PRAYER FOR LABOR DAY

Picture source

The following was shared by a reader and friend of this blog.  Mahalo Ann!

On this weekend, when we rest from our usual labors, 
loving Father, we pray for all who shoulder the tasks of human labor---
in the marketplace, in factories and offices, in the professions,
and in family living.  
We thank you, Lord, for the gift and
opportunity of work;
may our efforts always be pure of heart,
for the good of others and the glory of your name.  
We lift up to you all who long for just employment and those who work
to defend the rights and needs of workers everywhere.  
May those of us who are now retired always remember that we
still make a valuable contribution to our Church and our
world by our prayers and deeds of charity.
May our working and our resting all give praise to you until the day we share
together in eternal rest with all our departed in your Kingdom
as you live and reign Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God,
forever and ever. Amen.

Labor Day

Lord Jesus Christ,
it is the Christian religion based on your teachings
that freed work from its degrading character
and made it into something noble-
so much so that it has become associated
with the so-called "work-ethic,"
symbolized by St. Paul's practical principle:
"If anyone will not work, let him not eat!"
Let me realize that Christians work
in imitation of you and the Father
in accord with your words:
"My Father has been working till now
and I work."

By work we build up the world,
as mentioned by the lines of a classic poem:
"God bless the noble working men
who rear the cities of the plain,
who dig the mines and build the ships,
and drive the commerce of the the main.
God bless them! for their swarthy hands
have wrought the glory of our lands."

Le me also understand that work is good
because it builds up your Body in the world
until your second coming in glory.
Thus all human beings are called to work
no matter what type it may be-
from the homemaker to the secretary,
the teacher to the ditch-digger.
And, in reality, there is no difference to the worker-
all work is hard and yet fulfilling,
a burden but a the same time a psychological necessity.
Most of all let me realize that no matter what work I do,
if I fail to do it,
no one else will-
and there will be a setback in building up your Body.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing Co.

Happy SAINT Valentine's Day

Too bad I can't insert St. between Happy and Valentine's

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus Praying. Detail of the painting below.

Virgen de los Navegantes - Alejo Fernández (1475-1545)

Here in Hawaii this holiday is referred to as Discover's Day. I think we should honor the man who made this day possible Cristóbal Colón.

Happy Father's Day!

Giovanni Battista Caracciolo, Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus
Picture source here

to my dear father whom I speak call "Daddy",
my dear husband,
my dear brothers,
my dear father in law,
my dear brothers in law,
my dear uncles,
our dear priests all over the world,
and to all of my dear blog visitors who are fathers.

What is a father's great task?
To bring himself and his family to God.
That task requires self-discipline, wisdom, patience,
strength and understanding.

Small minds and hearts of children are not easy to guide;
adolescent minds and hearts are bewildered and battered at times;
the minds and hearts of young adults are often lost
or too embarrassed to seek guidance.

For them a father is a steady example
of perseverance and good,
a beacon for wondering and wandering minds.

How could a father's task be done
unless he remembered his children were created
by a loving, wise and merciful God
who is with his children - and with him?

Source here

Celebrations All Around Today!

Picture source:Not Exactly Rocket Science and who is also celebrating both Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday.

Thanks to my friend Mary B I found out today was Pi Day. It makes sense since today is Albert Einstein's Birthday. Now let's see if my mathematician at home will remember what day today is.

It is also St. Patrick's Day today. Our church didn't observe this optional memorial today but I hope yours did.

And last but certainly not least, today is my dear brother's birthday!!

Happy President's Day

Picture from: this site

Happy Thanksgiving!

As The Tiber Jumper Reminds us "Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving better than the Eucharist"

Veteran's Day

Prayer on Veteran's Day

Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
those whom we honor today
are examples of your words:
"Greater love than this no one has:
that he lay down his life for his friends."
They gave up their lives in the defense of freedom
for their loved ones and their country.

Teach me to appreciate the virtue of patriotism-
a true and Christian love of country.
Let me love my country not to follow it blindly
but to make it the land of goodness
that it should be.
Let my patriotism be such
that tit will not exclude the other nations of the world
but include them in a powerful love of country
that has room for all others too.
Amen

From New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Catholics and Halloween

I've been checking out Halloween entries around the Catholic blogosphere and there are some pretty good posts out there. I really don't have much to add. I did find my post from last year (actually others found it and it came up in my counter as a link).

Note: The links no longer work but I did get permission from the author to post it on my blog last year.

Taking Back Our Holy Halloween

Columbus Day

I originally posted this last year on October 9th, 2006.

Today is Columbus Day. It is the federal holiday set aside to honor the man credited with discovering America. Here in Hawaii however, it is not known as Columbus Day but as Discoverer's Day.

Funny, but I haven't seen much in way of honoring Christopher Columbus today.

So therefore I am posting an entry to honor this devout Catholic explorer.

"Wherefore Your Highnesses...determined to send me, Cristobal Colon, to the said parts of India...and ordered that I should not go by land to the East, as the custom was, but by way of the West, by a course which no man, to our certain knowledge, has taken until this day."...from Columbus' journal

From reading a little on Columbus, I learned he was a scholar. He liked to surround himself with learned people, of all nationalities and walks of life.

Columbus first went to sea at the age of 14. When he grew up he was convinced that there was a westward route to Asia. It was something he was determined to pursue but the cost of the voyage would be high. He needed the backing of a powerful nation.

He first approached the king of Portugal, the country where Columbus was living. But the king was advised that Columbus' idea was riduculous and he therefore rejected Columbus. He then approached the leaders of his hometown of Genoa. They too turned Columbus down. The main reason for this being that since he had left Genoa, the did not have confidence in this absent native son. He tried different countries including England, but the rulers all turned him down, including King Henry VII.

Columbus, a widower by this time, was running out of options so he took his small son Diego and left Portugal for Spain. There Queen Isabella would for five long years raise his hopes and dash his hopes. Columbus was very disheartened by this time, especially since he had with him his small son.

One day he took the boy to the local monestary in order to seek shelter for his son. He plead so well for his son's sake, that he caught the attention of a friar, Father. Juan Perez. Father Perez recognized that this man was no common begger and he invited Columbus to talk. Columbus poured out all his ideas while Father Perez listed. By the end of their conversation Father Perez was as excited on the prospect of this exploration as was Columbus. He saw an opportunity for Columbus to bring the Gospel to the Indies.

The next day, Father Perez went to see Queen Isabella. He had no trouble getting an audience with the queen since he was her confessor. During this meeting Father Perez plead Columbus' case for him. The queen then ordered that Columbus be summoned to her court immediately.

"On April 30, 1492, the famous "Capitulations" were signed by the Spanish court. He was to be given the title of "Admiral of the Ocean Seas", governorship of any lands he might find, and a tenth of all profits resulting from the expedition. Also, he was to be provided with three ships, in whcih to carry his expedition; these would be outfitted at the expense of Spain."

from Our American Catholic Heritage by Albert J. Nevins, M.M.

Happy Father's Day

I've always liked the saying "Anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Daddy".

My father is such a man. He is our Daddy and will always be called Daddy by the seven of us.

Happy Father's Day to my dear daddy Carlos, Joey's daddy Dan, my brothers Carlos, Bobby and Brian, my dear uncles, my dear brothers-in-law George and Rich and my dear father in law Isidore.

We also remember my dear grandpa Manuel who has gone to his rest, and all our dearly departed family members.

And like Sarah of Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering I would like to remember God our Father on this Father's Day.

Last but not least, Happy Father's Day dear Catholic Bloggers and readers of this blog.

Happy Mother's Day

Thank you Barb for sharing this.

Before I was a Mom

I slept as late as I wanted and never worried
about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on.
Pooped on. Spit on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

And I am sure when I am a Grandma

that all those "Mom" feelings will more than double!

Happy President's Day

"Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in
the hands of God."

George Washington

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our
freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

Abraham Lincoln

Catholics and Halloween - "Taking Back Our 'Holy' Halloween"

Recently, a new friend asked about whether we as Catholics could partake in Halloween fun. Personally, I loved celebrating Halloween growing up. But I don't think I really understood how it related to our Catholic feast of All Saints Day back then.

In looking for help for my friend, I found an article at Catholic Exchange written by Catholic mom and writer Katherine Andes and I'd like to share it with you:

Taking Back Our "Holy" Halloween

10/10/05

"Kathy, why don’t you and the kids come to our church’s Harvest Festival?" asked my Evangelical friend. "There will be a bon fire, hay rides, and candy for the kids."

Are We Retreating?

It sounded great, and, since my husband had recently died, I didn’t relish trick-or-treating by myself with my little ones.

"Do the kids wear costumes?" I inquired.

"No, we definitely discourage that," she said.

I knew that wasn’t for my family. My children adore dressing up and roaming the streets extorting candy from the good neighbors. Besides, I knew that a number of people in my friend’s fellowship saw Catholics and Halloween and Satanism as being all of the same cloth. To the extent that Halloween has become a celebration of death and ghoulishness, I can see their point.

If some Protestants think that Halloween is satanic, then I understand their retreat to church parties. However, many Catholics are also beginning to retreat from Halloween. Like Protestants, some have church parties. Others simply close their blinds and watch videos in a back room come All Hallow’s Eve. Because of what’s going on in the streets, I don’t entirely blame them. Yet if Christmas Eve had somehow become a celebration of death, would Christians retreat to a back room and watch videos? I hope not.

So why should we, good Catholics, flee from this day? We should not. We should take back our "holy" Halloween.

What Kind of Costumes?

One of the first things I did was to encourage clean and, when possible, holy costumes. One year my then five-year-old son was determined to be a pirate. I suggested numerous alternatives to being a pirate but he wouldn’t hear of any. In exasperation he said, "But Mom, firemen don’t carry swords."

Now it was clear. What he really wanted to do was brandish a sword! I suggested he could be St. Michael the Archangel and still carry a sword, and he happily complied. (To those who ask what’s wrong with being a pirate, how would you feel if your child said he wanted to be a hijacker or terrorist?)

Although our family has high standards for costumes, I insist the children not make derogatory remarks about the choices of their friends. Last year, a child came over to trick-or-treat with us dressed as Count Dracula. It was strange taking a picture of a vampire and a nun, in full habit, together. At one point, the boy took off his vampire mask because it was hot.

My daughter suddenly squealed in admiration, "You look like Bach!"

My son chimed in, "You do. You look like a composer." Indeed the boy, sans mask and now dressed in a simple tuxedo, did look like a composer. That evening, by God’s grace, our group included a nun, an astronaut, a Lion King and... Johann Sebastian Bach.

Prayers and Treats

I was further inspired by the medieval All Soul’s Day custom of beggars knocking on doors for "soul cakes" in exchange for prayers for the household’s deceased. We created our own version. On my computer, I made up little strips that said: "Thank you for the treat. My family and I will be praying for you and the souls of your dearly departed loved ones during the month of November. Happy All Saints Day and happy All Souls Day!" The children had fun the day of Halloween cutting up their messages, rolling them into tiny scrolls, and tying them with pretty satin ribbons.

Although I wanted my children to say "Prayer for a treat," I didn’t push it, and they happily chanted "Trick or treat" like ordinary kids. People were surprised and delighted with the scrolls. One man said to my "nun" daughter, "Why, thank you, Sister."

She replied with a big grin, "Well, not yet."

On the giving-out-treats part of the evening, I hand out candy along with stickers, purchased from a Christian supply store, with messages such as "Jesus loves you." One year, as we were returning from trick-or-treating, we were behind a little boy whose mother was berating him with foul language. The boy ran ahead to our house where a friend was giving out treats. When the child returned, he was elated — literally jumping for joy as he showed his sticker to his now-docile mother. "Look, Jesus loves me!" he said. My children, who had been stunned by the earlier bad language, quietly observed everything, and I know it made an impression upon them.

This year we plan to design holy cards explaining the Christian custom of Halloween, which is the eve of two feast days: All Saints and All Souls. These can be passed out by youngsters and treat-givers alike. Packets of similar holy cards could be made available in parishes for parishioners to use with room on the back of the cards for the pastor’s name and number.

Our Halloweens have truly become joyful and holy events with the month of November dedicated to special prayer, not just for our own loved ones, but also for the souls of all our neighbors and their dearly departed. The Church has always evangelized, in part, through the celebration of feasts. By taking back Halloween we can introduce our children to evangelization and begin to respond to our Holy Father’s call to re-evangelize the West.


Katherine Andes is the co-author with Matt Pinto of Friendly Defenders Catholic Flash Cards. She is also a freelance commercial, proposal, and grant writer. You can write her at katherineandes@hotmail.com or visit her web site at KatherineAndes.com.

This article has appeared in This Rock and Immaculata magazines and is used by permission of the author. Mahalo Katherine!!