Day 7: (December 31)
Feast of St. Sylvester I
New Year's Eve
Read and Reflect upon John 3:16 and St. Sylvester. It's the last day of the year so we will pause to be thankful for God's greatest gift of salvation, through the birth and death of His only Son. We are also grateful for personal blessings received throughout the year, including the challenges that are inevitable gifts. Discussion: What are we most grateful for this year? What difficult things have we experienced that have helped us grow closer to God?
Respond: It is a New Year's Eve tradition in our family that we rotate through our Parish 24 hour Adoration. It is the perfect way to pause and return thanks to God as we express our love to Him, ringing in a new calendar year.
Prayer: For the adults and older children, there are beautiful meditations and prayers in the Magnificat that are perfect for the Adoration Vigil, concluding with this prayer: (Note: Magnificat has a wonderful Iphone/Smartphone App...I believe it's still free for a trial period:)
"I waited, I waited for the Lord, and he stooped down to me...He put a new song into my mouth."~Psalm 40:2,4~
Happy New Year!
I also thought I'd share 3 New Years articles that I enjoyed from other places:
National Catholic Register "Pope Gives Thanks to God"
Integrated Catholic Life
Jeff and Emily Cavins
I also thought I'd share 3 New Years articles that I enjoyed from other places:
National Catholic Register "Pope Gives Thanks to God"
Integrated Catholic Life
Jeff and Emily Cavins
Day 8: (January 1~Octave Day of Christmas)
Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
Read and Reflect: upon Mary as the Mother of God. Read Luke 1:38 when Mary proclaimed her "Yes" to God: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. Discussion: In what ways can we renew our own "Yes" to God as we enter this New Year? In what ways can we renew our faith?
How can we have the faith of a little child?
"Mommy, last night I dreamed about Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and ALL the angels..."
My response: "Wow, Mommy would love to have a dream like that!"
Respond: Last year we made Blessed Mother of God Brownies. My wheels are still turning on this one:)
Pray the Rosary as a family and the Magnificat prayer.
"In thanksgiving for the time that has been,
in hope for the time that is to come,
Let us pray through the intercession of Mary,
the Mother of God:
We praise you, O Lord, and we bless you."
She really had that dream?!?!?! The first word that comes to mind is PURE and then INNOCENCE. Oh to think like a child, then maybe I would have such an amazing dream. Beautiful!
ReplyDeletePatty-YES, she really had this dream! Can you believe it? Like I said, I would love to have that dream:)
ReplyDeleteTiffany, I really enjoyed those articles you linked to, especially the first one. I've been pondering the New Year and the improvements needed in my life. Both articles are helping me refine my goals and plans. Happy New Year! lovelove your daughter's hair ribbon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the Integrated Catholic article, it was a good one!
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