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Daily Lenten Meditations

«  March 2010  »

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
  • Pray Light a candle. Every time you pass that candle today, offer a prayer of thanks. Don’t ask for anything. Just thank him.
  • Fast Don’t cut corners. Even if no one will know, complete today’s work thoroughly.
  • Give Touch is a powerful thing. Make an effort today to touch your children: a hug, a shoulder rub, a tousled head -- especially the bigger ones
1
  • Pray Make five minutes in the morning, at midday and in the evening to be still, silent, and alone, only asking God to infuse your soul with his will.
  • Fast No noise today. Turn off the TV, the radio, the iPod. Find God in the silence.
  • Give Pay particular unsolicited attention to your least demanding child today.
2
  • Pray Begin a gratitude journal. At the end of the day, jot down five things for which you are grateful. Think upon these things.
  • Fast Remember the first time you had a moment alone with your first child. What did you promise him? Do that. Be that.
  • Give We can only expect what we inspect. For every task you assign today, follow through and before it’s truly finished ensure that there is praise from you.
3
  • Pray “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me." -- John 10:27
  • Fast Every time a child interrupts you today, stop what you are doing and look into his eyes as he talks.
  • Give “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Speak kindly all day long.
4
  • Pray Ask God to show you how weak and small you are. Open your heart to see it.
  • Fast Don’t argue today. As much as possible give up, give in, give way.
  • Give When you are tempted to put on the TV for kids today, pull out a stack of favorite picture books instead. Invite the kids to join you on the couch.
5
  • Pray Take a walk, even if it’s cold or raining. Leave your iPod at home.
  • Fast Think of someone whose life you are tempted to envy and then choke out these words: Thank you, God, for the blessings you have given to X. Help me to see my own.
  • Give Think about the kind of person your husband married. Be that person for him today.
6
7
  • Pray "Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender." -- St. Therese of Lisieux
  • Fast As you go about your daily routine today, remember that you are expecting someone very important for dinner tonight. Together with your children, work towards your husband’s homecoming as if you were expecting to welcome a king back to his castle.
  • Give “You can do nothing with children unless you win their confidence and love by bringing them into touch with oneself, by breaking through all the hindrances that keep them at a distance. We must accommodate ourselves to their tastes, we must make ourselves like them.” -- St. John Bosco
8
  • Pray Take this quote to prayer today and listen to God’s answer: “Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.” -- John Paul II
  • Fast Stop looking for encouragement and approval. Genuinely encourage and affirm someone else instead.
  • Give Let your child choose a huge stack of picture books (use that word “huge” when you ask her to gather them). Read them all to her today.
9
  • Pray Persevere. “He who does not give up prayer cannot possibly continue to offend God habitually. Either he will give up prayer, or he will give up sinning.” -- St. Alphonsus Liguori
  • Fast Don’t forget that the only pedestal you need ever stand on, is the one your husband and children build for you.
  • Give Focus on your home today. The world can find another volunteer, but your husband and children have only you.
10
  • Pray Insist on quiet from all your children during naptime today. Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet.
  • Fast We’re half way through. Compare yourself now only to yourself when Lent began. Tweak the plan.
  • Give Reach out to a local friend today. Reconnect.
11
  • Pray Ask God to make you humble and lowly.
  • Fast Don’t compare or complain. Do compliment.
  • Give Pack a picnic and go somewhere to eat it with your children. If the weather is prohibitive, build a tent in the living room and it eat there. Sit on the ground with them. Be fully present.
12
  • Pray Sometime before bedtime tonight, make time to pray with and for each of your children.
  • Fast Rise a little earlier and bring your husband breakfast in bed. (If it’s too late today, plan for tomorrow).
  • Give Plan a date night.
13
14
  • Pray Give thanks for food, clothes, and shelter. Listen to His plan for stewardship.
  • Fast Clean out the refrigerator today instead of eating lunch. Pull everything out and wipe it all down. As you do it, thank God for the food he provides for your family.
  • Give “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
15
  • Pray Before you read or do anything else today, pray this prayer, taken from the writings of St. Louis de Montfort: Lord, help me to imitate Mary's deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom. Amen.
  • Fast Give up thinking things have to be perfect.
  • Give As you do laundry today, bless the person for whom you are folding. With every crease, offer a prayer.
16
  • Pray For a few minutes tonight, after your children are sleeping, kneel beside their beds. Let your breath rise and fall with theirs. Entrust them to the Father and thank him for lending them to you.
  • Fast Let go of self-recrimination. “There is still time for endurance, time for patience, time for healing, time for change. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside.” -- St. Basil the Great
  • Give Do not say “In a minute” or “When I finish this” at all today. Instead, put aside your agenda and meet their needs (and even some wants) immediately and cheerfully.
17
  • Pray Pray to know how God wants you to spend your time today.
  • Fast Let go of despair and know that God gives you sufficient grace. "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- St. Francis of Assisi
  • Give Make sure that every one in your family gets at least one of your hugs today.
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Bloggers

Meet the Faith & Family bloggers. We invite you to join us in encouraging and helping the Faith & Family community grow in faith!

Danielle Bean

Danielle Bean
Danielle Bean, a mother of eight, is Editorial Director of Faith & Family. She is author of My Cup of Tea: Musings of a Catholic Mom (Pauline 2005) and Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice and Support for Catholic Living (Pauline 2007). Though she once struggled to separate her life …
Read My Posts

Rachel Balducci

Rachel Balducci
Rachel Balducci is married to Paul and together they are the parents of five lively boys. Besides being a mom, she is also a writer and a newspaper columnist for the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. For the past four years, she has maintained her personal blog at Testosterhome.net where she …
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Lisa Hendey

Lisa Hendey
Lisa Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com, a Catholic web site focusing on the Catholic faith, Catholic parenting and family life, and Catholic cultural topics. Most recently she has authored The Handbook for Catholic Moms. Lisa is also employed as webmaster for her parish web sites. …
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Arwen Mosher

Arwen Mosher
Arwen Mosher lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband Bryan and their young children Camilla and Blaise. She has a bachelor's degree in theology. She dreads laundry, craves sleep, loves to read novels and do logic puzzles, and can't live without tea. Her personal blog site is ABC Family. …
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Rebecca Teti

Rebecca Teti
Rebecca Teti is married to Dennis and has four children (3 boys, 1 girl) who -- like yours no doubt -- are pious and kind, gorgeous, and can spin flax into gold. A Washington, DC, native, she converted to Catholicism while an undergrad at the U. Dallas, where she double-majored in …
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Robyn Lee

Robyn Lee
Robyn Lee is the managing editor of Faith & Family magazine. She is (yikes!) an almost 30 year-old, single lady, living in Connecticut with her two cousins in a small bungalow-style kit house built by her great uncle in the 1950s. She also conveniently lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law …
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Hallie Lord

Hallie Lord
Hallie Lord married her dashing husband, Dan, in the fall of 2001 (the same year, coincidentally, that she joyfully converted to the Catholic faith). They now happily reside in the deep South with their two energetic boys and two very sassy girls. In her *ample* spare time, Hallie enjoys cheap wine, …
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Fr. John Bartunek, LC

Fr. John Bartunek, LC

Fr John Bartunek, LC, STL, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and …
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Guest Bloggers

Melissa Wiley

Melissa Wiley
Melissa Wiley is a homeschooling mother of six and the author of The Martha Years and The Charlotte Years, two series of books about the ancestors of Laura Ingalls Wilder. She blogs about children’s books, family, and home education at Here in the Bonny Glen.
Read My Posts

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Faith & Family Days Friday

UPDATE: This giveaway is now over and comments are closed. I will announce the winners later today.

What a wonderful week we’ve had!

I want to thank everyone who has been participating in this week’s Faith & Family Days giveaways—your support means so much! Now here’s one last chance to win ...

First, be sure to read all the rules and details about how to enter ... and here’s a refresher of the basics:

In order to qualify for this giveaways, you will need to do any one of the following:

1. Donate: Make a donation of any amount (or contact Michael Lambert at (800) 356-9916 ext. 3805 or MLambert@circlemedia.com for alternate ways to give). All donations are tax deductible (a great way to get in your charitable donations before December 31!). In addition to qualifying for a giveaway, the first 36 people to donate $50 or more will receive a FREE copy of Lolek - The Boy Who Became Pope John Paul II, an adorable children’s book about the childhood of JPII. These gifts have been made possible through the generosity of the author, Mark Hoffman.

2. Subscribe: Buy a subscription, renew your subscription, or buy a gift subscription for some lucky person on your list (great for any mom, but also a nice idea for your parish, school, or library!)

3. Word of Mouth: Promote Faith & Family magazine subscriptions in any way you can (write a blog post, give us a shout-out on Facebook or Twitter, email or call a friend about it, talk about it at your mother’s group, get a blurb about F&F in your parish bulletin, etc.). To make it easier for you to promote Faith & Family magazine in your schools and parishes, at the end of this week we will post a link to a flyer you can use to print and share.

Once you’ve done one of the above, please leave a comment on this post (between now and 9:00 am EST, Saturday, December 12) for your chance to win one of these terrific prizes:


1.
Mystic Monk Coffee has donated a “Home for Christmas” gift set valued at $43.88. At Mystic Monk, the most exciting new coffee is the Christmas Blend 2009. It is their most sophisticated blend to date—with eight different beans carefully blended for the richest flavor. But hurry, it’s a limited edition, only for this Christmas!


2.
Pauline Books has donated a copy of Genius of Womanhood by Karen Doyle. In this book, the author, drawing on the thought of Pope John Paul II, reflects on the role of women in building a culture of life and love in our modern world. These thoughts and reflections highlight the qualities of the Catholic feminine identity and explores why it is crucial that women embrace these qualities.


3.
Archangel Radio has donated 2 copies of their Christmas CDs with the music of Matthew Mayer.


4.
David Lewis Crawford has donated 2 copies of his CD Double Dog Dare: David is a unique singer- songwriter whose humorous songs are a mellow blend of down-home folk, whimsey and romance, with touches of blues, classical and country. David’s new CD, Double Dog Dare - Family Songs from a Whimsical Heart released by Nineveh’s Crossing is a delight of humorous songs about family life, parenting, and romantic.


5.
Aquinas and More Catholic Goods has donated a copy of The Catholic Christmas Book: This book recalls perfectly the origins and historical significance of the customs and ceremonies with which Christian men surrounded the birthday of their King. Once you have enjoyed reading this book, chances are you will find excuses to re-read it—even before next Christmas!


6.
Aquinas and More Catholic Goods has donated a Christmas Brooch Pin: This Christmas brooch pin features a gold metallic Nativity design inset with colorful crystal gemstones. It measures approximately 1.5 inches and is made in the U.S.A. Comes gift-boxed.


7.
Adoremus Books has donated a $25 gift certificate, good for anything in their store. They sell books and resources for the Catholic home—an awesome prize for gift shopping this time of year!


8.
A generous donor is offering a subscription to Faith & Family—for you or for a friend.

We are grateful to all of our donors for their support of Faith & Family Days. Now it’s time for you to start qualifying ... and entering to win these fabulous prizes! Entries for this giveaway will be accepted until 9:00 am EST tomorrow, December 12. Good luck!


Comments

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I emailed my mom and told her I’d like a subscription for Christmas. Does that count? She asked if there were any magazines I like. (:

 

I am talking about Faith and Family at my mom’s group meeting and hopefully my parish will be publishing a newsletter for families that will include a mention of you as well.  Also, I’m on facebook and make frequent posts on family and family.  Keep up the good work!!

 

sorry!  I meant “...frequent posts on FAITH and family”! smile

 

I included a shout out and links in my 7 quick takes post for Conversion Diary.  Thanks for the chance!

 

I facebooked about it again today!! And I am going to ask for a subscription for Christmas from my MIL!

 

I wrote a post about your wonderful website/magazine on my blog.  Keep up your good, inspiring work!

 

Shared this promotion with every Catholic mom in my address book.

 

Downloaded that flyer to take to church and asked for (and received!) a subscription for Christmas!

 

Love this mag!  When will your blog be ready with a mobile site?

 

Flyer went out in our parish Friday e-news.

 

I tweeted about you!

 

yum!  I LOVE mystic monk coffee but haven’t had it in soooooo long!  I have shared this site w/my FB friends smile  God bless, Mary

 

Renewed my subscription (which is a prize in itself!)

 

Facebook’ed you again today.

 

I wrote a Facebook post with a link for the giveaway!

 

Printed flyer for our library! Thank you wink

 

Recommended F&FL; to a friend.

 

Linked to you on Twitter.

 

Linked to you on Facebook.

 

Linked to you on Myspace.

 

I talked it up amongst my friends. They’ll probably subscribe now, I hope smile.

 

I linked to you on facebook

 

Shared on Facebook again today.  I LOVE this publication.  I LOVE the coffee, too!

 

I’m going to take a copy of the flier to church this weekend.

 

i’m bringing a flyer to Church this weekend, what a wonderful ministry you have here.  Thank you and God Bless!

 

I just subscribed and I’ve been so excited to have found the magazine I’ve told tons of people smile

 

I shared a link on my blog.

 

I shared a link on facebook!  Just learning how to do this stuff.  I hope I did it right!

 

I told my cousin G about F&F

 

I told my friend A about F&F

 

I blogged about F&F magazine again, while sipping my Mystic Monk coffee!  I don’t buy any other kind anymore.

 

We made a donation to Faith and Family!

 

Hey! I tweeted on twitter smile Hope you’re getting tons of good word of mouth publicity!

 

mentioned and linked on FB

 

I celebrated F&F in my Facebook status.

 

I renewed my subscription for another year.

 

I put it on facebook one more time, and always like to tell my friends about it.

 

Last FB shout out!!

 

I got a follow up call from the E mail I sent out and gave the information for a friend to subscribe. so I guess you could call it a recomendation, right5 ?

 

I asked for nothing for Christmas from my husband—-until now!  A subscription is the only item on my Christmas list!

 

I talked about you at our mom’s group and I’m extending my subscription!

 

Just posted on Facebook!

 

I shared this website with my office (Family Life/Respect Life Office with the Archdiocese of New York!).  I am the chastity education coordinator there and even though I don’t have a family yet, I find so many of the articles great preparation for it!

 

Sent a link to my homeschooling group!

 

I just renewed my subscription for THREE more years!  smile

 

DON’T ENTER ME! I ALREADY WON -YEAH! but wanted Danielle to know that you can get a reusable coffee filter container to use in your Keurig to put in your own coffee - no need for a whole new machine. Look for it online or in stores where they sell the Keurig (usually called K-cup reusable coffee filter insert). Happy drinking!

 

Blogged about F&F!

 

Just gave you a shout-out on facebook!

 

I told another friend to check out F&F

 

I am renewing my subscription.


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