Catholic Mother's Companion To Pregnancy -- Book Tour And Nook Giveaway!

I raved about how much I loved Sarah’s new book, and now I’m going to rave about it again. I love this book! (CleanerB, yours is on the way. It was hard to get to the Post Office amidst the puking of the children the last few weeks. Sorry!) Today, Sarah is taking over my blog on her blog book tour to remind us all to pray the Rosary together. Get out your rosary, and pray along with Sarah, then head on over and enter to win a Nook! Good Luck!

To celebrate the launch of her new book, A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism, Sarah Reinhard invites all of us to spend her blog book tour praying the rosary together. Today, she shares this reflection on the Proclamation of the Kingdom:

I wonder if Mary appreciated knowing that a sword would pierce her heart. I mean, it’s sort of the state of motherhood, isn’t it? You give birth (which isn’t exactly a walk in the park), and then that little bundle of smell-good gets bigger and starts wiggling away in varying stages. Before you know it, you’re waving goodbye as they get on a bus, hugging them as they graduate from high school, and hiding your tears when they walk down an aisle to begin their own family or serve in some sort of religious life.

When Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom, he wasn’t necessarily telling people things they didn’t already know. He was reminding them that following God is counter-cultural and that it takes work.

Have you ever had someone you love or someone you admire point out a major flaw of yours and make a suggestion for improvement? I’ve come a long way, because I no longer attack the person out loud when they do this. (I make no guarantees for mental conversations I may or may not have with myself.) Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the tender voice calling me to change.

Jesus’ voice in the proclamation of the kingdom is a call to each of us. He loves us more than anyone else, and that’s part of the reason he calls us to repent and reform. He sees what we’re capable of and how great we can be for God’s glory, so he doesn’t hesitate to encourage us. The path, though, isn’t easy, and it involves swords in our hearts.

Got your beads out and ready to pray?

As we pray this decade of the rosary, let’s hold all those brave women who have said yes to difficult and challenging motherhood in our intentions in a special way. Don’t forget, too, that we are praying for an increase in all respect life intentions as part of our rosary together this month. (If you’re not familiar with how to pray the rosary, you can find great resources at Rosary Army.)

Our Father . . .

10 – Hail Mary . . .

Glory Be . . .

O My Jesus . . .

You can find a complete listing of the tour stops over at Snoring Scholar. Be sure to enter to win a Nook (and any number of other goodies) each day of the tour over at Ave Maria Press.