I have been tagged by dear Donna at A Garden of Roses and Lilies for this Catholic devotions meme, surely one of the most beautiful memes that’s gone around.
1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus?
Probably just talking to Him, though I really love the devotion Suggestions of the holy Antonius Maria Claret for spending a quarter of an hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament that I posted about here.
2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer?
The Rosary, definitely.
3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
I wear a scapular after having dragged my feet for many, many years. I love our Blessed Mother and there was no good reason for me not to be wearing one, other than feeling self-conscious when the strings are showing. Vanity of vanities…
I also wear a beautiful gold medal of Our Lady of the Streets that has been touched to St. Gianna Molla’s gloves!
4. Do you have holy water in your home?
Yes, though much of the water ends up being offered for the Poor Souls (i.e. spilled by well-intentioned toddlers). And while we’re on the subject, what is it with these fonts and that brown, crusty residue that’s left behind when the water evaporates? Is this the sin that gets washed off our fingers every time we go to bless ourselves? : ) I’m kidding, of course, but remain perplexed.
5. Do you ‘offer up’ your sufferings?
I try to. Most of the time I just feel whiny. I do offer up the pains of labor and sometimes pick out a special intention ahead of time. Mostly I just give it all to Mary to make sense of.
6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
When the boys were little, they were in a beautiful group at our church called Mary’s White League. We made the nine First Fridays and five First Saturdays at least four times each (for a total of 36 First Fridays and 20 First Saturdays). I love this devotion but have since fallen behind on it.
7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration?
Every Sunday morning from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. ! (except when I’m really, really tired…and then my husband good-naturedly trundles off to do it).
8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or Sunday morning Mass person?
We go to Sunday Mass as a family at 11:00 a.m., with donuts and coffee after. Otherwise, Sunday morning feels like Saturday, with no real sense of it being the day of Resurrection.
9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Yes, always and even at restaurants.
10. Favorite Saint(s)?
Oh my goodness, can I limit myself to a simple list? I love my patrons, St. Margaret Mary and St. Margaret of Scotland. I love all my children’s patrons. I love my trinity of Teresas: St. Therese, St. Teresa of Avila, and Blessed Mother Teresa. I love St. Maximillian Kolbe & St. Josemaria Escriva…St. Ann and St. Gerard…and of course, every mother’s favorite: St. Anthony! (He hangs out at our house a lot.)
11. Can you recite the Apostles Creed by heart?
Of course I can! Can’t you? Though I bet if I were leading the congregation in the Rosary before Mass, I’d screw up.
12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
No, although I KNOW without a doubt that these aspirations would do wonders for me as a wife and mother. I am one of those horribly distracted people who requires a large neon sign to jog her memory—all day, every day.
13. Bonus Question: When you pass by an automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
Yes. The same goes for hearing an ambulance.
And one more bonus question (Helen’s, I believe): If you could visit any of Our Lady’s apparition sites, which one would you choose?
Fatima, definitely. I am also intrigued by Medjugorje; I have heard such beautiful things from my friends who have been there.
I would also love to visit Manresa, Spain; Siena and Assisi, Italy; and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec! None of these are specifically Marian, but all are places close to my heart, regardless.
I tag Karen, Kristen, and anyone else who reads this and feels inspired to write his or her own.
Ok, I could not resist. I have too much pride and no blog of my own! I saw this at “A Living Education” and hoped you would get this!!
1-Favorite prayer to Jesus: The Consecration and right after I receive Him I say “May the whole world burn with a desire of love for You Lord Jesus.”
2-Favorite marian devotion: The Rosary–I try to pray this every day and sleep with a rosary and often pray during the night.
3-Scapular or medal? Yes, both. I have a miraculous medal but the kids pull at it (babies) and it often gets tangled with my scapular, so I do not wear it all the time like I should. My scapular is worn all the time though, we all wear scapulars, I start the kids when they are able to explain why they wear it to some extent. I teach them that our Mother told us to wear it and we always listen to our mothers! When it bothers me I just offer it up and teach them it is reminding them to pray.
4- Holy water founts? Yes. Try cleaning them with vinegar overnight, they are just like new by morning! I liked your analagy though, Margaret! I bless the children’s room with it also, quite often!
5- offer up sufferings? Yes, all the time. I have a constant mental prayer going, except when I lose my patience it disappears until right afterward and then I see my lost moment. Small things, like St Therese. Washing dishes, changing poopie accidents, (the kids) laundry, handling my crabby 2 year old in stores!! Etc…etc…I often times pray to the Holy Spirit to say the right things and see the people I am supposed to see, I often pray “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” it works miricles!
6- First Fridays/Saturdays: I did them all for sure one time before I was married, and maybe 2 or 3 times total. But I also have not kept up with this, but would like to.
7-Eucharistic Adoration? Not as often as I would like to! I yearn to go. I used to have a specific Holy Hour, but now I go one to 2x/month for 1/2 hour or until the baby is too distracting to others!
8- Saturday Mass/Sunday Mass? Always Sunday morning 10am.
9- mealtime prayers? Yes also in restaurants, we do “Bless us oh Lord” and a Hail Mary.
10- Favoite Saints? Too many to list. My childrens name saints, Nicholas, Katherine, Clare, Angela and Gabriel, St Ann, St john Bosco, and Blessed Mother Theresa, Oh, St Anthony too!
11-Apostles Creed? Yes.
12- Short prayers during the day? Yes look at question #5
13-Bonus: Yes we pray every time we hear a siren, we pray for Mary and Jesus to be there with that person in trouble.
14- Our Lady’s Apparation sites? I would love to go to Fatima. I have been to Medjugorje, wonderful, just wonderful. Many graces have come of it!
Hope this was not too long!
Jamie, have I told you today that I just love you?
Of course this isn’t too long! How could it be? What a beautiful, prayerful, inspirational friend you are.
Have a blessed weekend, my dear, and the happiest of New Years!
I love St. Maximilian Kolbe also. We named our little boy after him and he Baptized on his feast day when he was just 14 days old. It was absolutely beautiful.