection of the holy presence of God, fervour and fidelity in all of our duties, and in the practice of the tenderest charity to all persons.  May we never blush at the humility of the crib, nor at the poverty  and simplicity of Bethlehem.  May we ever rejoice at our happy lot as children of the true Church; ever in tender charity look with a compassionate eye on those who live but for this world; and continually pray that all may come to bless, to praise and to love the Saviour, who comes to redeem them…Amen

~Excerpt from the Litany from Christmas to Epiphany, taken from the MC & LMC Prayer Book.

2014 Patron Saint

by Filed Under: 01 January, New Year, Patron Saint, St. Leo the Great 1 Comment

On the occasion of the New Year 1935 Saint Maria Faustina made this entry in her spiritual Diary:  "Jesus likes to intervene in the smallest details of our life. And He often fulfills secret wishes of mine that I sometimes hide from Him, although I know that from Him nothing can be hidden. There is a custom among us of drawing by lot on New Year’s Day, special patrons for ourselves for the whole year…”  ~ Saint Maria Faustina

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We are discerning a major family opportunity and felt it only fitting to enlist the intercession of a new patron saint.  We opted to select one saint for the family this year.

Our 2014 Patron Saint is…St. Leo the Great.

 

We used the Saint’s Name Generator.

Family Patron Saints from 2010 I 2011 I 2012 I 2013.

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2014JOYfilledfamilyPatronSt.LeotheGreat

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"Short and fleeting are the joys of this world’s pleasures which endeavors to turn aside from the path of life those who are called to eternity. The faithful and religious spirit, therefore, must desire the things which are heavenly, and being eager for the Divine promises, lift itself to the love of the incorruptible Good and the hope of the true Light." ~ St. Leo the Great

O Antiphons ~ EROCRAS

by Filed Under: 12 December, Advent, O Antiphons 1 Comment

   repost from 2012

The seven “O Antiphons” (also called the “Greater Antiphons” or “Major Antiphons”) are prayers that come from the Breviary’s Vespers during the Octave before Christmas Eve, a time which is called the “Golden Nights.” Each Antiphon begins with “O” and addresses Jesus with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaias and Micheas (Micah), and whose initials, when read backwards, form an acrostic for the Latin “Ero Cras” which means “Tomorrow I come.”  ~ Fisheaters

O-Antiphons_02

17 Dec. O Sapientia – Wisdom
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodidisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence.
18 Dec. O Adonai – Lord
O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento..
O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms.
19 Dec. O Radix Jesse – Rooto anitphons
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.
O Root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: come, to deliver us, and tarry not.
20 Dec. O Clavis David – Key
O clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris.
O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: come, and lead forth the captive who sits in the shadows from his prison.
21 Dec. O Oriens – Dawn
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.
O dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
22 Dec. O Rex Gentium – King
O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
O King of the gentiles and their desired One, the cornerstone that makes both one: come, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.
23 Dec. O Emmanuel – Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, O Lord our God.
Capture2

Ero Cras

Take the first letters of each of the titles, starting with the last and working back to the first. You spell: EROCRAS or “ero cras… I will be (there) tomorrow”.
Capture2
Resources:
Capture2
O Antiphons Playlist

In His JOY,

Rorate Caeli Mass in Honor of Our Lady

by Filed Under: 12 December, Advent, Marian, Rorate 1 Comment

The “Rorate Mass,” so called because it begins with the words of Isaiah 45:8, “Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum…” (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One…), is a votive Mass offered within the season of Advent in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Celebrated by candlelight, and traditionally held before dawn.

As the Mass ends the sky is just starting to glow with the new day and we journey from darkness to light and the coming of the Word Made Flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mother is upon us.

mass for our lady in advent

Will we be the darkness who receive Him not or will we be children of the light?

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The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.

The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel, and call on all to raise the gates of their hearts and their societies to let Christ the King enter; asking for the grace to receive eternal life by the merits of the Incarnation and saving Resurrection of Our Lord.

Solemn Rorate Mass from December 15th, 2012, at St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish. The Rorate Mass is a special votive mass for Our Lady during Advent, traditionally celebrated by candlelight in the early morning. St. Stephen’s is a parish run by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

The piece is “Gabriel’s Message,” a traditional Basque Advent carol, sung by the Choir and Choristers of St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish on the album “The Little Road to Bethlehem.”

This video was created by a talented parishioner, Jennifer Rego.

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Resources:

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Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.” ~ Isaiah 45:8

“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”

A Time of Preparation ~ Advent 2013

by Filed Under: 11 November, 12 December, Advent 2 Comments

   

Repost with updates.

O God, who by Thy gracious Advent hast brought joy into this world, grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy grace to prepare ourselves by sincere penance for its celebration and for the Last Judgment. Amen.

greatest-nativity

Keeping our eyes on Christ is my family’s daily goal.  During Advent it becomes even more important for us to work on keeping Christ in Christmas.

Our primary objective for keeping Christ in Christmas is to observe each liturgical season in it’s entirety.

Here are a few examples on how we try to keep the focus on Him during Advent & Christmas.

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The focus of Advent is preparation for the coming of the Lord — both in commemoration of His Nativity and His coming again at the end of time… The Christmas season does not begin until the first Mass at Christmas Eve, and doesn’t end liturgically until the Octave of the Epiphany on January 14. It goes on in the spiritual sense until Candlemas on February 2, when all celebrations of Christ’s Childhood give way to Septuagesima and Lent.

Our sole focus is preparing our hearts for Jesus.

      • Simple practices that help us keep this a penitential season.
      • Limited celebratory events.  No extracurriculars.  Similar to our Lenten practices.
      • Advent List, Christkindl, Jesse Tree, Christmas, Novena, and more.
      • We take a mock pilgrimage, Journey to Bethlehem.  Journey To Bethlehem is an interactive walking tour from the recreated town of Nazareth to Bethlehem.  The journey Gloria Holy Reflectionsrecreates the events that happened on the evening of Christ’s birth. 
      • Decorations are focused on Christ, only.  Nativities are the primary décor.  The lights must wait for Christmas.
      • Christmas music is limited (to the best of our ability) until Christmas day.
      • Gift giving is not emphasized.  That means no wish lists or presents stuffed under the tree.  Instead, acts of charity are discussed and encouraged.
          • Absolutely no Santa Claus.
      • All family members receive the sacrament of Confession during the Third and Fourth Sunday of Advent.
      • All family members present their hearts (gifts) during the Third and Fourth Sunday of Advent.  This is done by way of Adoration.  We each leave a wooden heart at the nativity manager in Church.  The heart symbolizes their offering for Jesus. Our hearts are with Christ at His time of birth.  The hearts are picked up during the Christmas season and placed on the family altar as a reminder of our offering.

40 days after giving birth, Mary goes to the Temple to be purified and to “redeem” Jesus per the Old Testament Law of the firstborn. Christmas truly ends as a Season with Candlemas and the beginning of Septuagesima.

      • Put a small offering of gifts under the tree for the children on Christmas Eve.
      • Visit Our Lord and Savior at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Christmas Day.14820268-brussels--june-24-nativity-paint-on-the-wood-from-saint-antoine-church-on-march-2012-in-brussels
        • We visit Him before we ever turn towards a present. No opening any gifts on Christmas eve or Christmas morning – CHRIST IS FIRST!
      • Have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas morning.
        • Happy birthday, cake, and the works.
      • Keep the Christmas decor up for the entire span of the Christmas season.  (Many think we’re nuts or lazy but it’s done all for His glory!)
      • REJOICE!!! Sing and play Christmas music all season!
      • Increase daily Mass attendance.

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Rohden-Franz-von-Geburt-Christi-Nativity-detail-w600

It is, that, from the day itself of our Saviour’s Birth even to the day of our Lady’s Purification, there is, in the Calendar,an extraordinary richness of Saints’ Feasts, doing homage to the master feast of Bethlehem, and clustering in adoring love round the Crib of the Infant-God.

~ “The Mystery of Christmas” from Dom Gueranger’s “The Liturgical Year”

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