A Family Blessing

God bless the Father,

Who teaches with wisdom,

Whose discipline is fair and wise.

God bless the Father,

Whose love enfolds,

And holds his family as one.

God bless the Mother,

Who gives life,

Who nourishes with her faith.

God bless the Mother,

Whose heart is full,

With gentle care,

And the love she shares.

God bless the Children,

Who grow in their footsteps,

Who learn the values and meanings,

Of life and faith.

God bless the Children,

Who learn to love and give,

Who honor and obey,

Their Mother and Father.

God bless the Home,

Which is built with strong foundations,

Filled with the treasures from Heaven.

God bless the Family,

Who lives and grows with God,

With His love and wisdom,

Taught and given with faith.

To be passed down the generations.

God Bless the Family

With God in their hearts,

The Holy Spirit in their souls,

And with Jesus walking beside them.

God Bless our Families.

Amen and Amen

Prayer for Families

Heavenly Father,

we are reminded by the Second Vatican Council

that our family is a domestic Church

where family prayer and mutual affection

pay you special worship.

Help us to be a family of love,

support, forgiveness and courage.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen

Men and Spirituality

There is one thing I have just realised there are very few parish activities that involve men when it comes to prayers and devotionals. Why is this?

Yet, if the Church needs painting or renovating men's hands go up, as they volunteer their time to their Parish. This also includes any outside work.

The father is the head of the home and in some cases the sole wage provider. He faces hardship and temptations everyday.

There will be times when his employer will not appreciate the work the he has done, and where it is simply stressful to continue in a job that he may not like but where he must stay in order to provide for his family.

When it comes to temptations they are everywhere from women who dress immodestly and flirt openly to graphic billboards. There are even young women in the work place who view married men as challenges and like any challenge these young women aim to win.

We are not self sufficient and though women also face their own difficulties and stresses there are groups who can help replenish them. From Rosary groups to young Catholic mothers groups and other woman organizations but where do men go to gain strength and spiritual nourishment?

Perhaps it is time to begin addressing this by starting up prayer warrior groups for men where they can come together and pray for their families, their jobs and resist temptation as well as other important issues.

I know in some cases that men are wary of the 'spiritual' word thinking it to be feminine and yet some of the Church's spiritual giants are men, St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, St Francis de Sales and ofcoure Jesus.

We see through Christ's example where he would leave the disciples in order to pray to His Father. Prayer was important to Jesus. Why then is prayers and devotionals seen as a 'woman thing?'

Look at your own parish and see how many men have prayer groups/bible studies etc?

If none exist then perhaps it's time to start. It's a very tough world out there, men also need to be replenished and renewed.

In a dog eat dog world, men need to be validated. To have their own 'place' to go in order to replenish their spiritual strength and to share their concerns with other men who are striving to do the best and be the best for their families.

Men need groups of their own. What wife would want to hear that a younger woman may be tempting her husband at his work place? Yet, some men do face these temptations and battle them daily.

Do YOUR Parishes have male orientated prayer groups/Bible Studies?

The Size Of Your Heart

It isn't the size of your house as such

That matters so much at all.

It's the gentle hand and its loving touch,

That make it great or small.

The friends who come and the hour they go,

Who out of your house depart,

Will judge it not by the style you show,

But rather by the size of your heart.

It isn't the size of your head so much,

It isn't the wealth you found.

That will make you happy -- it's how you touch

The lives that are all around.

For making money is not hard --

To live life well is an art:

How people love you, how they regard,

Is all in the size of your heart.

Author Unknown

Spanking Your Child-A Crime?

I will write this objectively in that I do not have children but what is going wrong with a society when Governments are prepared to raise your child for you?

Growing up I was never spanked by my parents. I was often beaten up by my teachers but not my parents.

My teachers often referred to me as a 'quiet rebel' in that I did not throw tantrums or was rude in anyway. But I was stubborn and would not do what I felt to be wrong. Neither could I be forced to do something I did not want to participate in.

Are we heading towards a time where children will be able to report on their parents because they were spanked? I mean spanked not beatings. No child should be beaten by anyone parent, or teacher.

What do YOU think about a law to stop parents spanking their child because of their misbehaviour?

What is next a government camera in your living rooms?

Personally I think it is crazy. Let me know your thoughts on this?

Art Or A Public Health Crisis?

I was flipping through the news channels today and heard someone say that they think that the infusion of pornography into mainstream culture has reached “epidemic” proportions. I have to admit that I was staring at the TV thinking they “think” it is an epidemic?!?!

Well I think it should be classified as a public health crisis. How did I come to this conclusion? Let’s see, when it comes to smoking and alcohol (drunk driving), everyone knows that its harmful not only to the one doing it but also to those around, second hand smoke and other drivers on the roads. But when it comes to pornography it’s as if we have on blinders as to the effect it has on not only the men but also the women and on the family and society.

Many argue that pornography is just another expression of art. Its not and anyone arguing on that platform does not have a clear understanding as to what art is. We can define art as the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others. With that said, why is it that the man or woman indulge in watching it alone, in the dark, hiding? If its art and something to be shared why watch it alone, in the dark, out in the open, why not share the ‘experience’?

We need to call pornography what it is, its lewd, crude, objectifying, self indulgent and it’s a distortion not art! The distortion is the objectifying of men and women for their self indulgent desires, it’s sexualizing our kids, destroying marriages, families and the society as a whole. The pornography industry won’t tell us that more than 50% of divorce cases are as a result of one party’s obsessive interest in pornography via the TV or internet.

Pornography, especially internet porn, wreaks havoc on society because it is easily accessible, anonymous, and addictive. Not only do pornographic pop-ups infiltrate cable channels and internet sites, but its the ability to view the material in the privacy of your own home removes any shame associated with the act. Tragically, most viewers buy into the illusion that this pornographic fantasy world is merely entertainment. They have little understanding that this addiction is detrimental to their own physical, spiritual and emotional well-being.

I remember this time I had a little cousin over and I trying to get to the Disney website to check something. I made a typo with the url and I was shocked and horrified that there was a porn site with a url so close to Disney! And I’m sure that there are countless others, that’s how easy it is to stumble across these sites.

Pornography separates the sexual act from the intimacy of spouses and places it on display for pleasure and profit. It perverts and strips the conjugal act of its meaning. In addition, those involved in the act exploit themselves and those who view the material. Respect for the gift of sexuality diminishes along with the reverence owed to the dignity of the human person.

Simply put, pornography exploits for pleasure and profit. And, this pornographic mentality is infiltrating our daily print, radio, and televised media in ways we don’t even recognize. For instance, when flipping through fashion magazines, almost every advertisement exploits a certain feature of a woman. We all know the ads for Victoria’s Secret over-sexualize women and use obvious pornographic poses to sell their products. Similarly, an increasing number of network television programs like Desperate Housewives or Sex in the City are known for their provocative portrayal of sex and sexuality.

This messaging is very dangerous, especially for women today. It not only objectifies the women in the ads or programs, but subconsciously convinces us that we must exploit or objectify ourselves. As a woman, I have to be aware of these advertising ploys and guard my heart and mind from objectification. The same should go for a man. In addition, we need to educate and safeguard our families against the addictive accessibility of pornography, which seeks to undermine the inherent dignity of the human person.

So is it art or a real public health crisis? You decide. You know what gets my vote.

The Superwoman Theory

From almost every medium, including the TV, radio, magazines etc, women are being encouraged even at times to being bullied back into the work force. As governments try and make the work place 'children friendly'. Do we really want our children to be raised in our place of work? Or in child care facilities by strangers?

The feminist agenda would have all women believe that to stay at home means you have negated your calling in life by living as a doormat to your husband and family. These same feminists would have all women believe that 'they can have it all' but let us take a closer look at these feminists. Many who are either editors, reporters or authors employ mainly women to do THEIR housework for them. It would be beneath them to do their own cleaning and cooking. They also either send their children off to wealthy boarding schools or employ nannies to take care of their little one's. These same feminists then make it almost a crime to be stay at home Moms.

So as they sit and scribble in their editorials that women can become 'superwoman' who is looking after THEIR children? It is very easy for these feminists who may earn in the region of six figured sums to insist that ALL women must work outside the home so as to be considered productive to society. Who made these rules?

The big lie is that for many women who do go out to work, they are not earning six figured sums nor do they have secretaries or cleaners to help them live a comfortable lifestyle. The truth is, that many working moms are employed in factories or shopping centres, where the money is deplorable and the job itself is mundane and boring and that is without counting the stress factor.

Then unlike the famous feminists these hard working moms then go home to face more work, a house to clean, meals to cook, laundry to be done and the list goes on, many are lucky to be in bed by midnight. When you add the stress factor of dealing with irritable children, a tired husband the situation can become intolerable for all. If this is the reality then why do the feminists not report on that particular fact, or don't they care about the women they are supposedly liberating?

At times some moms do have to work and are able to incorporate a happy work environment and a happy and content home life, but these women are in the minority. Many working moms are tired. They are on their feet for up to 16-18 hours a day both at work and at home, is it any wonder that many working moms feel unappreciated? Which invariably leads to discontentment, but rather than leave their place of work before the rot sets in, oftentimes it is too late and it is the marriage that suffers when working moms through sheer frustration give up on their marriages.

It is the woman who is the nurturer in the family and it is the woman who is also the helpmate to her husband. What she cannot be is all things to all people it is physically and emotionally impossible and also exhaustive, is it any wonder that the divorce rate has sky rocketed over the generations? As the late Pope John Paul II said, "Motherhood is sometimes presented as something backward or as a limitation of a woman's freedom, thus distorting its true nature and dignity. Children are presented not as what they are-a great gift of God-but rather as something to be defended against."

In order for women to truly feel empowered they need to embrace who they are and not be force fed by those who dictate who they should be. In reality it is the mother who is the heart of the home, and the father is the head of the home and the children of the marital union are blessings from a loving God. This is how God ordained the family unit. Unfortunately for the feminists God didn't consult them when defining the Holy Sacrament of Marriage through the Catholic Church.

When Your Home Is Your Prison

Over at Marie Cecile blog she brought up an interesting topic about reorganization that got me thinking. What comes first to many of us, a home that is spotless at all times? Or a lived in home where people feel comfortable?

As you all know I have had a bad dose of flu this past week or so and have basically ignored the housework in favour of bed rest. You guessed it. Yesterday we had a visitor and the house was a mess any other time and the house would have been OK with its cosy lived in look. Why is it that people seem to choose our 'bad housework days' to pay us a visit?

You know the old saying 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' there is also the opposite when many women and men turn cleanliness into obsession.

As I commented to Marie Cecile on her blog. I remember two ladies who were obsessed with cleanliness. One lady had a velvet lounge suite which was her pride and joy the problem was she couldnt stand anyone to actually sit on it. Once when a group of us descended on her we all sat on her lounge suite, while she sat on the edge of her own chair I could tell that something wasn't right. It was only when one of our friends got up that I discovered what it was, the lady of the house immediately ran over and began brushing down the lounge so that it all looked 'perfect'. This knowledge then had me in a lather wondering if I was messing up her perfect lounge. I ended up sitting on some cushions on the floor as did the rest of my friends while we were waiting for her kids to get ready to go out.

Another time many years later I visited a friend at her home. All went well until my friend discovered her husband had taken one of her magazines from its rack, this sent her berserk. My friend then yelled at her husband and ran around the house looking for this particular magazine. Eventually she found it and then proceeded to place the magazine in alphabetical order. As she ran around fussing over this one magazine I then noted how perfect her house was. There wasn't a sign of dust or anything out of place. Her house was a showcase home. It made me and my other friends too scared to move in case we 'upset' or moved something that would annoy her.

What I discovered was that these ladies had created 'chains' they did not enjoy their homes they had made themselves prisoners of it.

When it comes to your own homes do you keep it absolutely perfect or does your home have a cosy lived in feel?

If you do keep a cosy, lived in home do you encounter criticism from others?

As for me am I the only one who seems to get visitors on the days when the housework has NOT been done? Heehee!

How to Ruin Your Children

1: Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow to believe the world owes him a living.

2: When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute. It will also encourage him to pick up "cuter" phrases that will blow off the top of your head later.

3: Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is 21 and then let him "decide for himself."

4: Avoid use of the word "wrong". It may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested for stealing a car, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

5: Pick up everything he leaves lying around - books, shoes, clothes. Do everything for him so that he will be expecting it.

6: Let him read any printed matter he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.

7: Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they will not be too shocked when the home is broken up later.

8: Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them?

9: Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that every sensual desire is gratified. Denial may lead to harmful frustration.

10: Take his part against neighbors, teachers, policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.

11: When he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, "I never could do anything with him."

12: Prepare for a life of grief. You will be likely to have it.

Memos from your child

Don't spoil me. I know quite well I shouldn't have all I ask for. I'm only testing you.

Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it. It makes me secure.

Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

Don't make me feel smaller than I really am. It only makes me behave stupidly.

Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice if you talk to me in private.

Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

Don't make me feel my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

Don't be upset when I say "I hate you". It is not you I hate, but your power to thwart me.

Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get the attention I need.

Don't nag - if you do, I'll have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

Don't make rash promises. I feel badly let down when these promises are broken.

Don't forget I can't explain myself as well as I would like to. This is why I am not always very accurate.

Don't tax my honesty too much. I'm easily frightened into telling lies.

Don't be inconsistent. It completely confuses me and makes me lose my faith in you.

Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you'll find I stop asking and seek information elsewhere.

Don't tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real to me.

Don't ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me to great a shock when I find out your are neither.

Don't ever think it's beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me surprisingly warm towards you.

Don't forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be hard to keep pace with me, but please try.

"Train up a child in the way he is to go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it"

....Proverbs 22:6

What Makes a Happy Home?

We were born to live joy filled lives, is your life full of joy or woe or maybe a mixture of both? Why is it that some families seem to 'have it all' while others bicker, feud and end up dysfunctional? Why do some people seem able to always be happy and a joy to be around while for many more life seems to be an unequal struggle, against budgets, time constraints and deadlines?

When we look back to simpler days when life was less hectic and people had time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, many of us sigh at the image we are presented and also long for the 'good ole days' but was it that good? Looking back at our grandparents era they seemed to live happier and more content lives, but how can this be when they had less than what we enjoy today? Perhaps it is not so much about having 'things' as having substance and meaning, to everything they did, and that through their combined hard work they enjoyed the simple pleasures of life rather than gripe about the things they could not afford. Are we in a quest to gain the best for our families or are we longing to own what everybody else has?

In order to simplify our lives we need to understand that this will take effort, some self sacrifice and a realignment of our previous priorities, for the key to family happiness is inner contentment with what you have now and not a longing and discontent for what you do not have or can afford. Another key component is to understand what happiness is and what it is not, for in those who strive to gain things for themselves and their families often find they are leading lives of quiet desperation as their families neediness of 'things' increases while your own health and peace decreases, is it worth the price?

If you raise your children to take all you do for granted, they will do exactly that! If you don't respect your own work or worth then why should others? As Eleanor Roosevelt once told an audience, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." If you make small of all the work you do within and outside of your home then why should your spouse or children respect what you yourself do not? Children will reflect what the parents have placed as all important in their lives.This is not to say that all children are angels or that every fault they display is the fault of the parents but a lack of appreciation and gratitude is indicative of a learned behaviour pattern.

When we fail to acknowledge what our Spouses contribute within the family unit whether it be providing a decent wage in order to live with the necessities of life or whether to provide a clean, healthy and happy environment, then it is the entire family that suffers. It is when children see the appreciation expressed by their parents for each other which validates and honors their own position within the family unit that children will soon follow suit and give their parents the respect they deserve. Also when we de-value our partners, by either ignoring their input or by taking for granted all the little things that make life bearable, are we not setting ourselves up for the unbearable alife devoid of love and mutual respect? No divorce ever went through the courts because a husband or wife was too appreciative of their partner, it is usually always the reverse.

Our homes should be an oasis of peace in an often hectic and volatile world, where families who have placed God, Faith, The Sacraments of the Church and family at the centre of their lives can gain the peace of heart that only Christ can give. This peace is then rejuvenated within the family as both husband and wife appreciate each others work and efforts to help maintain a loving and cozy family atmosphere where the children feel loved and needed.

In order to understand what will make your family happy and healthy one's goal must be to raise your children to have character and integrity by serving God, their families and community. It also means ignoring what society and the worldly try and seduce families into believing that God means nothing and self comes first! As Pope John Paul II warned with these wise words, "The fear of making permanent commitments can change the mutual love of husband and wife into two loves of self-two loves existing side by side, until they end in separation."

Where have you placed your spiritual priorities?

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE SMILE

Gentle Mary, My Mother,

I place before you the worries,

hurts and hopes of my heart.

They shrink my soul and I feel heavy and hopeless.

Darkness closes in around me.

I reach out to you, bright Lady of Hope.

Smile on me.

Smile on my loved ones and the intentions I place before you....

Your tender smile works miracles and heals,

as you did with St. Thérèse, the Little Flower.

You are my true Mother.

You show the tender mercy of God.

Smile on me, Blessed Mother,

and all will be well.

Amen