A Prayer Table: A Place for Prayer in Our Domestic Churches

We can create a lovely prayerful place where we can pray to God and honor Mary as Jesus' Mother. We can make a prayer table and bring fresh flowers to our dear Mother or in honor of the saints.

The picture hanging on my dining room wall above my little prayer table once hung on my dear friend and spiritual director, Fr. Bill's dining room wall for many many years. The rosary on my prayer table was made for me by my dear brother-in-law, Luis. The photo is from earlier this year at springtime but re posted here today since I spoke about a prayer table with my dear friend, Teresa Tomeo on our show, "Mom's Corner" this morning. So, in this photo I have a few flowers that I picked from my yard; forsythias, daffodils, and bleeding hearts from a plant my son, Justin gave me years ago. I always bring my favorite flower, lilacs, to Mary as soon as they bloom in the spring.

You can also use a Blessed Mother statue to put on the table, however, I chose to have my table under beautiful picture I have of Mary. You can have the kids draw pictures of Jesus, Mary, and the saints and hang them above the table. A basket of rosary beads can be handy on the table and a basket of kid friendly spiritual books beneath the table in a bin for the children to look at.

As I mentioned on the air this morning, the prayer table grows with your family and is a place to come, reflect and to pray. Children can kneel or sit on pillows around the table as you read them Bible stories and teach them their prayers. I have a whole section in my new book, Grace Cafe: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering about creating prayer tables and prayer corners.

Let's be mindful of the importance of prayer in our lives - in our domestic churches where we raise up our children to Heaven. Let's use sacred images to draw our attention to the holy rather than the secular. Turn off the TV and Internet for a while, at least, and bask in the quiet to hear Our Lord calling to us. We can't hear His whispers to our hearts if we allow too much noise to take over our domestic churches - our little chapels of prayer.

Let's not despair over the craziness of the past few weeks with the election frenzy and an outcome we may not have favored. Let's do something positive and PRAY! It's a parent's first and foremost responsibility to care for their children - body and soul.

Let's continue to put one foot in front of the other moving forward - staying positive and offer reparation and prayer for our nation and our world. We have to start in our homes! We have to teach our children the necessity of prayer and it will then become as natural as breathing to them. Our Lord is calling to us. Are we listening?

God bless you!

Hugs,

Donna-Marie

PS I am extending my book launch sale price to benefit all of the listeners of the two radio shows I am visiting today as well as all of the visitors of my blogs and website today and tomorrow. Check that out by ordering through Pay pal.

Also, anyone who places a book order from my blogs or website today or tomorrow will automatically be placed in a drawing for a SURPRISE prize. I will announce the winner later in the week and show a photo of the prize on this blog. So, what are you waiting for?

Good news for Moms!

I will be telling you about some exciting news I have for Moms and Grandmoms, Godmothers, and StepMoms coming up very soon!

Stay tuned!

God bless your day!

Donna-Marie

A Review of Catholic Prayer Book For Mothers

Elizabeth from A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars just posted this beautiful review of my Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers

Something to Help Us Mothers Along

Donna-Marie has done it again! Just when I thought I had no really good material to work with to get through the pre-teen years with not just one, but TW@! girls in the house, my prayers are answered.

Another beautifully hardcovered treasure trove of personalized prayers to throw in your purse and/or keep tucked under your pillow at night.

Donna's "Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers" is 12 short chapters reaching far and wide the vocation of motherhood's needs and inspirations.

There are poems, reflections, formal, and beautifully written prayers from her heart. Here's a poem I especially liked:



The Rosary, One Decade at a Time
Because caring for my family
Demands my full attention,
Please, Lord, accept my Rosary
One Decade at a Time.

When the children are fed and dishes washed
And baby is asleep,
I can borrow some time now to kneel down
And pray a decade of the Rosary.

And later, as I sit and rock and nurse my baby,
My heart goes out to You, my Lord.
As I recite the second decade....."

This is a book to be cherished daily as we work the fields in God's creation. Once again, I am very thankful for the amazingly gifted Catholic community we have, it is not an easy road to pave the Catholic way with children in tow and husbands to keep healthy and happy, but we can do it...with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you so very much, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, for the gift of you!

***

Thank YOU, Elizabeth for your very kind words. I pray that this book will inspire you and aid you in guiding your beautiful girls!

May God bless you and your beautiful family!

Hugs,

Donna-Marie

Keeping Prayer in Summer: A Mother's Strategy at CE today

My summer prayer article at Catholic Exchange today...

Just the thought of summer fast-approaching could bring thoughts of rest and relaxation to mind. We may recall the lazy days of summer during our youth. Summer may also mean anticipated excitement and adventure: exploring new places or trying new things.

Some families plan escapes to beaches and paradise vacations, while others may stay home and plan day trips to fun spots, the local library, or parks and recreation centers.

Summertime can be a time of well-deserved rest and also a welcome change of scenery. While making plans for our families this summer, let’s not forget about prayer. A change in schedule once we hit summertime and an eagerness to “get away from it all” could cause us to lose touch with our spiritual needs.

Prayer Strategies

One strategy to help us remain prayerful this summer is to begin each day with prayer. This simple suggestion may seem like a no-brainer to a praying individual; however the busyness of mornings and preparations for summer outings of even the well intentioned “pray-ers” can cause prayer time to become lost in the commotion.

Getting on our knees when we face each new day and giving it right over to the Lord will indeed start the day off with the proper disposition. Mothers should teach their children to do the same. A morning offering in our own words or a more formal version and prayer to our Guardian Angels at the breakfast table works very well with our captive hungry “audience!” We can offer our hearts to God throughout our days as well. Teaching our children to begin their days with prayer is an invaluable lesson that will remain with them as they grow older and navigate life on their own. Pope John Paul II emphasized the importance of family prayer

When making plans for family trips, perhaps we can think about including shrines, basilicas, and holy places in our trips. When researching places of interest for our family this summer, we can utilize the many Catholic magazines, newspapers, and websites that often highlight interesting places for pilgrimages and visits. We can attempt to attain that nice balance of nourishment for our family’s spiritual life and fun and enjoyment to relax and entertain our senses... (Continued here at Catholic Exchange)

(You can leave a comment at Catholic Exchange if you'd like)

Praying for children to come back to the fold...

Recently a friend shared with me that her adult son, who has been searching for direction - for purpose - for God - had asked her directly one day out of the blue, why she had decided to become a Catholic. He had been thinking about all other religions and what they were all about.
This Mom had been praying for her son passionately each and every day, concerned for his soul, as did St. Monica for her dear son, Augustine. This friend told me that the best way she could answer her son was in the form of a letter. She shared her beautiful sincere words with me privately. I asked her if I could share her letter here at "Embracing Motherhood" to give others inspiration and hope and possibly the idea to pray for this son of hers and all sons and daughters who are out there searching in this big world of choices, mixed messages, and confusion.

Here is this Mom's private letter to her son with names left out, of course:

Why Did I Decide to Become a Catholic?

Dear xxxxxxx,

You asked me about me, so I will just tell my story. I know that you are you different from me, and your story is and will be different. I am going to tell it as "story", or rather as a narrative.

As you know, I started out as a protestant, and at some point in high school I felt I was coming up short, that something was missing. I went seeking. I didn't want to just go from church to church, and see which one I liked from the services and the people. I wanted to know first what they believed. Something made me interested in a Unitarian church in town (maybe a friend at school?). So I did a bit of research and found out they didn't believe in the Trinity, so I said: Forget that one, I believe in the Trinity (though I don't remember it actually being taught to me as such, but I knew it from a song we sang frequently at my childhood church: Praise God from whom all blessings flow...Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost." ). Well, after looking into that one church, I just drifted along with my church, and didn't really look actively anymore (I'd really looked hard, huh? :) ), but I remained kind of open.

Then one day my best friend told me she had hidden a Green Scapular in my wallet and had been saying the prayer on it for me, which was a little prayer to Mary, and she explained to me about devotion to Mary. When I was a younger kid, my Dad had made disparaging remarks about Catholics being devoted to Mary. Then one day, probably when I was about nine or ten, I was reading my Bible and I came across something interesting. It was Mary speaking to St. Elizabeth, "From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." I rushed out to show Grandpa that this was in the Bible! So when my girlfriend talked to me many years later about devotion to Mary, it made sense to me that if she is blessed, that we could go to Jesus through her, as well as to Jesus directly. I knew no other religion that honored Mary, and I also liked the idea of having a Mother with me all the time that I could look to for help and guidance.

The next day my friend told me that "the Catholic Church is the one true Church" and she showed me in a book how all the other churches broke off from the Catholic Church. I swallowed hard. It was very hard on my pride to think of "one true Church" after all those years - to think that I'd been taught wrong, and that I had been wrong. But I had learned in my own Sunday school when I was a bit younger that the Church Jesus founded took the name Catholic at some point. And as part of a Girl Scout project in junior high, I had even studied the history of my church, including where it had come from, tracing it back along a long line of splits from one denomination to another, seeing that each denomination was just a split from another denomination, and ultimately a few were splits directly from the Catholic Church. So, when she talked to me about the Catholic Church, I just started thinking: Since there is a Church which was originally founded by Jesus, why would I want to go with any other?

The third reason I chose to be a part of Catholicism was the Holy Eucharist. I can't say that I have always "felt" the presence of Jesus in an emotional type way every time I've ever been in a Catholic church. However, in general, unless something is in the way, being in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is a peaceful feeling for me. Back when I was in high school, my girlfriend once took me to make a visit to a church, and I felt so much peace there. One day a few weeks or months later, I arrived at my church early for youth group, so I walked on over to the Catholic church again and went in. I felt again that peace. It was similar to the feeling of peace that I would find sitting on my nightstand watching a storm outside my bedroom window.

I had always felt close to God in nature, but when I learned that He is present in a special way in the Blessed Sacrament, it was a similar joy to realizing that He had founded a Church. It was where I wanted to be as often as possible...there with Jesus for a few minutes' visit or to receive Holy Communion. When I was young and single (and even married before children), I attended daily Mass...not because I thought I "ought to" but because I wanted to be there where Jesus was present in a special way.

So those are basically my reasons for choosing the Catholic Church rather than a protestant sect. My explanations aren't terribly intellectual, I suppose, but my reasons and feelings were deep enough to see me through and out of a cult (when I left it, a couple friends in xxxxxxx were surprised that I stayed Catholic. I was like, "Um, yeah, why wouldn't I??"). My reasons have been strong enough to see me through a lot of other things, as well.

Someone who has studied apologetics could probably tell you more about each of these factors in my decision, and others as well, but this was my story.

Love, Mom

*******

Let's say a special prayer today for this Mom and son and for all sons and daughters around the world who are trying to find their way. Families need our prayers, especially today.

Let's try also to hang onto our family times and be sure to insert the prayer - always. Pray in the morning, at meals, in the evening, and all throughout the day. Let's make our life a prayer and be an example to others, especially our children who are watching our every move and listening to every word. Our Lord wants us to raise all of our little saints to Heaven. Without prayer, we will fail.

Please dear Lord, look kindly upon families all around the world, families who are struggling to survive, struggling to find their way, families who don't know You or have turned their back on You. Please give us strength, an increase in faith, in hope, and in love, so that we may be an example to our own family, families out in the world, and to the society that mocks You. Dear Lord, we love You! Amen

Family Night!

I found a really nice Family Night activity at Catholic Exchange. It is directed by Jeff and Emily Cavins "designed to help conduct weekly family time together. Each week focuses on a theme from the Sunday readings. Through activities and discussion you can help bring the word of God alive in your family. Below, you will find an Introduction to Family Night containing helpful hints on how to conduct a successful meeting. We have also provided a suggested list of traditional prayers to use. Family Night can be viewed here on the web or downloaded and printed out" and you can check it out here. There are instructions, themes and prayers. Go take a look!