Missionary Rosary
Colleen | Blessed Are the Feet
Over the past weeks, I shave been sharing about the Church’s devotions during the month of October to the Most Holy Rosary and to the missions around the world and the missionaries who serve them.
And I also have been sharing meditations for the missions rosary in which each decade is prayed for one area of the world, the needs of its people, and the Church’s missionary outreaches in that area. One decade is recited for each of the following areas: Africa, Oceania, Europe, the Americas and Asia. This week, we will continue praying that rosary, adding the meditations for the fourth decade, dedicated to Oceania.
We will also continue to pray for the missionary intention for the month, chosen by Pope Benedict XVI–World Mission Day: That the celebration of World Mission Day may result in a renewed commitment to evangelization.
World Missions Sunday was celebrated this past Sunday. You can here the Pope’s homily for Wold Mission Sunday. And this week, we celebrate the feast of Blessed John Paul II, father of the new evangelization and champion of missionary outreach. What a grace to be able to live these devotions together with the universal Church.
You can find the meditations for the earlier decades here: Africa, Americas, Europe.
And we continue with Oceania.
Fourth Decade: Oceania
Lord, bless your children living on the islands of Oceania – on the islands of Indonesia and Micronesia, in the cities and the outback of Australia, those tying up boats on the beaches of Tonga and Fiji and Samoa, and those tending sheep in the hills of New Zealand, those greetings tourists in tiny airports and big cruise ship ports and those who know nothing more than life on their little dot of earth. Let their seas teem with life and protect them from the destruction wreaked by blindness and a refusal to see how our conveniences affect the lives of others. Keep the storms at bay and the waves calm dear Father, that their islands may be havens of peace, safe from disaster. Open our ears to Your Word, Father, that the distant shores and the islands may see Your light . Send us out to islands of Oceania to bring your glory to these brothers and sisters. [tweetherder]Give us zeal for the hearts of their orphans and widows, sick and poor, refugees and lonely. [/tweetherder]Protect those who live in persecution and violence, fear of martyrdom for their faith, Sweet Savior. Let us stand by their sides ready to proclaim you at all costs. Lord, move my heart for the brothers and sisters on the islands of Oceania, real people living real lives in places that are but pencil dots on my map. Help me to pray fervently that they will all come to call you Savior and be baptized into the hope of eternal joy, and that those who already know you will be comforted and consoled by the solidarity of a universal Church. Send missionaries to stand with them where they are, Lord. To love them and walk with them and hold them. To call them friend, brother, sister, and to mean it. May You be glorified in the islands of Oceania now and forever. Amen.
• First Hail Mary: For the islands of Oceania where Christians are persecuted at risk of martyrdom
• Second Hail Mary: For the protection of the natural resources and seas surrounding the islands of Oceania
• Third Hail Mary: For the missionaries to inculturate with the native people of Oceania in genuine love and bring them the Good News
• Fourth Hail Mary: For the protection of the islands from the ferocity of their seas and for the development of infrastructure that will save lives in the event of such disaster
• Fifth Hail Mary: For the abandoned and neglected children, the lonely, the old, the sick and the imprisoned in Oceania to see a glimpse of His light rising on earth
• Sixth Hail Mary: For those on the islands of Oceania who are victims of trafficking, slavery and sexual exploitation, that God will send someone to rescue them and heal their pain
• Seventh Hail Mary: For the poor Churches in Oceania that lack a dignified place to worship Christ the Lord, that compassion may move the hearts of the American Church to provide for their needs
• Eighth Hail Mary: For those in the tourism industry on the islands of Oceania, to act with compassion, justice and social responsibility in their use of natural and human resources on the islands
• Ninth Hail Mary: For the bishops, priests and religious who serve the islands of Oceania
• Tenth Hail Mary: For many missionaries to be called forth and sent from the Australian Church to their brothers and sisters on neighboring islands who do not yet know the saving love of Christ
• After the Glory Be: Blessed John Paul second, father of the new evangelization, pray for us.
If you would like to be reminded of the beautiful faces waiting for His word at the ends of the earth to aid your meditation, you can follow Colleen’s Ends of the Earth Pinterest board.
If you would like to help Colleen as she begins a new outreach providing meaningful work for women in Costa Rica and making a lovely version of the missionary rosary available for your prayer, read more about the Blessed Zelie Martin Initiative of the St. Bryce Foundation.
Faith and the Annunciation
Faith and the Annunciation
by Emily | Catholic Poster Girl
We all know the story of the Annunciation, right? The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she’s going to bear Jesus, the Son of God, the redeemer of the world. This will happen without Joseph’s “help”, as it were.
Mary says yes. Incarnation.
I don’t know about you, but if an angel appeared to my fourteen-year old self, I would have freaked out. And then, when I told my parents that I was going to be bearing the son of God in my virginal womb, I think my parents would have freaked out!
And I probably would’ve asked a lot more questions. Starting with, “How am I going to explain this to Joseph?! And, um, everyone else?”
But Mary had Faith. And so did Anne.
I think it’s important to remember that the Angel Gabriel didn’t give Mary the master plan. He didn’t say, “OK kid, here’s how this is going to go. Year one, born in a stable, flight into Egypt, because the king wants to kill your son. You’ll live there a few years until Herod dies and then you can come home. But when Jesus is twelve, you’ll lose him for a few days. No biggie, you’ll find him again, but for three days, you’ll lose him. Then when he’s thirty, he’ll up and leave the carpentry business for the preaching, miracles, etc. Then when he’s thirty-three, in the prime of life, he’ll be executed. Not just randomly executed, but publicly, painfully, excruciatingly. And oh, by the way, your husband will be dead by then, too. So it’ll just be you experiencing this. “
Mary had no idea what was about to happen. Well, she might have had some idea. She was probably well-read (not in the literal sense of reading, perhaps), but she probably knew the Messianic prophecies. But she probably didn’t think they had anything to do with her, and definitely not this personally.
In my own life, I like to know the plan. I’m a big planner. Plans are important to me. Waiting for a transplant didn’t cure my desire to know the plan in my life. So far, God has sent no burning bush, despite my calls for one. I have not received an angelic message before bedtime, or waking up, or anytime. I want to know the plan. When God doesn’t tell me, I can get cranky.
But Mary didn’t know. And yet, she bore it with equilibrium. Sure, she was probably a little panicked when she found Jesus: “Son, why have you done this to us?” But she didn’t lose it, like I probably would have if my child was gone for three days. If my child was gone for three minutes, I’d be in full red-alert mode.
Mary had faith that it would turn out the way it was supposed to, even if it wasn’t the way she might have done it. She knew there was a higher plan. So she was calm even when her son was being chased out of the temple of his home; even when people plotted to kill him, even when He hung upon the cross. She did not despair, because she trusted in her faith.
I need to work at this. I always want to know the plan, but isn’t it better if I don’t? Could I bear the knowledge of the future? Probably not. God knows better than I what I need and what I don’t. [tweetherder]In this Year of Faith, I’ll try to be more like Mary[/tweetherder], and trust in Him and His wisdom, which is so far above mine.
Missionary Rosary
Colleen | Blessed Are the Feet
The month of October in the month the Church dedicates to the Most Holy Rosary. In this month, we are called to remember the beauty of this perfect devotion, which allows us to meditate on the life of Christ and the role which His mother, our mother, played in it. It is a time to renew our efforts to pray the rosary daily, the prescription that so many saints have given for arriving at perfect holiness.
But the Church also calls us to remember the missions in the month of October, with the entire month being dedicated to praying for the mission territories around the world and the missionaries who serve them. The third Sunday in October is World Missions Sunday in every Catholic Church on the globe. You may hear a missionary speak at your own parish that day. As a lay missionary in service in the country of Costa Rica, I ask you to remember the missions in your prayers this month. It means so very much to all missionaries to know that we are backed daily by the prayers of the universal church. The missionary life can so often feel isolated and lonely. The support of the Church is a great grace that keeps us connected to something bigger than ourselves.
A great way to combine these two focuses in the month of October is by praying the missions rosary. In this rosary, each decade is prayed for one area of the world, the needs of its people, and the Church’s missionary outreaches in that area. One decade is recited for each of the following areas: Africa, Oceania, Europe, the Americas and Asia.
You can also pray for missionary intention for the month, chosen by Pope Benedict XVI–World Mission Day: That the celebration of World Mission Day may result in a renewed commitment to evangelization.
From my missionary heart, I will be sharing weekly here at Suscipio, a set of meditations for the missionary rosary to help you pray this special devotion throughout the month of October.
We begin with Africa.
First Decade: Africa
[tweetherder]Lord, bless your children living on the continent of Africa, in every one of her countries [/tweetherder]– in her mountains, and in her deserts, in her savannas and on her islands, on the banks of the Nile and on the edges of her lakes. Ease the terrible suffering of poverty that envelops these brothers and sisters of ours. Bring an end to the wars that tear apart families and nations and destroy resources. Heal the hearts of orphans, widows and refugees and find them a place to call home. Protect them, Father, from those who seek to pirate, enslave and exploit their men, women and children. Lord, move my heart for the beautiful people of Africa. Help me to pray fervently that they will all come to call you Savior and be baptized into the hope of eternal joy. Send them missionaries, Father, who will love them, walk with them, hold their hands, and bind up their wounds, feed them and care for them in your name. May you be glorified in the continent of Africa now and forever. Amen.
• First Hail Mary: For Africa’s war torn nations
• Second Hail Mary: For the preservation of Africa’s natural resources
• Third Hail Mary: For bishops, priests, seminarians and nuns in Africa
• Fourth Hail Mary: For all those in Africa who lack food, clean water and/or proper shelter
• Fifth Hail Mary: For Africa’s sick and dying
• Sixth Hail Mary: For Africa’s slaves and trafficking victims
• Seventh Hail Mary: For Africa’s orphans
• Eighth Hail Mary: For lay missionaries in Africa and for more missionaries to answer the call to serve in Africa
• Ninth Hail Mary: For the end of the spread of mosquito-born and contagious diseases in Africa and for a cure for AIDS for the its victims in Africa
• Tenth Hail Mary: For the conversion of hearts and the spread of the Catholic faith in Africa
• After the Glory Be: Our Lady of Guadelupe, star of the new evangelization…pray for us.
Photos courtesy of Life Teen Ghana Mission 2012.
Our Lady of Sorrows…and a Freebie
Jenny::Suscipio
When a priest tells me he can date his life from pre-devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows and post-devotion, I take notice. When that same priest tells me he can remember the exact moment he was introduced to the 7 Sorrows of Our Lady devotion, I take notice. And when my children ask to add more prayers to family rosary, I take notice. (Now, before you get any ideas, it was not all the children, and some nights, the ones who mentioned it in the first place may wish they hadn’t.) And so our introduction to the devotion of the 7 Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary began earlier this summer.
Holy Mother Church, in Her infinite wisdom, has set aside months, days, hours and even years, for various devotional practices; with over 2,000 years history, and thousands of holy saints, her treasury of graces are filled to the brim and overflowing.
The month of September is traditionally set aside in honor of the 7 Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though the devotion has always been part of the Catholic devotional life, beginning with our Lady standing at the foot of the cross, it was not until the 13th Century that the devotion of meditating on the sorrows of Our Lady began to spread. In Florence, Italy seven holy men of noble birth left the city to seek a quiet life on Mount Senario. Together, they formed a community of men dedicating their lives to prayer and penance. The seven holy men all had a strong devotion to Our Lady. On Good Friday in 1239, while meditating on Our Lord’s Passion and Our Lady’s sufferings, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the 7 holy men and told them Her wish for them to form an Order dedicated to practicing and promoting the devotion to Her Sorrows. These men became the founders of the religious Order of the Servants of Mary (or Servites) and are all canonized saints today.
I would like to give you all a little booklet I made filled with prayers in honor of our Mother’s Sorrows for the month of September. This is the perfect size to slip into your Bible, Missal, prayer book or prayer journal for the month.
I have been so blessed by this growing community of Catholic women here at Suscipio seeking Jesus and striving for heaven, even when it involves embracing the cross. I hope this little booklet blesses you in return.
Download your free Seven Sorrows Booklet.
(This is four pages, but I clicked print mutiple pages per page {2 pages per page} and then I clicked print in booklet form. This made a booklet, one page, front and back)
P.S. You no longer need to click ‘Blog’ to read posts. Just scroll down and there they are.
Real Life Rosary Winner Announced
Thanks to all who entered the Real Life Rosary Family Pack Giveaway.
The winner is….
Tina! Congratulations! Send me your information and I will pass it on to Nicole at Real Life Rosary.
Real Life Rosary
Real Life Rosary has generously offered a family six pack (yes 6!) of rosaries and a rosary meditation booklet to be given away here at Suscipio.
Let’s keep this simple shall we?
Just leave a comment on this post before Saturday morning. I will draw Saturday morning and announce the winner.
Real Life Rosaries are very durable, untangleable (is that a word?) and can survive the washing machine. (Ahem)
Some information on the rosary:
The 150 Davidic Psalms (the Psalter of David) have always been prayed by Old Testament Israel, post-Temple Jews, and by Christians for personal prayer, communal prayer, lamentations, praise, thanksgiving, and, in the case of Christians, to demonstrate the fulfillment of prophecy.
They came to form a large part of the Divine Office sung at the various canonical hours by religious. Lay people who didn’t have copies of Scripture or the Breviary and lay people and religious who were illiterate would substitute 150 Pater Nosters (Our Fathers) or Aves (Hail Marys) in place of the 150 Psalms they could not read.
The prayers were originally counted by transferring pebbles from one bag to another, but soon enough Christians began to tie a rope with knots on which to count. This evolved further into using beads or pieces of wood in place of the knots, and this soon came to be called the “Psalter of the Laity.” Around the end of the first millennium, Rosaries contained the present five decades (sets of ten beads), with the Ave beads shaped like white lilies for the purity of the Virgin, and the Pater beads shaped like red roses for the wounds and Passion of Christ.
St. Dominic de Guzman popularized the Marian Psalter in the form we have it today (150 Aves with a Pater after each 10) when Our Lady encouraged him to pray it that way in response to the Albigensian heresy. So associated with the Rosary is St. Dominic that the Rosary is often called the “Dominican Rosary.”
A partial indulgence is gained, under the usual conditions, when praying a third of the Rosary (5 decades) continuously (i.e., one can’t say a decade, go wash the dishes, and return to say the other decades).
A plenary indulgence is gained, under the usual conditions, when it is prayed by a family group or publicly in a church or oratory. The decades’ Mysteries must be announced, and the Mysteries meditated on.
Additional information can be found here:
The Complete Still Waters Rosary
Praying the Rosary with St. Therese of Lisieux Cd
{Hm, our of stock}
Mysteries
{These are songs about the rosary, not the rosary itself. This is one of my favorite CD’s.}
Heavenly Mother in Law
Recently a friend and I were talking over some things we needed to find a way to communicate to our husbands. We both agreed there was just no way we would be able to reach his heart and be heard the way we needed to be heard, the discussion would center on the wrong thing, go the wrong direction, and inevitably end up in misunderstanding. I confessed that all we could do was pray that our husbands’ hearts would hear what needed to be said from a heavenly voice.
Besides these tough conversations that inevitably arise in marriage, there are also the requests, the needs that continually present themselves. These men we call husbands are beloved. We desire their happiness. We are bothered when their burden is heavy and worried when they are tired or sick. Sometimes we have no way to assuage the difficulties they face. A warm meal and a sincere prayer is all that we can offer–and it is enough.
And then there are the moments of sheer joy, when love for that man overwhelms you and gratitude springs up like a fountain. You want to rise up at the city gates and praise him. Your house full of toddlers and preschoolers are happy to chant “Daddy” for a while, but they don’t quite share in the outpouring of emotion you do. So you pray in thanksgiving.
Thinking over all these thoughts recently, I have discovered a new dimension of my relationship with my Blessed Mother. I do not feel like I love the Blessed Mother from afar. I feel like I really know her–that I have buried my head her shoulder and run to her embrace many, many times. I know the feel of her mantle and the sound of her voice. I feel the pain of her disappointed glances and the sweet joy of pleasing her. We are mother and daughter.
And now I realize that it is the same for my husband. See that little boy she’s holding? It’s Jesus. But it could just as easily be my husband or yours. And she loves him the way she loves me: tenderly, with intimacy and maternal care. I have come to realize of late that not only do I have a heavenly Mother, I have a heavenly Mother-in-Law! She wants for her little boy even more grace than I do. That heavenly voice I desire him to hear? It’s hers, and she wants to tell him what he needs to know. That overflow of love I want to express? Hers is a floodgate. And so I have begun to give him to her, over and over again, every day, many times a day. I give her his needs, his desires, his cares. I give her our disagreements and our joys. I give her his work and his play. I let her be his mother, so that I can be his wife.
The Bible tells us that “a man shall leave his mother and cleave to his wife.” In order to take up headship in our families, our husbands let go of the comfort of their earthly mothers and trust us to fill in the gaps. We are human and imperfect and bound to disappoint on occasion. But his Heavenly Mother will never disappoint him, and we can fill up what is lacking in our own efforts with the grace she so readily disperses.
I have always loved to pray the rosary for the peace the repetition brings me. It clears my head when my hands and mouth are busy and my thoughts are focused on Jesus. I want to be better at praying the rosary every day, the way the Lovely Lady has asked so many times. And now I have a new focus. It is my time to chat with my husband’s Mother, to compare notes, share fears, concerns, joys, to get feedback and background from someone who has known him longer than me. My rosary is like tea-time with my Heavenly Mother-in-Law.
She shows me the life of her Son and I give her this son whom I love. She takes him in her lap too, cuddles him close to his Saviour and does far more for him than I can do alone. I am so grateful for that.
From the archives of Footprints on the Fridge
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