Favorite Saints for today!

We are so blessed to know the names of our saints and some of the angels in Heaven!  Their lives are examples of how we can and should live, and sometimes, examples of how we shouldn't live!! (St. Augustine comes to mind.)  No one on Earth, not even the Pope, is as close to God as these saints; many encountered Him face to face here on Earth.  Just as we ask those close to us on Earth for their prayers and intercessions, we can ask, through prayer, the saints and angels in Heaven to pray for us as well.  If you are not Catholic, or even if you are, understand that we are not 'worshiping' angels or saints, but our only means of communication with them is through prayer, and through God's allowance of that communication.

St. Dymphna, please pray for me and all those who suffer either directly or indirectly from the effects of depression, mental illness, and other such diseases.  Give us strength to overcome these diseases, or the strength to bear the burden.



St. Augustine, please pray for all of us who suffer from addictions of any kind, that we may overcome them through His Love and Mercy, and our Love for the Lord.  You lived part of your life as far from God as possible, yet you became a saint.  Please pray with us and for us to conquer these burdens, or to accept these crosses and chains according to His will.  Give us the strength to walk away from our addictions, or the ability to stand to bear them.  Please pray with us for those of our children who are away from the Faith, away from God, and living apart from His Life for us; your mother, St. Monica, suffered this daily until you returned to the Lord.  St. Monica and St. Augustine, pray that all wayward children, especially our sons, see the way back that the Lord has given them.

St. Cecilia, please pray to help us to find the joy of God in the beauty around us, especially in music and art; please bless those gifted to share those talents, that they may share God's Love for us in those ways that touch us.

St. Teresa of Avila, please pray for me and all those who suffer from severe headaches, migraines, and other painful physical conditions.  Help us to offer up our suffering when we are unable to alleviate our pain conventionally.  If so, please offer our suffering to God so that someone else's suffering might be eased.

St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us to be children of God, and to appreciate all His Wonders we have in our daily lives.  Share your roses with those that need the sign to complete this love and appreciation of our God's great love for us.

St. Anne, we ask you to pray for us and with us; you were Mary's mother, and saw the path your Grandson took to save the world, as well as the pain that His Mother suffered.  Pray for our families, especially those families that have an unborn baby.  We pray that this, and every baby, be born as to God's plan, and not killed in the womb.  Pray with us for the end to abortion, and for the situations to end that cause those who think there is a need for these murders.

St. Faustina, through you we have learned the Divine Mercy prayer, and it has been prayed millions of times for God's Mercy.  You are so close to Jesus, we ask for your prayers that we also may see Jesus in our daily lives, and be open and able to hear His own Message for us.  Help us to live to see His Divine Mercy.

St. Francis de Sales, please pray with me that my words, actions, writings, may be led by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, that somehow others are drawn to learn more, and perhaps be led to Christianity and Catholicism in order to serve their lives as His Children.  Please pray that my discernment may be easily understood and clear to me.

St. Catherine of Bologna, please pray for us against the temptations both of the body and soul.  After seeing your habit and hearing your story last week, I have felt drawn to learn more about you.  Be with me as I begin this journey of learning, and that I may acquire any of your amazing attributes that allowed you to turn your back on the ways of the world to serve Christ as He called you.

St. Mary Magdalene, please pray for all us sinners; you were accused of being a sinner by the public, and that your sins were too great for even the Lord to forgive.  You asked His forgiveness, even feeling unworthy.  Help us to remember that no sins are too great to be forgiven, for His Love and Mercy are limitless. Pray for us and with us for our contrition for our sins, and that we may be closer to Christ.  Our Lord could see into Mary's heart, and He said: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." Then to Mary He said kindly, "Your faith has made you safe; go in peace." From then on, with the other holy women, Mary humbly served Jesus and His Apostles.  Help us to serve Him, and to be an example to those who have condemned others for their sins, while hiding their own.

All you saints and angels in Heaven, pray for us, and for the departed souls in purgatory.

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Watch, O Lord (St. Augustine)

Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,
and give Your angels and saints charge over those who sleep.
Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Your weary ones.
Bless Your dying ones.
Soothe Your suffering ones.
Pity Your afflicted ones.
Shield Your joyous ones, and all for Your love's sake. Amen.

Mother: Having a mother, loving your mother, being a mother, honoring your mother

I love my mom so much!  I'm adopted, so while she might not be the one who gave birth to me, she is my mother. Why is that? Society, in general, defines a mother as one who has given birth to a child.  I've never held with that.* A mother is the one who loves you, comforts you, holds you, protects you. She is often the one you turn to when you need something, or someone. She will stand between you and danger; she will do everything possible, when appropriate, to make you happy.  It may not always be what you want or expect. But nonetheless, it's always done in our best interest.  If we think we want a dozen chocolate chip cookies for dinner, she's not usually going to accommodate that. :)

Our Lady is our mother.  Think about it. She loves us, comforts us, holds us, protects us.  She wants to stand between us and danger; she wants to give us everything we need, but only if it's best for us.  We are God's children, as detailed in the Bible.  Mary is the Mother of God.  This is confusing for us humans, but that's the way it works.  She is the closest person who was on earth who is with our Lord. She gave birth to our Savior. Do you (or would you) love a mother as wonderful as Mary? He does. She is very special.  Don't be confused or misled: Catholics do not worship Mary.  We honor her, as is her due.  The Lord has seen fit to let her appear to us over the last 2000 years, and especially over the last few centuries.  That wouldn't happen if He didn't believe that we should honor and love her.  As Catholics, we are called to honor Mary, but we aren't required to believe in the miracles associated with her, or to give her extra attention.  But what a great gift we are given in our mother!

When I was a child, we said the Hail Mary prayer (which can be found on the Rosary page on this blog) during Mass. That wasn't standard, but apparently acceptable.  I rarely recall praying the Rosary as a child or an adult, until last February.  

When I was 16, I was in a wreck.  I had been sneaking out to see my boyfriend, and was in a hurry to get home before curfew (which, to be honest, was rare for me).  I rolled my '65 Mustang numerous times, end over end, side over side.  Despite the fact that I usually wore my seat belt when on the road, I didn't wear it on short 'town' errands in my rural/farm community.  I remember being upside down, hitting my head, as the car rolled.  Parts of the interior came off somehow (it was impossible to figure out how they came apart, given the small opening and the large object), the roof was crushed, and the front was demolished.

But the part I remember most is what came to me in those few seconds that seemed like hours.  I didn't consciously think "I need to pray!", or "what should I pray?". I prayed the Hail Mary. Not once, not twice.  It felt like I prayed it dozens of times in those few seconds that seemed like hours.  I walked away with a slight concussion. By walked away, I actually I walked a mile in the dark on a dirt road in the country 5 miles from town.  When I saw the car later, I had no idea how I wasn't hurt more.  

I love how, without even thinking, I turned to Mary in my scariest moment of my young life.  I had said the Lord's Prayer many, many more times in my life, and I had known it longer.  While I love our Father, and could have prayed directly to Him, it is comforting to know that Mary is here for us, is there for us.

Thank you Father for gifting us with such a wonderful mother, and for all the Graces You provide to us through her, and her intercessions.

Please pray for me.  God bless you.

Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God....

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*Side note: I get upset when I hear a newscaster refer to an abusive or neglectful woman as 'mother'. I don't mean mothers who aren't perfect, because I'm surely not! But, as in the Erica Green/Precious Doe case, the woman who was supposed to be her mother, either via birth or raising the little girl, didn't do a thing to protect her, and instead assisted in the abuse and murder of the innocent child. I will never forget that murder.