Spiritual Woman

2010 is the 10th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, who was chosen by God to help promote the importance of Divine Mercy. Her feast day is October 5th.

Prayer to St. Faustina

Saint Faustina,

Amen.

The Notre Dame Book of Prayer
Edited by Heidi Schlumpf
Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2010

For over one hundred years, the Campus Ministry Office at Notre Dame has offered prayer books to incoming first-year students. “The Notre Dame Book of Prayer” is an attempt to share that gift with the larger Notre Dame community and the world in general. The ties to Notre Dame are quickly relevant with references to places on campus abounding. However, if one can get beyond that, there is truly a treasuretrove of prayers in this book.

The prayers are divided into sections. Among these are: “In the Beginning,” “Bless Us, O Lord,” “Work of Human Hands,” “To Everything There is a Season,” and “It is Finished.” While there are many prayers one might expect, there are many unexpected prayers such as a “Runner’s Prayer before Beginning a Race,” “Prayer for Parenting a Special-Needs Child,” “Prayer for Conflict with a Coworker or Friend,” “Blessing for Women in Transition,” “Menopause Prayer,” and a “Prayer after Suicide.”

One prayer that spoke to me was “Give Me Someone;”

Lord,
when I am famished,
give me someone who needs food;
when I am thirsty,
give me someone who needs water;
when I am cold,
give me someone to warm;
when I am hurting,
give me someone to console;
when my cross becomes heavy,
give me another’s cross to share;
when I am poor,
lead someone needy to me;
when I have no time,
give me someone to help for a moment;
when I am humiliated,
give me someone to praise;
when I am discouraged,
send someone to encourage;
when I need another’s understanding,
give me someone who needs mine;
when I need somebody to take care of me,
send me someone to care for;
when I think of myself,
turn my thoughts toward another.

“The Notre Dame Book of Prayer” would make a great addition to any Catholic’s prayer collection.

Saint Gianna, heroically Christlike wife, mother and physician, I ask the help of your prayers, as I strive to follow your holy example in my physical and spiritual trials.

by Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke

To purchase prayer cards with this prayer, please visit: St. Gianna Prayer Cards

Today (July 26th) is the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Grandparents of Jesus. St. Anne is one of my patron saints as I took her name as my confirmation name. I pray to her daily for help in parenting and in teaching my children. When I was a little girl, there was a picture in my bedroom of her teaching Mary. It wasn’t a traditional holy picture. There were no halos. It was a simple picture of a mother teaching her daughter sitting outside their home. Somehow, though, that image has always stayed with me.

Prayer to St. Anne

Glorious and holy St. Anne, whom the Heavens admire, whom the Saints honor, and the earth revers. The just, the penitent, and the sinner consider you as their powerful advocate before God, for by your intercession the just hope for an increase of grace, the penitent for their justification, the sinners for the remission of sins. Be then, kind and generous to me. Pray for me in Heaven. Use in my favor the great influence you have before God, particularly for (here make your request). Obtain my request and grant that I may live always close to God.

Follow with an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Say the rosary? I can barely squeeze in a “Hail Mary.” Read scripture? I’d like to, but I never get to sit down. Go to daily Mass? It would be nice, but you have got to be kidding. People give many reasons for not praying more. Close to the top of the list is the complaint that “I simply don’t have time.” There are so many other important things vying for our attention. There are children and spouses and parents who need us to help them. There are household chores to complete and work to be done. The to-do list is long and the hours are short. The first thing women do when the demands of the world become too much is cut out time for themselves. Unfortunately, this often includes time for God. We know we should spend more time in prayer, but it is often the first thing to go.

There is a line from the poem that says “I had so much to do, I had to take time to pray.” I have definitely found this to be true in my own life. Days in which I don’t make that time first thing in the morning to connect with God do not go well. I have long known that my relationships with others suffer when I don’t put my relationship with God first. I am much more easily aggravated and lack the patience I should have.

Recently, I have come to the understanding that my ability to be productive depends on my taking that time to pray as well. I honestly do wish that I could attend Mass every day. I look back at the times in my life when I was able to do that and I truly treasure them. Attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist always give me strength and peace. As it is, I try to attend Mass on Saturday mornings. Sometimes, I’m busy with a long list of chores around the house and I have a mental debate with myself over whether I should go or not. I have found, without fail, that those are the days I need to attend Mass most. Once I have turned over that one hour out of my day (including travel time) over to God, I find that he allows me to make the most out of the time I have left. I usually accomplish all I need to and more. On the rare occasions that my to-do list doesn’t get done, I am left with a feeling of acceptance that I accomplished what I needed to. The other things can wait.

The past week, my children were at day camp at a local church. I love my children dearly and I treasure my time with them, but one of the realities of being a homeschooling mom is that time for oneself is severely limited. This week, I was given the gift of twenty-five hours of alone time, and was determined to make the most of them. I had a number of projects I wanted to complete. I also had the opportunity to attend Mass at the church after I dropped them off each morning. It was a little bit of a sacrifice to give up that precious time, but it was a sacrifice well-rewarded. Not only did I get the spiritual benefit of attending Mass, but the time I had left was hugely productive. I got so much done. I know God was helping my projects along.

This is the paradox of prayer. The more time we spend with God, the more he allows us to make use of the time left in our day. It works every time. I invite you to give it a try.

This prayer was written by Charles de Foucald.

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands: do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures -
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself
to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

When I was growing up, my mother would often make a spiritual communion and speak of its value. I didn’t really pay much attention. It was fine for her, I reasoned. After all, it couldn’t hurt. But like many of what I considered her “pre-Vatican II” practices, I didn’t put much stock in it. With time, maturity, and education, I am beginning to realize the value of many of my mother’s prayers and devotions.

I recently read “7 Secrets of the Eucharist” by Vinny Flynn. It is a wonderful book, designed to help increase devotion to the Eucharist. The last chapter focuses on spiritual communions. Flynn relies on the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. There are both sacramental and spiritual communions. Sacramental communion refers to the physical reception of the Eucharist. Spiritual communion involves “a real longing for union with Christ.” Ideally, reception of the Eucharist involves both dimensions. One must always want to receive regular sacramental Communion. However, St. Thomas tells us that a “complete spiritual Communion can even take place when we are unable to receive sacramentally, because ‘the effect of a sacrament can be secured if it is received by desire.’”

St. Catherine of Siena also testified to the value of spiritual Communion. “She had begun to question whether her spiritual Communions had any real value compared to sacramental Communion. Suddenly she saw Christ holding two chalices. ‘In this golden chalice I put your sacramental communions. In this silver chalice I put your spiritual communions. Both chalices are quite pleasing to me.’” In 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia:

In the Eucharist, “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: Here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most perfect union.” Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual communion,” which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. St. Teresa of Jesus wrote: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you” [The Way of Perfection, Ch. 35.].

A spiritual Communion can be of value to anyone who desires a deeper union with Christ. It can be made at any time of the day or night. It is especially appropriate for those who find themselves unable to physically receive the Eucharist. For example, those who are not yet Catholic, those who have been away from the Church for a long time and who have not yet made a good confession, those who are living in a state of serious sin, as well as those who are sick or housebound.

How does one make a spiritual Communion? Simply by desiring it. One formal prayer is “O Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where you live hidden for love of me. I love you, O my God. I cannot receive you in Holy Communion. Come nevertheless and visit me with your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sanctify it. Render it like unto your own.” One need not use a formal prayer, however. A simple “Lord Jesus. Come into my heart” is sufficient, as is imagining Jesus coming into one’s heart. As with any other spiritual habit, the more one does it, the easier it will become. There is no limit to the number of times we can ask Jesus to meet us. He desires to be with us.

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things pass away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

God of Hope, come to me. Help me to know that your hope is alive in me as I offer kindness, forgiveness, and tenderness to others. I seek the inner calm that comes from trusting in you. Give me the courage to be aware of your healing presence. May I trust that St. Jude walks with me in times of trouble, and intercedes on my behalf. St. Jude, fill my heart with hope.

It’s that time of year again – when the calendar compels us to look back over the preceding year and make plans for the new one. Those reflections and resolutions can encompass many parts of life. Relationships, health, and career goals are popular targets for review. One area that might be neglected is one’s life of prayer.

I know that throughout my life, I have brought many concerns to God in prayer. Some of these have been for very minor issues. Others have literally brought me to my knees with tears of desperation mixing in with the plea. There have been times when the pain has been so intense, I haven’t even been able to form the words and the prayers came entirely as an aching soul reaching out for God. Sometimes, it is hard to see God answering the prayers. Especially in the midst of a crisis, it can be difficult to sense God’s presence, to trust that He has a plan. There have been times when I clearly prayed for the outcome I wanted. There have been times that things worked out just the way I had hoped. I have even experienced a couple outcomes I would regard as miraculous. There have been other times when the answer was “wait;” then, there are the times that God most definitely took life in a radically different direction. Each time, the prayers helped me to accept the outcome (admittedly kicking and screaming on occasion.) With age and wisdom, I have become better at praying that God’s will be done, regardless of my personal opinion. It’s not always easy, however, and there are still times when I let God know exactly what I think should happen. As with everything else, I am a work in progress in that area.

I offer many prayers for other people as well. These may be people who I have heard are sick or who I know are facing difficulty. They may be people I know well, or a stranger someone has asked me to offer prayers for. In either case, I am happy to offer the prayers, to be of service in some way to a person in need. There have been many cases when I have continued praying for a situation long after the issue has been resolved simply because I wasn’t aware of the resolution. People often ask you to pray – you frequently aren’t told that you can stop praying! No matter – in the eternal scheme of things, the prayers still count and still offer help.

There are times, however, when prayers seemingly go unanswered, when it seems that it is all for naught. It is hard to resist discouragement at those times. Debbie Macomber offers an interesting way of working (or praying!) through that discouragement and seeing God at work even when, at first glance, there doesn’t appear to be any movement. In her new book, “One Simple Act,” she suggests keeping a prayer journal. She writes down the intentions she is praying for. This allows her to recall all the needs she is bringing to God as well as help to keep her mind from wandering during prayer. As she states, “I’ll be praying during my quiet time and my mind will move from, ‘Oh, thank you, Jesus, for everything you’ve done’ to ‘What should I have for dinner tonight? What’s in the freezer that I can use?’” I think that most of us can relate to that problem! One day when she was feeling that God wasn’t answering her prayers, she began flipping through the pages of her journal. She put red stars on all the prayers that had been answered and made notes about how God had answered them. Macomber writes, “I wasn’t into the exercise long before I recognized God’s hand in each circumstance. I came away with a sense of awe, humbled by all He had done for me and my lack of recognition.” Sometimes, even though the outcomes may not be what we had hoped, we may find that “the whole time God was doing something far better.”

If the end of this year finds you feeling discouraged about how God is answering (or seemingly ignoring) your prayers, a prayer journal may be just what you need for the coming year. Keep track of your prayers and their answers. It may make it that much easier to trace God’s movement in your life when another year is drawing to a close.