Eternal God, Please bless our priests, who represent you on this earth. Make them more greatly aware of the grace that you pour out through them when they minister the sacraments, and help them to fall more deeply in love with you after each and every Mass that they celebrate. Please strengthen our priests, who shepherd your flock, when they are in doubt of their faith, that they may be examples of your truth and guide us always on the... Read more
Catholic gardeners can express their faith with plants. Margaret Rose Realy, Obl OSB, offers plants suitable for a virtuous garden on prudence. Read more
Merciful Jesus, our beloved Lord and Savior, hear our humble prayers on behalf of your Sisters and Nuns. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will constantly increase throughout the course of their holy life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. In their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified and show them that they are needed by the Church,... Read more
Lent feels a little less penitential today and, well maybe, for a few more weeks! The books arrived from Ave Maria Press this afternoon; two weeks early. The launch of this (my third) book, is set for Monday March 23, 2015, and can be preordered on Amazon, if you would like. I want to say thanks to the many friends (and editors!) who gave breath to a gardener’s attempt to evangelize. In all things may God be glorified. Here is the link: http://amzn.to/1G1jMSg... Read more
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of your Most Sacred Heart, where none can touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips daily tinged with your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unworldly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let your Holy Love surround and protect them from the world’s contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they... Read more
Herbaceous plants and hardwoods hold meaning in Christian art. Throughout history flowers have been used to signify personal affections. In the language of flowers there can be more than one connotation for a plant, though usually it holds the same sentiment. In my new book, A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac, I share with readers how plant symbolisms relate to our Catholic heritage. I also guide you in how to create spiritually centered gardens. During Lent we look to the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-11)... Read more
To be a Sister or Nun does not mean to be without humanness. It means that in their humanness they have offered who they are as they are to God. Let us pray for these consecrated women that in their desires and their downfalls, in their laughter, hopes, and humility they persevere to be always all of themselves for the Glory of God. Amen. (Image by worker, courtesy shutterstock.com) Read more
To be consecrated as a priest, monk, sister, nun, or hermit, working in the world or cloistered is a vocation of celibacy and poverty. It is a calling few want to hear in our western world. Let us pray that those called to such a life will hear and be unafraid. This prayer was found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops web site: O God, Father of all Mercies, Provider of a bountiful Harvest, send Your Graces upon those You have... Read more
The Blessed Mother statue is only twelve inches tall. Finding a place to store it for Lent shouldn’t have been that hard. At a Catholic Writers Guild Conference I’d bought this smaller version of the original from the Korean woman who was the sculptor. The soft light from the candles in my prayer space enhanced the artist’s design. The hands of Mother Mary are against her chest, tipped back in a way that gives the impression of an opening lotus... Read more
I love apples! Seriously. Love them almost more than chocolate. Biting into a warm, crisp, just picked apple in autumn is only one step away from doing the same in summer with tomatoes. Living in Michigan, where apple production ranks number three in the States, the harvest of this fruit peaks in late September through early October. There are so many apples to choose from that I would have a great time every week at the farm markets buying mixed bags. I’ve long... Read more
Morning Rose Prayer Gardens
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