Encouragement and Prayer
During this time, we all are needing daily encouragement. We have been reminded that our lives are not in our control, and the Lord asks us to trust Him.
"Do not be afraid," He tells us over and over again in the Gospels.
I write this on the Solemnity of St. Joseph. In the Liturgy of the Hours this morning, I was reminded that the angel who appeared to St. Joseph told him not to be afraid. The angel wouldn't have said this unless St. Joseph was indeed afraid; even St. Joseph needed to be reminded not to fear! But in his moments of fear, the Lord was right there, giving St. Joseph the encouragement and assurance he needed.
The Lord wants to do the same for us. We can ask the Lord to open our hearts and our eyes, to show us how He is trying to encourage us. We might not have angels come to visit us, but surely the Lord speaks to us in countless ways each day.
The Catholic Church is so rich in tradition, and there are so many ways to seek the encouragement that the Lord wants to give us. Here are some ideas . . .
The Liturgy of the Hours
I mentioned the Liturgy of the Hours. It is the official daily prayers of the Church, and the laity are encouraged to pray it. If you would like a tutorial, Be a Heart has a couple of videos to teach us.
Divine Mercy
Learn to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and if possible, pray it during the 3 o'clock hour in the afternoon - the hour of mercy. It is the hour of Divine Mercy as it is the hour of God's most merciful act, the hour He gave up His Son for us, the hour Jesus died on the cross for each one of us.
If you would like to know more about Divine Mercy, the series Divine Mercy with Fr. Michael Gaitley is incredible.
Prayer to Our Lady of Seattle
In response to the coronavirus, Archbishop Etienne published this prayer to Our Lady of Seattle.
The Rosary
Pray the Rosary together as a family. You can read more about Jamie Quinlan's experience with this here. Also, Amy Nash shared this article from Northwest Catholic about it.
Blessed Is She
Bless is She is an online community, a sisterhood of women who want to grow in their faith. You can receive daily devotions in your inbox from them.
Also, Blessed is She is offering some of their top workshops for free right now, which you can find here.
Lastly, Blessed is She is streaming a live Bible study of the Gospel of Luke on their Instagram account each morning.
Praise & Worship
I used to detest Praise & Worship music. However, my only encounter with it was what is played on the local Christian radio station. I find that most of the music played there sounds much like bad pop music, although I do like a bit of it.
Over the past few years, I have discovered that there is really great Christian music! I have heard some say that all Christian music sounds the same, but I find that you could say that about any type of music.
Christian music is full of Scripture. It is an uplifting, encouraging and joyful way to be immersed in God's Word.
If you would like to hear a sample of what I like, you can find my Christian playlist here or listen to a sample below:
Free Prints
Brick House in the City is offering free Prints for Peace which you can find here.
Mass at Home
If you are looking for resources for virtual Mass at home, you can go to our page here.
Spiritual Reading
Reading about our faith can often bring encouragement and growth. If you would like a spiritual read, here are some recommendations.
More resources to come!
"Do not be afraid," He tells us over and over again in the Gospels.
I write this on the Solemnity of St. Joseph. In the Liturgy of the Hours this morning, I was reminded that the angel who appeared to St. Joseph told him not to be afraid. The angel wouldn't have said this unless St. Joseph was indeed afraid; even St. Joseph needed to be reminded not to fear! But in his moments of fear, the Lord was right there, giving St. Joseph the encouragement and assurance he needed.
The Lord wants to do the same for us. We can ask the Lord to open our hearts and our eyes, to show us how He is trying to encourage us. We might not have angels come to visit us, but surely the Lord speaks to us in countless ways each day.The Catholic Church is so rich in tradition, and there are so many ways to seek the encouragement that the Lord wants to give us. Here are some ideas . . .
The Liturgy of the Hours
I mentioned the Liturgy of the Hours. It is the official daily prayers of the Church, and the laity are encouraged to pray it. If you would like a tutorial, Be a Heart has a couple of videos to teach us.
Divine Mercy
Learn to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and if possible, pray it during the 3 o'clock hour in the afternoon - the hour of mercy. It is the hour of Divine Mercy as it is the hour of God's most merciful act, the hour He gave up His Son for us, the hour Jesus died on the cross for each one of us.
If you would like to know more about Divine Mercy, the series Divine Mercy with Fr. Michael Gaitley is incredible.
In response to the coronavirus, Archbishop Etienne published this prayer to Our Lady of Seattle.
The Rosary
Pray the Rosary together as a family. You can read more about Jamie Quinlan's experience with this here. Also, Amy Nash shared this article from Northwest Catholic about it.
Blessed Is She
Bless is She is an online community, a sisterhood of women who want to grow in their faith. You can receive daily devotions in your inbox from them.
Also, Blessed is She is offering some of their top workshops for free right now, which you can find here.
Lastly, Blessed is She is streaming a live Bible study of the Gospel of Luke on their Instagram account each morning.
Praise & Worship
I used to detest Praise & Worship music. However, my only encounter with it was what is played on the local Christian radio station. I find that most of the music played there sounds much like bad pop music, although I do like a bit of it.
Over the past few years, I have discovered that there is really great Christian music! I have heard some say that all Christian music sounds the same, but I find that you could say that about any type of music.
Christian music is full of Scripture. It is an uplifting, encouraging and joyful way to be immersed in God's Word.
If you would like to hear a sample of what I like, you can find my Christian playlist here or listen to a sample below:
Free Prints
Brick House in the City is offering free Prints for Peace which you can find here.
Mass at Home
If you are looking for resources for virtual Mass at home, you can go to our page here.
Spiritual Reading
Reading about our faith can often bring encouragement and growth. If you would like a spiritual read, here are some recommendations.
More resources to come!
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