Ideas for Celebrating Pentecost

Make a centerpiece. Cut out seven candles with flames on construction paper and label them with the names of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Attach to a strip or two of construction paper formed into a circle and stapled.

Wear Red

Fly a kite

Make a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to the Church.

Make Pinwheels and blow on them remembering God's breath of the Holy Spirit upon the Church.

Make a cenacle and re-enact the coming of The Holy Spirit

Print white doves, cut and glue them to card stock, and label each one with one gift of The Holy Spirit. Then cut those out, number them 1-12, hole punch and hang them by red ribbons. We hung ours from our banister railing. After Mass have each member of the family choose a number. Find the dove that matches your number and the gift written on it is the one the Holy Spirit (working through the gift written on it) wishes him to work on for the year. (Catholic Culture.)

Copywork for older children:

Come, my children in the world, come and be my witnesses: I need every mouth that still prays, I need every hand that still traces the sign of the holy Cross! For the day is heavy with storms of temptation— There are many along the road who no more find the way home: You must be light to light their way .... —Gertrud von LeFort.

(Gertrud von LeFort was a German writer of novels, poems, and essays. She came from a Protestant background, but converted to Catholicism in 1926. Most of Gertrud's writings come after this conversion.)

Gifts of the Holy Spirit enable us to live a holy Christian life.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are:

Wisdom - desire for the things of God, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory

Understanding - enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith

Counsel - warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation

Fortitude - strengthen us to do the will of God in all things

Knowledge - enable us to discover the will of God in all things

Piety - love God as a Father, and obey Him because we love Him

Fear of the Lord - have a dread of sin and fear of offending God

The 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit grow in our souls with our practice of Virtue as enabled by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Charity

Joy

Peace

Patience

Benignity - the quality of being kind and gentle

Goodness

Long-suffering (patient suffering over an extended period)

Mildness

Faith

Modesty

Continency (Purity)

Chastity

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Nine

Day 9 - Saturday before Pentecost

Pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
John 21:20-25

Be silent

Pray: Father, renew my Baptism and Confirmation. Stir into flame the gifts of the Spirit in my life (see 2 Timothy 1:6-7).

On or near Pentecost, ask another Christian to lay hands on you (see Acts 19:6) and pray for you to receive the Holy Spirit. After receiving these prayers, thank the Holy Spirit for coming to you, go to Mass as often as possible, and share your faith in Jesus. Come, Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Father, may I make every effort to build unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force (Eph 4:3).

Promise: "There are still many other things that Jesus did, yet if they were written about in detail, I doubt there would be room enough in the entire world to hold the books to record
them." —Jn 21:25

Praise: After receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, may we often feel compelled to remain in silent thanksgiving.

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Eight

Day 8 - Friday before Pentecost

Pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 25:13-21
John 21:15-19

Be silent

Pray: Holy Spirit, produce in me Your fruit: love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer: Jesus, may all prisoners who read this receive the Spirit on Pentecost and joyfully witness to You. Bless them with hope.

Promise: "His kingdom rules over all." —Ps 103:19

Praise: Samuel praises God for being sent to prison because it was there he found Jesus, his Savior.

L'Angelus on Life on the Rock Tonight!

L'Angelus, one of our favorite bands, is on Life on the Rock tonight. If you can, turn it on at 7:00 central time and watch. Here's a link if you'd like to know more about them.

www.angelusband.com/store.html

A dear friend blessed us with this cd. We have so enjoyed it! Thanks Sissy!

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Seven

Day 7 - Thursday before Pentecost

Pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
John 17:20-26

Be silent:

Pray: Jesus, baptize me, that is, immerse me in the Holy Spirit and in the fire of purification (Matthew 3:11).

Prayer: Father, remove my love for disunity. Give me your heart for those who are hard for me to tolerate.

Promise: "Keep up your courage!" —Acts 23:11

Praise: May we live for you by serving others!

Wordless Wednesday

You've got to love boys and their homemade forts :) Visit Wordless Wednesday for more posts.

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Six

Day 6 - Wednesday before Pentecost

Pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 20:28-38
John 17:11-19

Be silent

Pray: Spirit of truth, consecrate me by means of truth. By obedience to the truth may I be purified for a genuine love of my brothers and sisters (1 Peter 1:22). I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer: "O Father most holy, protect them with Your name which You have given Me [that they may be one, even as We are One]" (Jn 17:11).

Promise: "I gave them Your word, and the world has hated them for it; they do not belong to the world [any more than I belong to the world]." —Jn 17:14

Praise: St. Augustine bore such an amazing amount of fruit, especially a large number of new converts, that he was made the first bishop of Canterbury.

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Five

Day 5 - Tuesday before Pentecost

Pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 20:17-27

John 17:1-11

Be silent

Pray: Father, send the Holy Spirit to give me the power to be a witness for Jesus. May I not be ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16). I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer: Father, I set my heart on the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 14:1).

Promise: "Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ." —Jn 17:3

Praise: St. Philip in obedience to his confessor became a priest at age thirty-five and served through his priestly vocation for forty-four years.

Never Forget The Price Paid For Freedom

Last night we caught part of The PBS Memorial Day Concert. It was truly moving. I cried about the whole time. It's amazing to me how we get so caught up in our day to day activities that we forget to remember those who have fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy. I'm so thankful I listened to my guardian angel tell me to turn on the tv and see what was on. Thank you God for all of the fallen soldiers and their families who have paid the ultimate price for America.

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Four

Day 4 - Monday before Pentecost

Pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 19:1-8

John 16:29-33

Be silent

Pray: Father, may the Holy Spirit come down on me so that I will speak in tongues and utter prophecies. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit of unity! Jesus, pour out Your love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rm 5:5). Gather us together (Jn 11:52).

Promise: "The Holy Spirit came down on them and they began to speak in tongues and to utter prophecies." —Acts 19:6

Praise: Pope St. Gregory's last recorded words were "I loved justice and hated iniquity."

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day Three

Day 3 - Sunday before Pentecost

Pray
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Year B
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
1 John 4:11-16
John 17:11-19

Be silent

Pray: Father, make us one in the Spirit. As You have forgiven me, may I accept Your grace to forgive immediately all who have sinned against me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.


Prayer: Father, may I refuse to take my eyes off of the ascended Jesus. May I soon receive the Spirit in a new way.

Promise: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you." —Acts 1:8

Praise: Praise You, risen and ascended Jesus, for sending Your Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit! Alleluia!

Ascension Thursday Fun

"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.They said, "Men of Galilee,why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." Acts Ch.1

This morning we enjoyed making these crafts in honor of the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven. I used this coloring sheet for Jesus and his apostles. While the kids worked, (and asked questions:) I read the story of The Ascension from our Catholic Children's Bible. Now only 10 more days until The Birthday of the Church!

Wordless Whole Grain Wednesday

A Blessed Woman's Daybook May 18, 2009

Pondering in my thoughts.....

Yesterday we celebrated the Graduation Mass for the 2009 class. It was the 12th graduating class of Our Lady of Good Counsel Home School group. Three of the thirteen students had been home schooled with the group since it's origin. I just LOVE the fact that our graduation ceremony immediately follows the Holy Mass. I can't think of a better way for our graduates to start this new chapter in their lives! We were immensely blessed to be able to serve our Lord by providing the music for Mass this year. My Honey and the House Cat did an awesome job playing guitar and singing. Snuggle Bug, Buck, Honeybee and myself also were part of the family choir :) I'm sure it brought great joy to our Lord for Him to hear Honeybee singing to the top of her lungs at times :) We are so blessed to be a part of this home school group and also very thankful to our administrator and her husband for all of their hard work. We will be praying for these graduates and their families. May they always turn to God for guidance so to live the life He has planned for them!

Outside my window....

It is much cooler this morning following the rain yesterday. The suet feeder is empty... Things are pretty quiet. I'd love to be out doors working on making a garden. I guess it will have to wait though since I've been overdoing it a bit and really must rest this week.

To live the liturgy.....

This Thursday we celebrate Our Lord's Ascension into heaven. I've fallen so far behind on The Garden of the Good Shepherd book. Thankfully it is reusable :)

In My Reading Basket....

Sharon Lovejoy's books on gardening with children. I came across these books on Wildflower and Marbles. I plan on buying them as soon as I can. They are WONDERFUL!

To Be Fit and Healthy...

I pulled out my old copy of Fertility Cycles and Nutrition, by Marilyn Shannon. I'm taking lots of notes and hoping to implement healthier eating habits in our home. It's not easy, as you well know. First step - no junk in the house! Second step - start walking as soon as my body permits.

My picture thoughts....

You've got mail

Anniversary Roses from My Sweetheart

Buck's ready for action.

Hope you all have a very blessed week. Visit more daybook entries at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Celebrating 16 years of Marital Bliss

Just want to wish my sweet hubby a very Happy Anniversary! God is so good to us both. May we continue to live for Him. God Bless You!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Birthday Girl's Color Coordinated

My Mother's Day Blessings

What a blessed Mother's Day I had! First of all it was Honeybee's 4th birthday. I can't imagine a better way to celebrate being a mother than to be able to go to Mass with your family and thank God for your blessings! It was extra special to be there to thank Him for Honeybee too! It's hard to believe our baby is now four.

Before Mass, my honey and the kids called me to the kitchen for a delicious cup of coffee and some special surprises. Don't they know it's not nice to make your mother cry first thing in the morning? :)



Buck and Honeybee worked hard making beautiful cards for me. Snuggle Bug decorated a special bird keepsake box for me and The House Cat wrote and framed an amazing poem for me.



My sweet honey made lunch for us all, including my mom and dad. He has been working so hard for all of us. I'm hoping the doctor will let me resume my normal activity tomorrow. I have been slowly working my way back into the kitchen. I made a delicious bread this morning. I'll share that later. I pray that all of you wonderful mothers will have a blessed year living for the Lord.

From Snuggle Bug

From The House Cat

Thought for the day

Surround yourselves with holy people.

The House Cat's Interior Portrait

The House Cat's painting instructor asked her to design an inner self portrait. This is what she came up with.

• The guitar symbolizes her love of music and her gift of playing guitar well. (I added the second part :)

• The Celtic cross represents her Irish heritage and Catholic faith. The six strings are for the six members of our family. Their colors are based on the meaning of each person's name.

• She chose black for the guitar since she is devoted to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. In the background the two Divine Mercy rays represent her love for Saint Faustina and the message of Divine Mercy.

• The light at the top is for St. Luke, the patron of painters, whose name means "bringer of light."

• To the right of the light are three books representing a love for being home schooled, learning in general, and writing.

• The seven tear drops show her love for Our Blessed Mother and a love for our parish, Our Lady of Sorrows. They also represent her eagerness to receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation next spring.

Needless to say, her dad and I were blown away by all of the symbolism! Thank you Lord for such a beautiful gift in her and all our children!

A Get Well Soon Gift From My Honey

I have been blessed with the most wonderful husband! He knows me so well.... Flowers and coffee two of my favorite things. Thanks sweetie!

To Jesus Through Mary

As I was thinking of what I felt inspired to post today, the phrase (prayer), To Jesus Through Mary was placed on my heart. Maybe it's because May is the month of Mary in our Holy Church. Why do we as Catholics honor our Lord's mother so? Was she not the first Christian? If she had said no to God's will in her life, where would we all be now? So, I began my search to find the answers. In doing so I came across a link to the True Devotion to Mary by Saint Louis de Montfort. He has stated the answers beautifully!

If, then, we establish solid devotion to our Blessed Lady, it is only to
establish more perfectly devotion to Jesus Christ, and to provide an easy and
secure means for finding Jesus Christ!

No one loved our Lord more than his mother, the Blessed Virgin. On the cross Jesus gave his mother to all of us. She wants to help us to love her son more. She doesn't want us to worship her. We ask her to pray for us to her Son.

Jesus Christ Is the Last End of Devotion to Mary!

A Blessed Woman's Daybook

For Today

Monday, May 4, 2009
Is it really May, already?

Outside My Window...

The birds are loving the rain and all the yummy worms.

I am thankful for...
Your prayers. My surgery went well and I am recovering as expected.

From the learning rooms...
I need to catch up on The Garden Of The Good Shepherd with Buck and Honeybee. Snuggle Bugs working on science and Wordly Wise to finish up her 4th grade work. She's also reading The Bantry Bay series and really enjoying it. House Cat's also working on finishing up math, science, and reading The Silver Chalice.

Mom's copywork...
Bring flowers of the rarest

Around the house...
Well, mom's out of commission.... Dad's working and feeding us and doing laundry and cleaning and sleeping very well at night :)

One of my favorite things...
The May Crowning. I had to miss it this year, but dad and the kids were there. My little Buck secretly picked up a rose petal from the floor, stuck it in his pocket, and brought it home to me. Does it get any sweeter than that?


A picture thought I'm sharing...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace the Lord is with you,

Pray For Us Sinners Now and at the Hour of our Death. Amen

For more daybook entries visit Peggy.

April Coloring Sheets

Here are the April coloring sheets for the daily readings. Enjoy!

Apr. 1 Shadrach,Meshach and Abednego
Apr 5 Word Search
Apr 5 Palm Sunday
Apr 6 Mary Annoints Jesus' feet
Apr 7 Is 49:1 Word Search
Apr 8 -Is 50:4-9 Word Search
Holy Thursday Jesus Washes Disciples Feet
Good Friday Crucifixion-1
Good Friday Crucifixion-2
Easter: He Is Risen
Easter: He Is Risen & Is Lord
A Glorious Easter (lots of coloring sheets/activities)
Apr 15 The Road to Emmaus
Apr 17 Jesus helps catch fish
Apr 19 Divine Mercy Sunday
Apr 20 & 21 Jesus and Nicodemus
Apr 20 Peter and John
Apr 22 For God So Loved the World
Apr 24 Jesus feeds 5000
Apr 25 Christ's Ascension
Apr 26 Peace Be With You
Apr 27 St. Stephen
Apr 28 The Bread Of Life
Apr 29 Puzzle
Apr 30 I Am the Bread of Life

St. Catherine of Siena - Pray For Us!

Today is the feast of Saint Catherine of Siena.

Catherine of Siena was one of the greatest women that ever lived. When she was a
little girl, our dear Lord appeared to her. "Please give me your heart," he
asked. She gave it willingly. Jesus gave her His Sacred Heart in return. (Miniature Stories of the Saints by Rev. Daniel A. Lord, S.J.)

On Shrove Tuesday, 1366, while the citizens of Siena were
keeping carnival, and Catherine was praying in her room, a vision of Christ
appeared, accompanied by His mother and the heavenly host. Taking the girl's
hand, Our Lady held it up to Christ, who placed a ring upon it and espoused her
to Himself, bidding her to be of good courage, for now she was armed with a
faith that could overcome all temptations. To Catherine the ring was always
visible, though invisible to others. The years of solitude and preparation were
ended and soon afterwards she began to mix with her fellow men and learn to
serve them. Like other Dominican tertiaries, she volunteered to nurse the sick
in the city hospitals, choosing those afflicted with loathsome diseases—cases
from which others were apt to shrink. (Taken from Lives of Saints, Published by
John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.)

Today I ask her to pray for all the sick. Especially for Buck who started running fever last night, for my mama, who suffers with chronic pain, and for all of those we've promised to pray for.

Thank you Charlotte for another beautiful coloring sheet.

Prayer to St.Joseph For One's Husband

I absolutely LOVE this book! If you haven't read it, I highly recommend doing so. I first read it last year and it changed my life. I'm especially fond of the prayer to St. Joseph for our husbands. I hope she, Agnes Penny, doesn't mind if I share it with you.

O Good St. Joseph, Patron of Fathers and workers, please come to the aid of my husband. Assist him in his daily efforts to provide for our family, and help him to find his work interesting and fulfilling. Also, help him to be a holy husband and father; may he imitate thy patience and gentleness, yet be unafraid to lead our family on the straight and narrow path that will bring us all to heaven. As breadwinner and head of our family, he does not have an easy job, as thou dost well know, St. Joseph, from thy own life time as provider and head of the Holy Family. Pray for and assist my husband, dear St. Joseph, that his courage and perseverance may not fail and that the trails and hardships which he encounters in this life will only serve to strengthen his love for his family and his devotion to our Lord. Amen.

Please keep my dear husband and children in your prayers. I am scheduled for surgery

Thursday morning. May our Lady wrap them all in her loving mantle and as always May God's Will Be Done!