The Many Moods of the Family Rosary.

Years ago I would often ask families whose children still practiced their faith, what they thought the secret was. More often than not the answer was praying the Rosary together, and so I decided we would too.

We go through phases of piety when we pray the rosary consistently after dinner, but to be honest over the years we haven't been as routine was I would like. I expect we are not alone in this! I have noticed a pattern has emerged in that we are more diligent after returning from homeschool camps, and when I have noticed a potential crisis of faith.

In the beginning when the children were little we struggled with inattention, arguments, refusal, whining, and super fast hail marys! It was years before Roo sat through a whole rosary with us. He would sit nearby colouring in, and later looking through faith based picture books. He has recently graduated to leading the fifth decade!

I often wondered if it was worth all the angst, but we pushed on through, despite the challenges. In the early years I would position myself between, Bibly and Koala, in order to nudge then when they repeatedly failed to open their mouths. I felt as thought most of the time my arms were twitching as I gently reminded my sons with my elbows!

My children came up with many ways to show their displeasure: back turning,  needing to go to the bathroom, needing  a drink, playing with the dogs when we forgot to remove them, complaining that Roo didn't have to join in, and speed praying to such an extent that it would difficult to figure out exactly what was being said! We have used a Rosary app with beautiful art work, but we had to cast this aside after arguments over the volume level, and children playing with the virtual beads.

We have had tears over whose turn it is to blow out the candle, the candle being snuffed with fingers and dipping ones fingers in the hot wax to make a mold.

Whilst increasing age has resulted in more compliance, my children still have a way to go. A recent tactic was the Mexican standoff, when one child refused to lead, and one parent refused to accept  their decision. We sat in silence for quite a while that night!

More often than not the rosary became a time to exercise parent self control!

In some ways we have come full circle, as a now pious child has become rather upset that his brother prays too fast. This is the very same child who excelled in seeing how fast he could lead a decade.

Occasionally the parent is the one to cause trouble.

I like to pray the rosary using a card which has art work to depict each mystery of the rosary. This particular card worked best when folded in a triangle shape sitting infront of me. Bilby tried and succeeded in knocking my card down with a gentle breath of air. For some inexplicable reason I chuckled, and so did my son, but it didn't stop there. I could NOT stop laughing. The kind of laughter that makes no sense, when tears roll down your face and you have no idea why you are laughing. I kept telling myself to stop, I was being immature, we should be PRAYING, but all to no avail. It was totally inappropriate, but gee it was so much fun!

You may think it odd that I have decided to post about our apparent failures in family prayer, but I don't see it that way. More often than not things go smoothly despite my litany of challenges. I have learned so much through our attempts to pray together. I know beyond any doubt that all been worthwhile. I firmly believe that we receive many graces through the act of prayer, not based on how we feel whilst praying.

Would you like to share your family prayer challenges with me? I dare you! You might just make someone feel more normal.

Liturgy Of The Hours Made Easy!

For several years I have had a desire to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine office. One of the things which held me back was how complicated it seemed: a four volume set of books, with lots of flipping between pages, and five offices to pray. Whenever I sat with others praying the Office I became somewhat confused and wondered how I could attempt it on my own without someone to walk me through it!

While again researching the LOTH (not to be confused with LOTR!) I came across this ipod app. Surely it couldn't be as easy as it seemed? No expensive books to buy, no hours of working out how to use the books and flipping from one section to another. Well it is that easy!

This morning I prayed Lauds for the first time, all in the correct order. I was even able to listen to the beautiful hymn for today's Morning Prayer. Very peaceful, and so easy to follow. I still intend to but the LOTH books, but for the moment this is a wonderful way to ease into it both financially and logistically.

So now I am feeling much more confident that we will be able to include several of the LOTH prayers in our schedule.

Memory Verses A-Z.

Many years ago I listened to a radio interview with the author of The Most Important Place on Earth. I enjoyed the interview so much that I bought the book, but like many of my books it sat on the shelf largely unread!

The main thing I remember from the interview was a segment in which the author talked about an A-Z scripture list which he had learned as a child. He recounted many instances when these scriptures had helped him as a child and adult, in both serious and lighthearted moments.

I filed it away in my memory with a promise that I would do the same. It's taken me a while, but I have used the scripture list in the book as a template to create my own A-Z list with a more Catholic flavour.

Each child has the list laminated and in their basket where they keep their books, and I also have one one the wall of our dining room. I am really looking forward to committing these verses to memory!


A All of us were like sheep that were lost. Isaiah 53:6

B Be kind to one another. Ephesians 4:32

C Children obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. Ephesians 6:1

D Do whatever He tells you. John 2:5

E Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

F "Follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishes of men,." Matthew 4:19

G God is love. 1 John 4:16

H He cares for you.. 1 Peter 5:7

I "I am telling you the truth: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life." John 53

J Jesus said, " Let the little children come to me." Matthew 19:14

K Kind words are like honey, enjoyable and healthful. Proverbs 16:24

L Love one another as I have loved you. John 13:34

M "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27

N Now is the time to come to Jesus. 2 Corinthians 6:2

O Obey God because you are His Children. 1 Peter 1:14

P Pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins. 2 Maccabbes 12:46

Q Quick Lord, answer me, for I have prayed. Psalm 141:1

R Run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12 :1.

S So do not worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34

T Thank God for Jesus, His gift too wonderful for words.
2 Corinthians 9:15

U Underneath are God’s everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

V "Very truly, I tell you, on one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." John 3:5

W We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Hebrews 12:1

X Except a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die, it remains a single grain. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

Y You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. Psalm 63:7

Z "Zacchaeus, you come down: for I am going to your house today." Luke 19:5

Shouting at the Television!

Occasionally I find myself lamenting at the lack of humility and intelligence of the human race.

Last night while watching the ABC's Q and A programme I found myself shouting at the television! The show had a panel of quests and a live studio audience who were discussing religion and the existence of God. Among the guests were Jesuit Fr. Frank Brennan, a young Muslim gentleman who is a politics lecturer, a "militant atheist" and someone who called herself a "social Catholic."

What riled me the most was the way in which the audience and several panel members assumed that they knew what the Catholic church teaches about homosexuality and contraception. Fr. Brennan was asked about gay marriage, then later in the show, he was asked was homosexuality considered a sin by the church. In the limited time he was given he attempted to explain the churches teaching much to the surprise of the audience. They assumed that he had gone against church teaching. They ASSUMED that they knew more than a Catholic priest! In short he was trying to say that those outside of marriage are called to celibacy.

The other assumption was that if you follow the Pope then you must have 10 children. More shouting at the television! We follow the churches teaching on life, and we only have 3 children. According to those people I must not be an orthodox Catholic.

The "social Catholic" on the panel joked that her 80 year old mother says that she had a "Vatican bypass" thirty years ago. It is very easy to just say well I don't agree with x or y without knowing what the teaching are or why the church holds a particular view! I know because I felt the same way 10 years ago. I had a lot of anger toward the church. However, when I took the time to find out why the church teaches what it does, all my anger gave way to understanding.

I find it quite concerning that people with a very limited amount of knowledge assume that they have a handle on an issue. A little information can be a dangerous thing. Unfortunately many people take a position of authority when in fact they are almost totally ignorant. I believe this is due to laziness and a lack of humility. How much better would the world be if we took the time to research a topic before assuming that we know it all?

If I succeed in teaching my children to have an informed opinion before opening their mouths, I will have given them a rare gift. In educating my sons I am aiming to teach them that what they read or hear in the media might not be true. I will have failed if they do not question and research information for themselves.

If you are not Catholic, or you are feeling indignant about a Catholic teaching like contraception, I challenge you to do a some research. You might surprise yourself.

How Did We Get Here?

Yesterday I attended a Special Needs Mass for our diocese. Despite the fact that it was rather schooly, I enjoyed the opportunity to pray for our boys and to reflect on the challenges and joy they bring to our family.

The Mass was celebrated at the church attached to my primary school . Every time I enter this church memories come flooding back! Just being there is enough to transport me back to the feelings of my childhood.

As I waited for Mass to begin I noted that the noise level from chattering people was quite high. This would never have happened in my day! Both the nuns who taught us, and our parents instilled in us the virtue of respect and silence when in church. We simply did not talk once we entered the doors of the church. Or if we did, we paid for it! I recall our class lining up to face the principal and her leather belt in year three, as we returned from Mass. We had chatted through Mass, and so we received 2 or 3 smacks across the hand as punishment. We knew that the church was a sacred and holy place where Jesus dwelt in the Blessed Sacrament. In the 25 years since I left primary school, people seem to have lost respect for Jesus in the tabernacle. Many people talk and to few acknowledge Jesus by genuflecting or bowing.

After communion I even saw a teenage boy remove the Blessed Sacrament from his mouth, on the way back to his pew. He then slowly ate the Host with his fingers whilst sitting in his seat, next to his parents! Other braver souls then me would have approached this boy and told him why what he was doing was so offensive to them. Alas, I was not that brave soul. Like, Saint Peter, I am a coward. I did however resolve that if he placed the Blessed Sacrament in his pocket, I would not sit still.

Attending this Mass left me feeling somewhat distressed and saddened. The chatter and disrespect of the Blessed Sacrament leads me to believe that we've failed. We've failed to hold people accountable to their faith. I explain it to my children this way.

If you were in a room with the Prime Minister, and he was at the head of the room quietly waiting to speak to you and the other people assembled, you wouldn't turn your back on him to have a conversation with the person next to you! In our Catholic churches, Jesus is physically present and waiting to speak to you. Some people has lost sight of how amazing that is! Should we not give him all our attention and respect. After all He is the same God that created the universe and holds it in existence by His will. As a priest in our diocese once said, if you don't believe that Jesus is physically present, then go, because you're not Catholic.