Are You Blind or Like Bartmaeus?
Here is a guest blog from my friend Amanda Haberman: My Great-Uncle Jim was legally blind and still driving his car weekly well into his 80s. This was comical to me as a teenager, but I’m sure it was alarming and dangerous in the eyes of my parents and probably his neighbors. While Uncle Jim would take the wheel, my Auntie Annette would sit in the passenger seat and be his “eyes” while he was driving.
You see, Auntie Annette didn’t have her license, and she had never driven a car in her life. So, she wasn’t going to let her husband’s deteriorating eyes keep her from running errands and making it to Mass. She would remind all of us just how close she lived to these locations; therefore, in her eyes it was “no big deal” that Uncle Jim was driving blind. So as long as Jim could use his limbs, he was driving her. (more…)
Honest to God: Prayer
My publisher-friend from Chicago likes the Cubs as much as my mom liked the Cleveland Indians. Twice last week he asked me to pray for a Cubs game. The team won the first game by hitting six home runs. They also won the second game, making them the champs of the National League Division Series. Chicagoans were dancing in the streets. Should I take the credit for this?
Jesus repeatedly told us to ask God for things and not give up. In the second reading on Sunday we heard that we should “confidently approach the throne of grace . . . to find grace for timely help.” But what if God doesn’t answer our prayers? Someone pointed out that God always answers, but sometimes his answer is No. This is sometimes a good thing. My favorite example is the story of the little boy who prayed to have the gift that his uncle had: Each night his uncle was able to take out his teeth and place them in a glass of water. When the boy grew up, he was glad that God hadn’t answered his prayer! We can trust that the good God knows what is best for us and for others. (more…)
Spotlight on the Family 5: Sunday, the Pause That Refreshes
(PS for last week’s post: This Sunday’s Plain Dealer ran a story about a man who raised funds for a hospital in his native Congo. His storage trailer with $100,000 worth of supplies burned, destroying everything but rosaries. Wonder if the publisher knew October is the month of the Holy Rosary.)
Two of my ninth graders made a needlepoint illustration of creation. Note the second last square! After creating everything, God rested on the seventh day. For our physical, spiritual, and mental health, we need to rest too. It’s time to reclaim Sunday as a special day of the week, a day of rest and tranquility. Some of us, overwhelmed by the demands of life and work, are in sore need of “a sanctuary in time,” just to enjoy being alive. For good reason the third commandment, “Keep holy the Lord’s Day,” has the corollary: relax and have fun. (more…)
The Rosary, a Lifeline
October is known as the month of the rosary, no doubt because October 7 is the feast of the Holy Rosary. The feast originated with the Battle of Lepanto when, against all odds, Christians overcame the Muslim forces attacking Europe—accredited to Christians praying the rosary. (Hmm. What would happen if all Catholics prayed the rosary to vanquish ISIS?) The rosary is associated with Catholics as much as the Mass is. It hangs in our cars, and our hands hold it in the coffin. Martin Luther, a former Catholic, did away with many Catholic things, but not the rosary. He prayed it every day until he died. The composer Hadyn prayed it whenever he got composer’s block. It was Pope St. John Paul II’s favorite prayer. After 9/11, he encouraged praying it for peace. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in Fatima, Portugal, she, too, advised us to pray the rosary for peace. To those who think that after the reforms of Vatican II, the rosary is something to be thrown out the window, think again!
The rosary is a highly scriptural prayer. We pray two ways during the rosary: We say the traditional formula prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be), but at the same time we ponder the mysteries of Jesus, one mystery per decade (set of ten beads). I tell children that this takes practice, like mastering patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. The repetitions of the Hail Marys is like soothing background music to our thoughts. (So soothing that the rosary can function as a remedy for sleepless nights.)
The rosary is known as a Marian prayer because we primarily honor our Blessed Mother by praying fifty-three Hail Marys. The rosary has been compared to a garland of roses we present to her. I also ask the children how they feel when someone says something nice about their mother. Then I comment that likewise Jesus is pleased when we praise his mother. We Sisters of Notre Dame (Our Lady) pray the rosary every day.
Rosaries can be beautiful crystal ones or homemade ones. There are also single decade rosaries. I have one of these made from crushed rose petals. Some people pray on ten-beaded bracelets or rings. Lacking any of these, we can always pray on our hands, which conveniently have ten fingers! The largest rosary is at a shrine in Windsor, Ohio. It is made of foot-high lamps near the tallest statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is 50-feet high.
On the Internet are sites that explain how to pray the rosary, list the mysteries, and even allow us to pray along. The site at www.Comepraytherosary.org is one that enables us to praying the rosary individually or with others.
Variations: You can make up your own mysteries, such as the miracle mysteries or the parable mysteries. You can also stay mindful of the mystery by inserting in the Hail Marys words that refer to it. For example, for the Annunciation you might pray, “Hail Mary, full of grace, to whom the Angel Gabriel came, the Lord . . .”
By the way, the rosary developed over the years. The legend that Mary personally handed one to St. Dominic began because the Dominicans were chief promoters of the rosary.
What rosary has special meaning for you? When has praying the rosary been a comfort or joy for you?
Spotlight on the Family 4: Christian Decor
A father’s three-year-old son was playing quietly with his trains in his room—too quietly maybe. The father went to check on him. As he looked into the room, he saw the boy get up from the trains, run to the statue of the Sacred Heart, pick it up and kiss it. “Why did you do that?” the father asked. The boy replied, “Because he’s a good guy.” A question posed to students and retreatants is, If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Here is a similar one: Would someone visiting your home know that you were Christian? Mentally walk through the rooms of your house. What signs are there of your faith in Jesus Christ? These items are not merely for show, but to remind your family (and others) of God and prompt you to pray. Your home doesn’t need to look like a religious goods store, but shouldn’t something in it reflect your faith? (more…)
