St. Francis, the animals, and praying for peace

St. Francis of Assisi's feast day was October 4 - this past Saturday. We have three cats, who, like most cats, don't travel well, making a trip to church for the annual blessing of the animals a bit too much to handle. Maybe other families bring their cats, but I think it wiser to leave ours at home. Instead, we say an extra prayer for them on this day.

If you don't know, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and ecology. But he also encourages us to be instruments of peace, to truly seek peaceful solutions. My plan was to go line by line and analyze his Prayer for Peace (see below), but I haven't quite made it. To summarize, if we didn't hate, didn't hold grudges, and offered others forgiveness, hope, love and understanding even before seeking these for ourselves, how much better would the world be?

St Francis' Prayer for Peace:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Feast of the Guardian Angels

October 2 is the feast of the Guardian Angels. How comforting it is to know that we each have an angel that guards us! Psalm 91:11 says, "For to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways." As a parent, I’m especially comforted knowing that an angel watches over my little one. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus tells his disciples, "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."

We say the Guardian Angel prayer every night before our daughter goes to bed:

Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom His love entrusts me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide

May you find comfort in knowing that an angel watches over you.

More on Prayer; feast day of St. Vincent de Paul

The National Catholic Register has a nifty one pager titled “How (and Why) to Pray”. To summerize, prayer is made of ACTS

Adoration
Contrition
Thanksgiving
Supplication

This past Lent I started praying the rosary during my drive to work. I’ve discovered that 1) my drive to work is much more pleasant, and 2) I’m better able to face the day after having meditated on the mysteries. We also added morning prayer to our family prayer tradition, which our toddler-aged daughter has embraced. My heart smiles when I see her make the sign of the cross, fold her hands in prayer, and babble along with us (the babble is getting clearer every day).

But I long for more. I suppose I’m rather lazy in a way. I can think of all the great ways to enhance my prayer life – and then never get around to actually praying (beyond what I’ve been doing for years). Things like keeping a prayer journal (started one), or meditating on a particular prayer or bible verse.

My plan has been to really think about a particular prayer or bible verse. What does it really mean? How does it relate to me? How can I use this prayer or bible verse to enhance my prayer life?

This Saturday, September 27 is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul. Our church is supported by Vincentian Fathers, so this is a special day for our parish. I found this quote that applies very much to my current life:

"Strive to live content in the midst of those things that cause your discontent. Free your mind from all that troubles you, God will take care of things. You will be unable to make haste in this [choice] without, so to speak, grieving the heart of God, because he sees that you do not honor him sufficiently with holy trust. Trust in him, I beg you, and you will have the fulfillment of what your heart desires" (St. Vincent de Paul, Letters).

Of course, this applies to everyone all the time. Funny how just the right quote, prayer, or bible verse pops up when you really need it. Between job uncertainty, possibly listing our house for sale, and the general decline of the economy, I’ve been letting stress and anxiety take hold of me lately.

To close, I also found this prayer:

Almighty God, who called your servant Vincent de Paul to serve you in the person of those in need: Grant that we, following his example, may fulfill your commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving you with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hurricane Ike - Follow Up

Thank you all for your prayers. All of our family and friends are safe and well. As of this weekend, most have electricity again.

Hurricane Ike

Please pray for all those in the path of Hurricane Ike.

Chores, Allowances

My husband and I have talked off and on about chores, allowances and grades. I grew up with minimal chores but never questioned the few that I was asked to do. I was neither paid for grades nor received a regular allowance. On the other hand, my husband didn't grow up with the same requirements for keeping his room clean, etc. He wasn't paid for grades but has said that this may have helped him in school (he never liked school growing up).

We do believe that children should participate in an age appropriate manner with the care and maintenance of the household. In addition, with some persuasion on my part, we agree that payment for grades is not how we will operate. However, I do think that some sort of allowance helps children develop money management skills as well as encourages responsibility.

Angie at Many Little Blessings validates my thoughts on allowance and offers a few additional ideas that we'll most likely use. She has a more recent post that summarizes nicely age appropriate chores. Thanks Angie!

Just a little something

Okay, apparently I've been overwhelmed with life lately judging from the last time I posted anything. Does it count that I was thinking of writing something?

If you are Catholic and married to a non-Catholic, check out Kate's latest in her series on mixed marriages.

I've also been thinking a lot about prayer and what that means to me. My parents taught us the standard prayers but weren't much for informal, personal praying. My husband, on the other hand, grew up Baptist and was only familiar with informal prayer (beyond the Lord's Prayer). Sure, I pray my personal prayers - but usually silently. I am trying to be more vocal in the hopes that I can grow and so that my daughter grows up doing both.

That being said, my plan is to occasionally post prayers (formal or not) and explain why I like the prayer and how it is relevant to me.

Enough rambling from me! Let me know how you approach prayer and if you have a favorite prayer.