JOYfilledfamily BLOG

RMGS ~ Hospitality & Humility ~ Baking

February 16, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Baking, Hospitality, Humility, RMGS, RMGS 2012-13 1 Comment

~RMGS mission is to help young girls grow in faith, virtue, and service, through hospitality, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.~

~~~

Rosa Mystica Girls’ Society met for our sixth meeting of the 2012-13 Session on the second Sat. of the month, February 9, 2012. There were thirty-eight girls in attendance. We have two meetings remaining. The next meeting will be another baking lesson (emphasis on pastries) and the following meeting will focus on gardening. We will close the 2012-13 Session with a May Procession.

The girls were introduced to a new skill, bread making.

Lesson:

Father B was teaching the Confirmation class and could not join us for his regular lessons. Father did grace us with his presence during the bread making segment and for closing, Angelus.

Father gave a simple lesson on French Bread, the Lost Bread.

He also gave a great demonstration on the hand grinder.

~~~

We briefed the girls on the virtue of humility. They brainstormed examples of humility and pride.

“The virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer. Voluntary humility can be described as ‘poverty of spirit.’” (CCC 2559, 2546).

~~~

Prayer of Humility for Children

Author unkown

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
Help me to look for what is good in others and forget what is bad in them.
Help me to put others first and not worry if I’m not picked or am ignored.
Help me not to seek approval and not worry about being the center of attention.
Help me not to be afraid to be afraid of not being liked or worry about being hurt or not believed.
Help me to look beyond myself, even if it’s not my turn, and to help others.
Deliver me, Jesus, from all of these and make me as holy as I should be.
Amen

Bread Making:

The bread making lesson was led by Mrs. L and her future RMGS member, M (her 3 year old daughter). Mrs. L has perfected the art of bread making using home-ground unadulterated wheat.

Mrs. L rounded up the girls around her baking table to give them an up-close demonstration of bread making.

She reviewed the simple steps for making a batch of bread that will yield 3 large loaves, perfect for the large families.

She also shared wonderful bits of priceless info that I’m sure the girls will carry with them for many years to come.

Each RMGS member had the opportunity to attempt a baking skill and take a turn at the hand-grinder or dough mixing.

The girls were able to taste their creations at the close of the meeting. The remaining loaves were saved for the bake sale.

Handouts:

AGENDA – Hospitality ~ Humility ~ Baking ~ FEB

Hospitality & Humility:

Activity Sheet – Hospitality & Humility p 1 ~ Baking– includes suggested activities to help the girls grow in virtue and bread making skills, reverse side has scripture

Humility Scriptures & Prayers (p 2)

Litany of Humility

Baking:

Bread Recipe – created by Mrs. L

Handout based on Little Women Hospitality Baking Lesson – focus on Hospitality and the necessary steps for baking

Additional Humility Resources:

Humility Memory Verse
Litany of Humility
Becoming Like Mary – Seven Daily Prayers
St. Catherine Laboure Humility Info Page
Mother Teresa’s Humility List ~ Truth & Charity
His Lessons in His Time – Humility Post by JOYfilledfamily

Wrap-up:

We reviewed the handouts that the helpers placed in each binder and encouraged the girls to grow in humility and share their new bread making skill with someone else this Lenten season.

The girls created a St. Valentine’s note to express their love for Mother Church, our Priests, or any other related love. The love notes would serve as décor for our bake sale and would be shared by all.

The meeting closed with the Angelus, led by Father.

~~~

Thank you to the many hands who stayed around to help set up for the bake sale on Sunday.

~~~

Our Lady of the Mystical Rose, pray for us!

2013 Family Lenten Program & Lenten Resources

February 12, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Lent 2 Comments

Lord, help us to see in your Crucifixion and Resurrection an example of how to endure and seemingly to die in the agony and conflict of daily life so that we may live more fully and creatively.

You accepted patiently and humbly the rebuffs of human life, as well as the tortures of your Crucifixion and Passion. Help us to accept the pains and conflicts that come to us each day as opportunities to grow as people and become more like you. Enable us to go through them patiently and bravely, trusting that you will support us. Make us realize that it is only by frequent deaths of ourselves and our self-centered desires that we can come to live more fully; for it is only by dying with you that we can rise with you. – Mother Teresa of Calcutta

~~~

We are ready (as can be) to enter into the desert, Lenten season. We will be keeping things simple this Lent and following our same Lenten program as last year.

We seek to be fully immersed in a life of prayer within our current state of life so that we can grow an intimate union with Christ, foster the virtues of humility and charity, and properly purge ourselves of things of this world that have been hindering our union with Him. We hope to model the Holy Family of Nazareth with the purpose of transforming our own family into a “true sanctuary of Love”.*

As always, my family has removed ourselves from all extracurriculars not related to the Church or our livelihood. Our days will be centered around prayer. We will refrain from participating in superfluous social events – leaving the home only out of necessity for our state in life, Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, and MASS.

All technology use will be kept to a minimum. The TV that was used for videos has been removed from the home for the entire Lenten Season. My computer use will be reduced to an hour a day, after the kids are in bed. Cell phones will only be used for communication purposes and will not be used in the home unless there is an emergency. Our kids do not use the computer on a regular basis so that is a non-issue.

In addition, my family will recommit to a dietary lifestyle change that He has called us to follow, using our plan from last year. The good Lord continues to give us the graces to move down this path so that we can have a complete restoration of health and be nourished with real food – all for His glory!

Lastly, we will continue to patiently wait for Baby G to arrive this Lenten Season. His official due date is Feb. 17 but I usually go two weeks over. I pray to joyfully embrace my usual long labor (avg. 30 hrs) and offer my crosses up for the intentions of Our Blessed Mother, cause of our Joy.

This Lenten season we pray for a complete transformation, total abandonment to God’s will, with child-like trust in His fatherly care, and readiness for service in profound humility after the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

We also pray that your Lenten journey be all that the good Lord wills for you and that you may joyfully cooperate with His grace.

+Ad Jesum Per Mariam+

*The foundation of our Lenten Program is based on the statutes that Dad and I seek to follow as LMC.

~~~

Daily Family Lenten Program:

Morning Offering
Angelus
Daily Readings – 1962 Roman Missal
Lenten Reflection – Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa
Angelus
Personal Spiritual Readings
Examen
Rosary – Meditations by St. Louis de Montfort
Compline

Daily Prayer Meditation & Intention:

Mon – Souls in Purgatory & End to Abortion
Tue – Holy Angels & Conversion of Family
Wed – St. Joseph & Godparents & Godchildren
Thur – Holy Eucharist & Pope Benedict XVI & Priests
Fri – Crucifixion & The Sick
Sat – Blessed Virgin Mary & Vocations
Sun – Blessed Trinity & Poor, homeless, and those in great need

Family Lenten Activities:

Review personal Lenten program chart (daily)
Update the Sacrifice Bean Jar for sacrifices/almsgiving (daily)
Pick Almsgiving item out of the jar (Mon.-Sat. with an emphasis on Mondays)
Family service at parish (Saturday)
Adoration (Thursday)
Mass & Stations of the Cross (Friday)
Mass (Daily until baby arrives & Sunday)

~~~

I will add more to the resource list throughout this Lenten season if I come across additional resources that I would like to use and/or share. Please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.

Lenten Resources:

Lenten Activities & Resources for Kids:

Other Lenten Reflections & Resources:

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
Sexagesima Sunday
St. Matthias
Chair of St. Peter
Septuagesima Sunday
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Way of the Cross
How to Attend Mass
Lenten Resolution Renewal – based on an Audio Sancto Sermon
My Biggest Sacrifice
Counsels of Perfection for CHRISTIAN MOTHERS
SIMPLIFY
Daily Meditations
Pre-Lenten Recap
Charity is…
Lenten Calendar & Family Lenten Program
L-E-N-T

~~~

Now it is only right that, before we arrive at that glory of impassibility and immortality which began in Christ, and which was acquired for us through Christ, we should be shaped after the pattern of Christ’s sufferings. It is then only right that Christ’s liability to suffer should remain in us too for a time, as a means of our coming to the impassibility of glory in the way He himself came to it. ~ Meditations For Lent – St. Thomas Aquinas, (1-2 85 5 ad 2.)

2013 Lenten Calendar

February 12, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Lent, Lenten Calendar 2 Comments

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk; But grant rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. ~ St. Ephraem, Doctor of the Church (d. 373) This prayer is often prayed with a prostration after each stanza.

~~~

This calendar corresponds with the 2013 Liturgical Calendar – of the Extraordinary Form.

In order to keep up the character of mournfulness and austerity which is so well suited to Lent, the Church, for many centuries, admitted very few feasts into this portion of her year, inasmuch as there is always joy where there is even a spiritual feast…During the last few centuries, she has admitted several other feasts into that portion of her general calendar which coincides with Lent; still, she observes a certain restriction, out of respect for the ancient practice. ~“The Mystery of Lent” – Extraordinary Form (Tridentine) from Dom Gueranger’s “The Liturgical Year”

*The calendar can be printed with a purple, purple print, white or a vintage background. The links to the calendar downloads are listed at the bottom of this post.

I print my calendar at Costco Photo in 16×20 ($5.99) for the family down stairs and 8×10 ($1.49) for bedrooms upstairs. It can also be printed at home.

~~~

The following prayers are also included on the calendar.

O Lord Jesus! who spent forty days in the desert without food or drink, and didst permit Thy self to be tempted by the evil spirit, give me, I beseech Thee by that holy fast, the grace to combat, during this holy season of Lent, under Thy protection, against intemperance, and to resist the suggestions of Satan that I may win the crown of eternal life. Amen. ~Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine’s The Church’s Year

~~~

Prayer Before A Crucifix ~ En ego, O bone et dulcissime Iesu
Behold, O good and most sweet Jesus, I fall upon my knees before Thee, and with most fervent desire beg and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart a lively sense of faith, hope and charity, true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. And with deep affection and grief, I reflect upon Thy five wounds, having before my eyes that which Thy prophet David spoke about Thee, o good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and feet, they have counted all my bones." Amen.

This prayer calls to mind Psalm 21, in particular verses 17 and 18, which concern our Lord’s Passion. A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful on any Friday of Lent or Passiontide who after Communion piously recite this prayer before an image of Christ crucified. On other days of the year the indulgence is partial.

~~~

You may download and print the calendar for your personal use. I only ask that you offer a decade of the Rosary for Priests of the the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).

***Please leave a comment stating how you plan to use this or any other Lenten Calendar. Also, feel free to leave your suggestions for future calendars.***

Email me at JOYfilledfamily{at}gmail{dot}com if you prefer to have a JPEG file and/or PDF sent directly to you. I will gladly send out the 2013 Lenten Calendar – JPEG file at any time in the Lenten Season.

~~~

Chorister

February 4, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Music, Rose, Sparkles 4 Comments

Rose and Sparkles received a ribbon and medal for their Chorister advancement on the feast of the Purification.

The annual Conferral of Medals and Ribbons of the Royal School of Church Music took place at our parish. Ten new choristers, including Sparkles, received the medal of the Royal School which represents two years of hard work in sight-singing, music theory, voice production and Gregorian Chant. Others received various colored ribbons representing further work and testing in the Chorister Training Program of the Royal School. Rose received her Purple Ribbon, signifying that she has successfully completed the entire training program. Deo Gratias!

Flower bouquet from Sparkles’ Nina

~~~

And by such music we express the spiritual joy of our hearts in this heavenly function, and excite ourselves therein to holy jubilation and devotion. Divine love and praise are the work of the heart, without which all words or exterior signs are hypocrisy and mockery. Yet as we are bound to consecrate to God our voices and all our organs and faculties, and all creatures which we use, so we ought to employ them all in magnifying his sanctity, greatness, and glory, and sometimes to accompany our interior affections of devotion with the most expressive exterior signs. ~Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler

Prepare for Lent ~ Make Yourself Good Soil

February 3, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Pre-Lent, Sexagesima Sunday

SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY The seed is the word of God.

Sexagesima (seks’uh-jeh’sih-mah) Sunday

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / PURPLE

Feb. 3, 2012

This Sunday moves deeper into immediate preparation for Lent. It is a day of testing the soil of human hearts, to find out how ready everyone is for the good seed of grace that God is sure to offer. Has our vision enlarged to see all men as our brothers? Has our love reached out to all the world’s sufferers, at least by sympathy and prayer? Is our hand open to the needy of our local community?

The Prayer recalls that in old Rome this Mass was always said at the "stational" church of St. Paul-outside-the-Walls.

~~~

Sexagesima Sunday GOSPEL ~ Luke 8. 4-15
† Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

At that time, when a very great multitude was gathered together and hastened out of the cities unto Jesus, He spoke by a similitude: The sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it choked it. And other some fell upon good ground: and being sprung up yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, He cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And His disciples asked Him what this parable might be. To whom He said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables: that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand. Now the parable is this. The seed is the word of God. And they by the wayside are they that hear: then the devil cometh and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved. Now they upon the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no roots: for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation they fall away. And that which fell away among thorns are they who have heard and, going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit. But on the good ground are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.

~~~

Sexagesima Sunday
From Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.

Presence of God – O Lord, I am here before you. Grant that my heart may
be the good ground, ready to receive Your divine word.

Meditation
1. Today Jesus, the divine Sower, comes to scatter the good seed in His vineyard the Church. He wishes to prepare our souls for a new blossoming of grace and virtue.

"The seed is the word of God." Jesus Christ, the Word Incarnate, eternal Utterance of the Father, came to sow this word in the hearts of men; it is, as it were, a reflection of Himself. The divine word is not a sound which strikes the air and disappears rapidly like the word of men; it is a supernatural light which reveals the true value of things; it is grace, the source of power and strength to help us live according to the light of God. Thus it is a seed of supernatural life, of sanctity, of eternal life. This seed is never sterile in itself; it always has a vital, powerful strength, capable of producing not only some fruits of Christian life, but abundant fruits of sanctity. This seed is not entrusted to an inexperienced husbandman who, because of his ignorance might ruin the finest sowing. It is Jesus Himself, the Son of God, who is the Sower.

Then why does the seed not always bring forth the desired fruit? Because very often the ground which receives it does not have the requisite qualities. God never stops sowing the seed in the hearts of men; He invites them, He calls them continually by His light and His appeals; He never ceases giving His grace by means of the Sacraments; but all this is vain and fruitless unless man offers God a good ground, that is, a heart, well prepared and disposed. God wills our salvation and sanctification, but He never forces us; He respects our liberty.

2. Today’s Gospel mentions four categories of people who receive the seed of the divine word in different ways.

THE HARD GROUND: souls that are frivolous, dissipated, open to all
distractions, rumors and curiosity; admitting all kinds of creatures and
earthly affections. The word of God hardly reaches their heart when the
enemy, having free access, carries it off, thus preventing it from taking
root.

THE STONY GROUND: superficial souls with only a shallow layer of good
earth, which will be rapidly blown away, along with the good seed, by the
winds of passion. These souls easily grow enthusiastic, but do not
persevere and "in time of temptation fall away." They are unstable, because
they have not the courage to embrace renunciation and to make the sacrifices
which are necessary if one wishes to remain faithful to the word of God and
to put it into practice in all circumstances. Their fervor is a straw fire
which dies down and goes out in the face of the slightest difficulty.

THE GROUND COVERED WITH THORNS: souls that are preoccupied with
worldly things, pleasures, material interests and affairs. The seed takes
root, but the thorns soon choke it by depriving it of air and light.
Excessive solicitude for temporal things eventually stifles the rights of
the spirit.

Lastly, THE GOOD GROUND is compared by Jesus to those "who, with a good
and upright heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in
patience." The good and upright heart is the one which always gives first
place to God, and His justice. The seed of the divine word will bear
abundant fruit in proportion to the good dispositions it finds in us:
recollection, a serious and profound interior life, detachment, sincere
seeking for the things of God above and beyond all earthly things, and
finally, perseverance, without which the word of God cannot bear its fruit
in us.

COLLOQUY
O Jesus, divine Sower, rightly do You complain of the arid, sterile
ground of my poor heart! What an abundant sowing of holy inspirations,
interior lights, and grace You have cast into my heart! How many times You
have invited me to come to You by special appeals, and how many times have I
stopped, after following You for a short time! O Lord, if only I could
understand the fundamental reason for my spiritual sterility, my instability
and inconstancy in good! Will Your light fail me? No, for You are
continually instructing and admonishing my soul in a thousand ways. Oh! if
so many souls living in error and not knowing You had received but a
hundredth part of the light which You have given me so profusely, how much
fruit would they not have drawn from it!

Will Your grace fail me? Is not Your grace my strength? O Lord, I see
that neither Your light nor Your strength will fail me; What I lack is the
perseverance which can faithfully withstand temptations, difficulties, and
darkness; which can face courageously the sacrifices and austerity of the
Christian life. It is easy to make sacrifices and to renounce oneself for a
day, but it is hard to keep on doing it always, every day of our life. Is
this not the reason that You said, O Lord, that the good heart brings forth
fruit "in patience"?

O Jesus, who endured with invincible patience your most sorrowful
Passion and death, give me the patience I need to keep up the struggle
against my passions and my self-love, patience to embrace with perseverance
all the sacrifices required by total detachment, to be able to live without
personal satisfactions and pleasures, to do everything that is repugnant to
me, that hurts me, that crosses me and is displeasing to my self-love.
O Lord, You know that I desire total purification because I long for
union with You; but You cannot purify me entirely if I cannot accept
patiently Your work: the trials, humiliations and detachments that You
prepare for me. O Jesus, divine Sufferer, give me Your patience; make me,
like Yourself, humble and patient.

~~~

RESOURCES:

Sexagesima Sunday Audio Sancto Sermon
Literal Translations for Sexagesima Sundays
Propers for Sexagesima Sunday
Fr Goffine’s – The Church’s Year – SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY
Latin Mass Propers Online – Full Latin – MaternalHeart.Org, Sexagesima Sunday
Dominica Sexagesima Sunday – Gregorian Chant Propers
A reprimand from Saint Catherine of Siena – Holy Souls Hermitage
Sexagesima Sunday Reflections – JOYfilledfamily
Parable of the Sower Coloring Page*
Parable of the Sower Coloring Page* – JPEG image
The Parable of The Sower and the Seed Coloring Page*
Parable of the Sower Wordsearch*
Parable of the Sower Workbook*

*non-Catholic source

~~~

In Purificatione Beatae Mariae Virginis

February 3, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Candlemas, Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2 Comments

Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas) – February 2

Tis the festival on which the Church venerates the humility and obedience of Mary who, though not subject to the law of Moses, which required purification and presentation in the temple, yet subjected herself to it. From this comes the name Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. It is also called Candlemas, because before Mass on this day the candles used in divine service are blessed and carried in procession. ~Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine’s, The Church’s Year, INSTRUCTION ON THE FEAST OP THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, COMMONLY CALLED CANDLEMAS-DAY.

~~~

In the traditional Roman liturgy ~ there would be a special blessing of candles and a procession before Mass would begin. The chants sung for the rite contain many references to light. Also, a lighted candle is to be held during the reading of the Gospel and during the Roman Canon. The candle brings to mind also our baptism. ~Fr. Z

~~~

THE BLESSING OF THE CANDLES ~ Before the Procession, the Priest, vested in a violet cope, blesses the candles, which are placed near the altar.

THE PROCESSION ~ The procession takes place, all bearing lighted candles.

~~~

Candles are beautiful symbols of our sacrifices. They are like living things. They eat and drink the wax from the bees, made collectively in association with sweetness. They breath air. They move in their flames as they flicker. They communicate to our eyes a beautiful light and give contrast to their surroundings by illumination. They burn out at the end of their span. So do we. They are consumed for the Lord in the liturgy. So should we be. We do all these things. And so, using candles in important times is a very wholesome and Catholic practice. Leaving one of these little candles in a Church, as a symbolic sacrifice of your prayers and petitions is entirely natural. ~ Fr. Z

~~~

Resources:

Introduction of the Feast of the Purification ~ Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine, The Church’s Year
Candlemas ~ Fr. Z
Feast of the Purification (Candlemas) ~ Fish Eaters
Latin Mass Propers – Purification
Gregorian Chant Propers for Candlemas
Purification Novena ~ Catholic Culture
Candlemas Candle Craft ~ JOYfilledfamily
St. Catherine’s Academy Gazette – Purification Reflection (for families) pg 9-10 – Crusaders for Christ
Presentation Coloring Page ~ St John the Baptist Catholic Church
A Day of Purification, Renewal and Hope ~ JOYfilledfamily 2011
Candlemas Treats ~ Catholic Cuisine
Additional Candles Mass Resources & Links ~ Sanctus Simplicitus

Naturally Fresh

February 1, 2013 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Natural Beauty, Skin 2 Comments

I have taken one more step in eliminating unnatural beauty products. I finally made it through my stock of traditional chemical laden deodorants and went in search of an alternative.

It was on a late night shopping trip with my husband that I found a natural deodorant, Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal with Aloe Vera. I purchased the travel size (2.1 oz) at Wal-Mart for $2.50 (on clearance).

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal with Aloe Vera is:

Hypoallergenic
Paraben Free
Fragrance Free
Aluminum Free

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal products are 100% pure and natural, non-staining, and provide up to 24 hour, hypoallergenic protection against body and foot odor. Our products are also paraben free, propylene glycol free, phthalate free, and contain no harmful aluminums (aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium). They function as natural deodorants, which kill odor-causing bacteria while permitting the pores to excrete toxins naturally. This is vital to maintain healthy, axillary lymph nodes located in the underarm area.

I love the Naturally Fresh Deodorant! I’ve tried other natural and coconut oil based deodorants (homemade and purchased) in the past but none of them have held up or felt so light. I have had absolutely no body odor, no filmy residue, no irritation, no marks on clothing, and no irritating perfume smells. Another great benefit of the crystal deodorant is that it lasts up to one year!

Maybe someday I’ll find the right homemade solution but for now I’m happy with this alternative.

WC Walk for LIFE 2013

January 28, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Pro-Life, Walk For Life

We walked in reparation for the sins that have been committed against the unborn, all involved in abortion, and other end-of-life issues. We walked to be a witness for Christ!

~~~

For an End to Abortion

Oh God, who is the Beginning and the End, hear our prayers as we cry out to you to end the merciless shedding of innocent blood in our nation and throughout the world. Through death you have conquered death and through your life we experience eternal and everlasting life. Cause life to spring forth in the hearts of all people and bring forth a love and respect for life that will dominate our culture. May your kingdom and church apprehend and overtake the culture of death that has prevailed through deceit and selfishness; may the Seed of the woman crush the head of the serpent through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

~~~

Praise God that we were able to walk as a family for the 2013 Walk for Life – West Coast. It was a first for the boys. Thankfully, there wasn’t much opposition (seen) so the littles were all spared from graphic visuals and language.

Rose joined up with friends from our parish and walked with TAC.

I must note that it was much more of a sacrifice for me (at 37 weeks) than I had anticipated. Dad and the kids were great support. ALL FOR!

~~~

Below is a recap of the walk in pictures.

We had more pictures from the actual walk and entire day but my photographer and her assistant had a mishap with the camera memory while on our way home. A story not worth mentioning.

Dad – For the logic-impaired ~ Mom – baby G in womb-37weeks ~ Rose – Smile Your Mom Chose LIFE ~ Sweetie & Dragonfly – LIFE decorated with hologram smiley faces ~ Papi – SMILE (w/hologram smiley faces) 4-LIFE ~ Sparkles – glittered American Flag (her creation from a RMGS poster contest) with PRO LIFE image in place of stars

~~~

Novena Prayer for Life to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of Life,
We honor you as Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Thank you for pointing us to Jesus your Son,
The only Savior and hope of the world.
Renew our hope in him,
That we all may have the courage to say Yes to life,
And to defend those children in danger of abortion.
Give us your compassion
To reach out to those tempted to abort,
And to those suffering from a past abortion.
Lead us to the day when abortion
Will be a sad, past chapter in our history.
Keep us close to Jesus, the Life of the World,
Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

A Family Walking for Life

January 26, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Pro-Life, Walk For Life

We are walking as a complete family in 2013 for the WC Walk for Life! DEO GRATIAS!!

We pray to help build up the culture of life.

Please raise up this effort and all those participating in your prayers.

WALK FOR LIFE WEST COAST ~ January 26, 2:30 PM ET; January 27, 9:30 AM ET – EWTN

~~~

“I was excited to go on the Walk for Life WC (2012) for the second time. I prayed as I walked. The crowd (opposition) made me sad because they were being mean to God. I prayed for them.

I pray that we all will love God and that He let them know that killing babies is wrong.” ~Sparkles, age 8

~~~

LIFE IS THE ONLY CHOICE – wonderful song but not for viewing (for all audiences)

A Master Bedroom & Birthing Suite

January 23, 2013 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 31 Days, Home, Pregnancy

My birthing suite (aka master bedroom) is complete. It was not an easy task but it has finally come together with the help of my entire family.

Prior to now, my master bedroom was serving as a storage room – a catch-all from quick cleans and all the other rooms in the house. It was never my intention to live amongst clutter but it became easier to store it away than to deal with it. Dad and I really never minded because having a clean room, a haven, has never been much of a priority. We spend the majority of time as a family in the main living areas of our home. Also, cleaning in itself is not the priority of my family (proof can be found here). Sure, we have basic cleaning chores but anything beyond that is often reserved for special guests or yearly liturgical cleaning. That’s the reality of our growing family who spends majority of the day together (dad, mom, and all five kids) homeschooling while trying to make due with my aliments.

The hope is that my birthing suite will remain a haven for the remainder of my pregnancy (currently 36 weeks 2 days along), labor, baby G’s infancy, and beyond. ALL FOR!

~~~

~~~

Subscribe to our Newsletter