Poll Results: Answered Prayers?

Great news to wake up to:  the Queensland election outcome saw LNP's landslide victory, winning a massive majority of seats (i.e. 75) over ALP - a mere 6!  Thank God indeed for this historic event, especially as our state bids buh-bye to ALP, with its members being well known pro-abortion/Emily's Listers. 

As Catholics, we have to realize that anybody who does not have  the right perspective or a warped view on LIFE cannot possibly have the right perspective on anything else.   Hence, government leaders cannot have this kind of mentality, lest they govern the state/country with a seriously distorted or misplaced value system.

I am personally unsure of Campbell Newman (Queensland LNP leader and Premier-elect) and his stance on abortion and other moral issues that concern families, but for now, I am just thankful that the openly pro-abortion Anna Bligh is out of the highest office in the state.  Thank God for that.

Loving Lord, we thank You for Your hand in the election results.  We pray for the newly-elected government in the state - that they be able to govern with integrity and righteousness, and keep their commitment to the sanctity of Life, marriage and the family.  We pray for them to legislate with firm allegiance and faithfulness to moral law, Your holy laws, which are higher than any other law.  We pray that they discharge their duties honestly, and lead the state, and therefore the country, toward an era of lasting peace, profound respect for life, and true justice.

May God's name be praised, now and forever!

An Earnest Prayer for Queensland

Today is the 2012 Queensland State Elections.  But because hubby was going to be unavailable, to attend to a pressing matter out of town, we both chose to pre-poll yesterday.  It goes without saying that we voted PRO LIFE (and stayed well away from candidates known to be among Emily's List), which - we are fully aware - is our moral obligation as Catholics. 

Hopefully come Sunday morning, we can all wake up to an election result that would be tantamount to the state moving forward to a future where we can feel much more secured, where the interests of the family as the basic unit of society are protected, and the rights of individuals, especially the defenseless,  are upheld and safeguarded.

Today, being THE DAY, driving around with our little bumper magnets (below) we were hoping to have influenced and moved other voters into serious thought about how important casting a pro-life vote is. 

May God's will prevail - in the state of Queensland, in all other states of Australia, and the whole world!

Loving Lord Jesus, we beseech you to grant our earnest prayer for our beautiful state of Queensland:  for the triumph of a government that will commit itself to justice;  one that we can trust to work tirelessly to protect the sanctity of marriage and family, one that will be protective of the dignity of each human life - from start to finish and therefore honour and support the human rights of EVERY individual - rich or poor, old or young, born or unborn.  This we ask, with the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother.  Amen.

Laudetur Jesus Christus in aeternum!

Happy "St Isidore the Farmer" Day!

Today, in the traditional calendar, we commemorate the life and faith of St Isidore the Farmer, patron of farmers and patron saint of Spain.  (St Isidore is also one of the patron saints of one of our boys, Bobbles.)



(To watch the video below, please press the PAUSE button on the mixpod at the very end of this page)

Prayer to Saint Isidore the Farmer



Dear Isidore, you know how normal it is to cultivate the land for you were employed as a farm laborer most of your life. Although you received God's help materially through Angels in the field, all farmers are aided spiritually to see the wonders God has strewn on this earth. Encourage all farmers in their labors and help them to feed many people. Amen.


Litany of Saint Isidore



Litany in honor of St. Isidore the Farmer, patron of farmers and workers. This litany can be prayed in conjunction with the Novena to St. Isidore.


Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
St. Isidore, pray for us.
St. Isidore, patron of farmers, pray for us.
St. Isidore, illustrious tiller of the soul, pray for us.
St. Isidore, model of laborers, pray for us.
St. Isidore, devoted to duty, pray for us.
St. Isidore, loaded down with the labors of the field, pray for us.
St. Isidore, model of filial piety, pray for us.
St. Isidore, support of family life, pray for us.
St. Isidore, confessor of the faith, pray for us.
St. Isidore, example of mortification, pray for us.
St. Isidore, assisted by angels, pray for us.
St. Isidore, possessor of the gift of miracles, pray for us.
St. Isidore, burning with lively faith, pray for us.
St. Isidore, zealous in prayer, pray for us.
St. Isidore, ardent lover of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
St. Isidore, lover of God's earth, pray for us.
St. Isidore, lover of poverty, pray for us.
St. Isidore, lover of fellowmen, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most patient, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most humble, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most pure, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most just, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most obedient, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most faithful, pray for us.
St. Isidore, most grateful, pray for us.

Jesus, Our Lord: we beseech You, hear us.
That You would vouchsafe to protect all tillers of the soil: we beseech You, hear us.
That You would vouchsafe to bring to all a true knowledge of the stewardship of the land...
That You would vouchsafe to preserve and increase our fields and flocks...
That You would vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth...
That You would vouchsafe to bless our fields...
That You would vouchsafe to preserve all rural pastors...
That You would vouchsafe to grant peace and harmony in our homes...
That You would vouchsafe to lift up our hearts to You...

Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.
From lightning and tempest: deliver us, O Lord.
From pestilence and floods...
From winds and drought...
From hail and storm...
From the scourge of insects...
From the spirit of selfishness...

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

Let Us Pray:

Grant, O Lord, that through the intercession of Blessed Isidore, the husbandman, we may follow his example of patience and humility, and so walk faithfully in his footsteps that in the evening of life we may be able to present to You an abundant harvest of merit and good works, Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

It's up!

For a while now I had been wishing to have a blog design makeover.  For one thing, I wanted to change our family photo in the header into one that included Bobbles.  While at it, I also wanted to throw in several elements here and there for that personal touch and to make the page more "me."  I also thought that incorporating beautiful old Catholic devotionals and magnificent sacred pictures off old holy cards from the glorious past would go a long way in encouraging and inspiring, not just me and my my family, but hopefully other people who might happen to find themselves in our page.

Painstakingly searching for just the right stuff (i.e. graphics, etc) and collaborating with Michelle, the designer who put everything together, paid off dividends and we're all loving the results!  Definitely well worth the effort and expense, as it has turned out to be a wonderful representation of what I wanted to have on the page.  The way it is now,  it really does - to me -  feel just like.. home.

Thanks, Michelle!

Ad majorem Dei gloriam, et animae salutem!

Happy St Joseph's Day!

Beautiful videos dedicated to St Joseph.  To watch or listen, please make sure you hit the PAUSE button on the mixpod at the very end of this page.  Enjoy!




Sancte Joseph, familiarum columen, ora pro nobis!

ST PATRICK: Shepherd of the Emerald Isle

Last Saturday was St Patrick's Day.  But because we had gone camping for the weekend we did not get much prepared for the celebration.  The most we could do was packing some green clothing to get into some sort of "spirit."

For our little "celebration" we planned a simple, easy to prepare St Patrick's-themed morning tea which consisted of pancake stacks shaped into shamrocks and topped with green-stained sugar and dessicated coconut mixture sprinkles.  We also had ripple chocolate biscuits with shamrock-shaped cookie icing, and also some green lime, kiwi and melon jelly cups which were readily available from the local supermarket.  All in all, we had a pretty nice, St Paddy's Day - even their little Franklin-the-turtle toys got into the green mood.  Well...

First Sight

If you've been pregnant a few times, you tend to be a little bit blasé about the next times.  Albeit never without care, caution or sensibleness, of course, I am much like that with this pregnancy - which is why I had not sought any medical care until I was around 20 weeks into it (a couple of weeks ago)- something that my doctor was not very impressed with, but I also told her that I have 5 kids at home; and blah, blah, blah..

This week I finally had my first ultrasound, though a little late than required, but my rationale was that everything was going well, so I felt no sense of urgency.  (Told you I was blasé...)  Besides, I thought, if they do happen to find that there was any abnormality with the baby, we would seek the requisite care for it and would very much keep it, no questions about that.  Thankfully, solely by God's goodness, everything checked out perfectly - according to the sonographer - which we were all very pleased with.  What the children could not wait to find out was whether we were going to have a boy or a girl.  They'd been talking (even sometimes arguing) about wanting a brother or a sister.  But today they finally found out.  Looks like we're having a girl!

We got mixed reactions from the children, as the boys clearly wanted a baby brother and the girls wanted a little baby sister.  After talking the boys into the realization that this little baby is a blessing from God and that it is a great gift that we do not deserve but were freely given, and that if we reject it (her) God will be very sad; we now have 2 very eager, excited and potentially protective big brothers!

The following photos are of the actual sonogram done this morning.  After all that was said and done, we have all definitely fallen in love with our little baby - at first sight.

Well, all is well that ends well.  Praise the Good Lord indeed, now and forever!

Prayer of an Expectant Mother

Almighty God, in Thy wisdom Thou hast entrusted to me another soul to rear for Thy honour and glory.  It is a great responsibility.  I am proud and a little afraid, but I trust in Thy fatherly goodness and the intercession of the Mother of Jesus, who knew all the hopes and fears of one who expects a child.

Dear God, give me courage and fortitude when I need it.  Let my child be born strong and healthy and with the disposition for wanting to become a Saint.  Good Saint Elizabeth, cousin of our Lady and mother of John the Baptist, pray for me and this child to come.

Mary, most pure Virgin and Mother of God, I remind thee of the blessed moment when thou didst see for the first time thy newly born Child and folded Him in thy arms.  Through this joy of thy maternal heart, obtain for me the grace that I and my child may be protected from all danger.

Mary, Mother of my Saviour, I remind thee of the unspeakable joy you felt when, after three days of painful seeking, thou again didst find thy Divine Son.  Through this joy, obtain for me the grace to worthily bring into the world the child He didst create for me and his/her father.

Most glorious Virgin mary, I remind thee of the heavenly joy that flooded thy maternal heart when thy Son appeared to thee after His Resurrection.  Through this great joy, obtain for my child the blessings of holy Baptism, so that my child may be admitted to the Church, the Mystical Body of thy Divine Son, and to the company of all the Saints.  Amen.

Travel Update

Yesterday was the 3rd Sunday of Lent, and with only a few weeks to go before Easter, one asks:  Just how am I going in my Lenten Journey?

I don't know about others, but speaking for myself when I resolve to make changes in certain aspects of my life, I find it rather hard to stick to resolutions and resist slip ups here and there, particularly during Lent.  However I take comfort in the thought that Jesus not only showed us He fell a number of times on His way to Mt Calvary, but that He got up as many times - to keep going.  Truly, the way to a renewed life is only through THAT journey, the Way of the Cross which, with the loving and abiding grace of God, will always lead to death to ourselves, then after which comes New Life in Christ!

Some days ago we reconstructed the children's Lenten Resolutions mobiles and hung them up in the study to serve as constant reminders of what they hope to achieve this Lent in the way of spiritual advancement.  In our discussions about these useful tools we established that they represent their promise to Jesus as each picture depicts a virtue that they would like to develop with the help of God's grace.

We were also delighted to have rediscovered Sacrifice / Good Deed Beads as another helpful instrument for earning graces this season.  Back in 2006 I made several sacrifice beads as baptism favours to give away to friends and family who joined us during Curlytops' baptism.  (St Therese is regarded as the one who gave us the sacrifice beads and with Curlytops being named after her, we chose it as our giveaway / keepsake for the special occasion.)  From the batch that I made back then I found 3 left over, so I just had to make one more for Bright-eyes.  Thankfully, the children have shown a lot of enthusiasm about these Sacrifice Beads and we're hoping and praying that these will really help them strive for goodness and virtue this Lent.

In addition, each child also received their own "My Lenten Offerings / Easter Eggs Chart" where 40 ovals or egg shapes are labelled with good deeds.  The aim is for them to achieve at least one of these good deeds per day, after which they can colour and decorate the egg.  At the end of Lent (i.e. come Easter), they will have 40 colourful eggs!!

On the the homefront, prayer time is going well - especially because we've been able to get ourselves back to Eucharistic Adoration, at least weekly which is really helping us in our struggles this season, and even the challenges we face as a family in general.  Daily Mass continues to be a challenge due to several variables each day, and these days apart from Sunday Mass, we try to get to Friday evening Masses followed by Confession then Adoration /Benediction; and also on special feastdays in the calendar. 

Overall, we are happy with how we are going, though we could probably do more.  Limited by different things, we would have to be resigned to the fact that God calls us to be prayerful, sacrificial and charitable first and foremost in our immediate neighbours (i.e. family), so this is an ongoing challenge for us - especially with the everyday tests we face - individually and as a family.


PRAYER TO OUR SORROWFUL MOTHER

by St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori -- Mondays in Lent

O my afflicted Mother! Queen of Martyrs and of Sorrows, thou didst so bitterly weep over thy Son, Who died for my salvation; but what will thy tears avail me if I am lost? By the merits, then, of thy Sorrows, obtain for me deep contrition for my sins, and a true amendment of life, together with constant and tender compassion for the sufferings of Jesus and thy Dolors. And if Jesus and thou, being so innocent, have suffered so much for love of me, obtain that at least I, who am deserving of Hell, may suffer something for thy love. "O Lady," will I say with St. Bonaventure, "if I have offended thee, in justice wound my heart; if I have served thee, I now ask wounds for my reward. It is shameful to me to see my Lord Jesus wounded, and thee wounded with Him, and myself without a wound." In fine, O my Mother, by the grief that thou didst experience in seeing thy Son bow down His head and expire on the Cross in the midst of so many torments, I beseech thee to obtain for me a holy death. Ah, cease not, O Advocate of sinners, to assist my afflicted soul in the midst of the combat in which it will have to engage in its great passage from time to eternity. And as it is probable that I may then have lost my speech and strength to invoke thy sweet name and the Holy Name of Jesus, Who art all my hope, I do so now; I invoke thy Son and thee to succor me in that last moment; and I say, Jesus and Mary, to Thee I commend my soul. Amen. (Silent reflection... Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...)

COCONUT WATER: A Much Healthier Alternative

In our household we've always had fruit juices or water, never softdrinks.  I'm very happy to say that none of our kids have taken to drinking carbonated, sugary drinks; and that the only time they might have a sip is if we were at a place or gathering where there is nothing else to drink but those. 

Nevertheless, fruit juices - no matter how much they are advertised as being fresh or sugar free - are never guaranteed to be additive-free nor fresh.  And then there's that all-important question of whether it is made from organic fruits or disease-causing, genetically modified franken-fruits!  So really, although we try to stay away from softdrinks, we are still not entirely happy with giving our children these purchased fruit juices.

Recently, however, we've been doing some research into coconut oil (prompting us to make a major shift from using extra virgin olive oil to extra virgin coconut oil); and from the same suppliers, I tried other coconut products including their "coconut water" which I quite liked - both in terms of the taste and the reported benefits.  We don't buy it very often, however, because 5 x 300 ml bottles sets us back $17.50 plus shipping costs because it is only available online, thus far.  This means 1 bottle costs about at least a hefty $3.50!!

Today, though, I was in our local organic grocery store and was pleasantly surprised to discover that they now stock coconut water.  And what's more, along with a few different brands, including the one we previously used, I came across "Coconut Essence" in huge cans of 520 mls for $2.99, so I decided to load a few cans into my trolley.  But on my way to the counter, my jaw nearly dropped to see that they were being sold in cases of 24 cans for 60 bucks!  Wow, this means each huge can only cost $2.50 compared to the small bottle for $3.50!  Needless to say, I grabbed myself a whole case, resolving to go back in a day or two for a few more.

Up until today, fruit juices (purchased from the store, although there was a time I would not let the kids drink anything other than juice that I squeezed myself!) constitute most of our beverages at home, but I am definitely very pleased to say that this will change, much sooner rather than later - for the better.  Compared to those reconstituted, processed, additive-loaded (and who knows what else!), supposedly healthy "fruit" drinks, I would certainly go for coconut water for its several nutritional benefits, even if admittedly, they will cost a tad more.  Oh well, at the end of the day, it is such a small price to pay for the family's better health.

A Day of Thanksgiving

Yesterday (February 27) was a special day for the whole family because we celebrated 2 occasions:  Roadrunner's 7th birthday, and our 14th Wedding Anniversary.  For us it was a day of tremendous gratitude and thanksgiving to Our Loving Lord for all the undeserved gifts He has been lavishing us and our whole family over the years.

To celebrate the day, we all spent sometime in adoration before the Lord, exposed (late afternoon), and we attended Holy Mass in the evening.  Dinner out with close family friends followed and when we got home we gathered 'round Roadrunner and his birthday cake and sang him a hearty Happy Birthday.

Last week, to mark our anniversary this year we sat for our family portrait which we like to do every so often.  We all enjoyed the exercise as it usually involves dressing up for the occasion and trying to look nice in photos that we will be keeping together with memories in years to come.

taken early evening before heading to the studios

Our Wedding Anniversary Prayer

Loving Lord Jesus, we thank You for giving us another year together.  We thank You for sustaining the precious love that we have for each other, and for strengthening the bonds which draw us closer each day.  We thank You, not only for the joys we have known together, but also for the pains that You allow us to face in order to fortify us in spirit.  Most of all, we thank You for the wonderful gift of faith that has enabled us to grow together and come through the trials we encounter. 

Loving Lord, we ask pardon for any shortcomings on our part:  for the times when we do not cooperate with Your grace:  for being unforgiving or unwilling to ask forgiveness, for justifying our faults when we fall short of doing our best in the performance of our duties in our vocation and state of life, for failing to look to You as our Sole Saviour in everything. 

We especially pray for our son (Roadrunner), whom You sent us 7 years ago as a very special gift to show Your love and faithfulness to our family.  We thank You for the privilege of being parents to him and to the rest of our children.  We pray that he may grow up in Your image - in all he thinks of, says and does.

Dear Mother Mary, we thank you for guiding us toward your Son.  We entrust our children to you, to love them and always keep them under your mantle.  We ask for your powerful intercession and help so that they may be nurtured and formed into the kind of people they were created to be.  We pray that they may be given the grace to discern God's will and purpose for their lives, and for them to have the generosity of heart so that in response to God's calls, like yourself, they may always say "Fiat voluntas tua!."  Amen.

First Confession / Communion Resource Found!

We were very excited to have received a promotion from Pro Multis Media (another good Catholic Resource Shop online) about an upcoming audiovisual aid scheduled for release in the next few weeks:  the "Our First Communion DVD"  based on a book by Msgr William Kelly published in 1925.

Because we have a First Communicant this year (Roadrunner) I have started pulling out our available resources for First Communion /Confession Preparation.  This will be such a great addition to it. 

Apparently, Pro-Multis Media are taking pre-orders  now for the DVD, so we've put in our order as soon as we received their promotional email a couple of days ago.  Apart from our first communicant, we are all very much  looking forward to when it is finally released and when we receive our own copy!

Ash Wednesday 2012

Wow, Lent has crept up on us so quickly.  I know I keep going on about time flying by and that I never seem to get on top of things, but I swear - we have not even put all our Christmas decorations away!!!  (Yup that tells you a lot about my organizational skills, but with another bub on the way and a handful of kids running around, etc..   hmm excuses, excuses..)

Ash Wednesday came and went without much preparation from us, I'm ashamed to say..  (We even missed out on doing anything for Shrove Tuesday!  :(  But because we did quite well last year, the kids did not need much to remind them about the why's and how's of Lent.  I only had to pull out the materials we used and put them in position and voila!  they knew what to do.  Thank God, indeed.

Our Ash Wednesday was highlighted by evening Holy Mass at St Stephen's Cathedral, getting our foreheads crossed with blessed ashes, and also receiving Jesus sacramentally - which we will need in order to strengthen us in this time of great calling.  Although we wanted to spend a holy hour with our Eucharistic Lord, we could not locate our swipe card for the Villa Maria Adoration Chapel, sad to say, so we were not able to get access to the carpark or the chapel (which is closed after business hours - for security reasons.)  But one of our resolutions this season is to bring ourselves back to Wednesday evening holy hours, so we hope to either find the card or procure a new one in time for next Wednesday.

As aforementioned, we are using the same materials as we did last Lent with minor adjustments, one of which being that on the big cross we put the words "Our Sins Nailed Him to the Cross"  in order to emphasize that Jesus suffered severely and died a most horrible death because of OUR sins, and that every offense and transgression we commit, knowingly or otherwise, hurts Our Lord.

Our "Crown of Thorns and Nails" centrepiece now sits on our dining table (with the 2nd set on Our Lady's altar, just as they were last year) and so is our "Lenten Share" jar for almsgiving. 

Although it is only the start of Lent, the children have managed to pin up a few "sins" on the cross already.  (When I become a little more organized - hopefully not much farther into the season - I'd like to get multicoloured pushpins so we can allocate a colour for each one - only to let that particular child be aware of his/her need to make more effort to avoid making the "wrong" choices.  Having said this, they all seem to be enthusiastic about doing good deeds to pull out thorns on Jesus' Crown and making some sacrifices to earn "jewels" to adorn our Lord's Crown of Resurrection come Easter time.

"Prayer Charts" have been brought up as a good Lenten material because our 2nd grader, Roadrunner, went through it during one of his Religion activities.  Hence, in the next few days the children will have their own prayer charts organized to post in a conspicuous area to aid them in enriching their prayer lives.

Webster also proposed to make Lenten Resolution Mobiles, much like the ones they made a couple of years ago, so we plan on getting those done in the next few days, as well.

As always and like everyone else, we are faced with so many struggles, seemingly moreso during Lent, which present us with obstacles in fulfilling our resolutions and promises to Our Lord.  But with the help and intercessory prayers of Our Blessed Mother and our patron saints, we shall be aiming to persevere in our efforts.  With Lent being such a wellspring for graces, we cannot possibly pass up this opportunity to avail ourselves of such gifts from Our Loving Lord.

FOR RESIGNATION IN TRIBULATION

Tuesdays and Thursdays in Lent

O Mary, Queen of Martyrs, Mother of God, and my most loving Mother, humbly prostrate at thy feet I dedicate myself to the compassion of thy Sorrowful Heart, which was plunged into such an abyss of woe and humiliation, and at the same time was such a prodigy of meekness, of patience, of charity, and of all virtues. O beloved Mother, this sacrifice of thy Heart was offered to show me the inestimable price of humiliations, to teach me that I too must take up my cross and follow my Jesus in the way of suffering, which is the true way to Heaven. Alas! until now I understood it not, and instead of following Jesus, I separated myself from Him, to run after honors and pleasures. Henceforward it shall not be so; I will follow Him, bearing whatever crosses He may be pleased to send me; I will imitate thee, the true model of invincible patience; I will accept tribulations with Jesus and thee, to be united with Him Crucified, and with thee, and that the more, because my sins were the cause of thy sufferings and His.


But thou knowest, my enemies never cease from attacking me and laying snares before me, to lead me astray from the royal way of the Cross. Do thou, therefore, O tender Mother, strengthen me, sustain me, and ever keep before me both thy sufferings and the example of thy fortitude. Obtain for me that I may ever have a lively faith, a firm hope, and an ardent charity, and that, being comforted by the remembrance of thy Sorrows, I may willingly accept the chalice of my tribulations, thus faithfully and cheerfully to accompany Jesus in His Sufferings. And in the great passage from time to eternity, do thou assist me in a special manner; deign to come with Jesus to mine aid; obtain for me that I may invoke thine and His most sweet Names, saying with my lips and my heart, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I die with Thee in peace." Amen.   (Silent reflection... three Hail Mary's)

O Mother most Sorrowful, pray for us who have recourse to thee.