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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.
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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 …
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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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Pray the Way of the Cross with Liam Neeson

A wonderful resource for praying the stations with your family

As we anticipate Holy Week, I wanted to share with you a new CD that is sure to become a family treasure.  Praying The Way of the Cross CD: Featuring Liam Neeson has recently been released by Little Lamb Music

Following the tragic death of Mr. Neeson’s lovely wife, Natasha Richardson, I was very moved by the coverage which focused upon their close and loving relationship.  We continue to pray for the repose of her soul and for the Neeson family.  Around the same time, I received this lovely CD for review. 

Here’s a brief overview of the project from its producer:

Neeson reads the Introduction, written by St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori, and the 14 Stations of the Cross. The 14 Stations and prayers are taken from the classic text, The Way of the Cross according to the Method of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the great 18th century Italian saint, doctor of the Church and founder of the Redemptorists. This text is used by Catholics around the world to retrace the footsteps of Jesus Christ on Good Friday.  Reverend Byron Miller, C.Ss.R. leads us in prayer.

“I had heard about the Redemptorists and their missionary work in the Amazon rain forest of Brazil and in the slums of Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria,” Liam Neeson said.  “I was moved to help because the Redemptorists are living the Gospel message in some of the poorest parts of the world, offering hope to families who have been forgotten or abandoned.” 

Praying the Way of the Cross is the third CD produced for the Redemptorists of the Denver Province by Ray and Theresa Herrmann, co-founders of Little Lamb Music. In 2007 and 2008, respectively, they produced Praying the Rosary with St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori and Praying the Seven Sorrows of Mary with St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori. The saint’s music is produced, arranged and performed on all three CDs by the Herrmanns and other musicians and vocalists from some of the world’s finest orchestras and choral groups. Ray and Theresa started Little Lamb Music in 2006 with their first release, Little Lamb Lullabies. Little Lamb Music is dedicated to providing families with high-quality Catholic music.

On hearing Liam in the studio, Ray Herrmann said, “I was deeply moved by Liam’s reading of the words of St. Alphonsus. It was so beautifully done.  And I feel very proud to be a part of this production, one that celebrates Good Friday with the voice of one of the world’s greatest actors with the sacred hymns and prayers of this great saint of the Church.”

I have greatly enjoyed listening to this recording of the stations.  The music is movingly beautiful and the narrations by Liam Neeson and Rev. Byron Miller are respectful and inspirational.  If you would like to listen to sample tracks of the project, visit the Liguori Publications website.  The CD retails for $16.95 and is available for purchase online here.

We most frequently think of praying the Way of the Cross during Lent, but with this wonderful resource I know that I’ll be looking forward to praying the Stations all year long.  Do you and your family have a devotion to the Way of the Cross?  When and where do you pray this special devotion?


Comments

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This is so beautiful I had to order it!  Liam Neeson has a great voice to listen to, I can’t wait to get this!

 

While the tragedy of life is there, so is the overwhelming love of God. This has been the only way I have gotten through some very, very dark moments.

The peace of God and His love to you.

 

Liam Neeson is Catholic?!

I really liked the version of Rob Roy that he played in.  And the pro-life message that came with it.  But I never thought he was Catholic.

 

My husband told me of a recent news story where a little girl was hit in the head with a baseball in her back yard.  When she later complained of headaches she was taken to the hospital and care-flighted to the appropriate facility for brain surgery—all because of Natasha Richardson’s recent death.  How wonderful that such a tragedy yielded saving this little girl.

 

I was watching one of Liam’s movies, lttle did I know he was believr in God. Iwas originally thinking to myself that he could be a great ne James Bond, but now all I can think about is how a little thing brought me back to God. Thank You


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