• Art
  • Book Reviews
  • Catechism
  • Games
  • Music
  • Special Needs
  • Technology
  • Theology

Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Patron Saint of Amazing Catechists
    • Donations
  • Lisa Mladinich
  • Columnists
    • Browse by Topic
      • #giveaway
      • Art
      • Campus Ministry
      • Catechetics
      • Catechism
      • Catechist Training
      • Catholic Spirituality
      • Church Documents
      • Columnists
      • Culture
      • Elementary School
      • Evangelization
      • Family Life
      • Featured
      • Games
      • General
      • Grief Resources
      • High School
      • Homeschooling
      • Liturgical
      • Mary
      • Middle School
      • Music
      • New Age
      • NFP/Chastity
      • Prayer
      • RCIA & Adult Ed
      • Reader Suggestions
      • Sacraments
      • Scripture
      • Special Needs
      • Spiritual Warfare
      • Technology
      • Theology
      • Therapeutic
      • Video
      • Vocations
    • Browse by Author
      • Alex Basile
      • Alice Gunther
      • Amanda Woodiel
      • Cay Gibson
      • Christian LeBlanc
      • Christopher Smith
      • Deanna Bartalini
      • Dorian Speed
      • Elizabeth Ficocelli
      • Elizabeth Tichvon
      • Ellen Gable Hrkach
      • Faith Writer
      • Father Juan R. Velez
      • Gabe Garnica
      • Jeannie Ewing
      • Jennifer Fitz
      • Justin Combs
      • Karee Santos
      • Lisa Mladinich
      • Marc Cardaronella
      • Maria Rivera
      • Mary Ellen Barrett
      • Mary Lou Rosien
      • Maureen Smith
      • Msgr. Robert Batule
      • Msgr. Charles Pope
      • Pat Gohn
      • Peggy Clores
      • Robyn Lee
      • Rocco Fortunato
      • Sarah Reinhard
      • Steve McVey
      • Tanja Cilia
      • William O’Leary
  • Resources
    • Bible Stories
    • Book Reviews
    • Catholic Cartoons
    • Catholic Links
    • Interviews
  • Speakers
  • Contact us

5 Ways to Make the Days Leading Up to Thanksgiving More Balanced and Holy with Saints Martha and Mary

By Annabelle Moseley

Anticipating the upcoming holiday with some feelings of stress? We’ve all been there… and there are dozens of reasons why. For those who host Thanksgiving (and sometimes, even those who attend!) the “many things we are burdened with” can make us feel anxious. So how do we “choose the better part” this Thanksgiving? The sisters of Bethany could teach us a thing or two. And even though St. Mary is famous for choosing the better part by listening to Jesus, and spending prayerful time with Him, Martha is a saint, too; she was privileged to welcome and serve our Lord! The sisters represent the proper balance we need to strike between work and prayer. They themselves came to master it through the help of Our Lord. Through their intercession, I give you 5 Ways to make your holiday more balanced and holy!

1) Start the Day Strong: When things are at their busiest, we sometimes forget to pray. Ironically, prayer is the very thing we need to enable us to get everything done! But there’s a simple step we can take to actually make the day run more smoothly, and fit in more than we ever could have imagined! Before anything else, let’s start the day by thanking God for protecting and preserving us during our night’s sleep, and praying the morning offering. Here is the one I pray.

By taking time to pray this prayer, we are able to offer up our every thought, word and action of our day… and that will be a game-changer for us. Even on the busiest days, no matter what joys or challenges may come our way, we’ve already offered them up and that will make us handle them better. The precious “thank you” to God combined with the time set apart just for God that the Morning Offering provides would make Saint Mary of Bethany very proud. When we choose the better part, we may have the temptation to worry about what may be “taken” from us. But let us not be anxious: nothing will be taken from us when we choose the better part; God will see to it that things fall into place.

2) Remember God– even among the pots and pans: St. Teresa of Avila told the nuns of her convent, “Know that even when you are in the kitchen, Our Lord is moving among the pots and pans.” What a thing to remember! Maybe preparing that big Thanksgiving meal (or even just the side dish you’ve promised to bring)is exhausting, and time-consuming. But the process can be an action-filled prayer if we are aware that God is present. To help me remember this (because it’s easier said than done) I taped a little reminder inside the kitchen cabinet that I open most often. It reads: “Offer up your daily chores. Pray: ‘I offer up my daily chores for the glory of God.’” So between reaching for the breadcrumbs and the pepper… in the flash of a moment we can offer up the chores for God’s glory. Seems a lot less thankless and mundane, doesn’t it? Finally, if there’s a task we especially don’t enjoy, like cleaning a sink or mopping a floor… why not offer it up as a penance for our sins or for the conversion of sinners? I can just picture St. Martha of Bethany learning how, when she brought this spirit to her work, she no longer felt upset her sister wasn’t helping. She could choose the better part… even in the kitchen, as she prayed while making a wonderful meal… for Jesus.

3) Offer a Holy Text… on your cell phone! As the big day approaches, if you’re hosting it at your house, why not send a text to everyone who is going to attend and say something like: “Can’t wait to see you on Thanksgiving! Looking forward to welcoming and spending time with YOU!” That will set the tone for everyone who’s on the guest list to feel more welcomed, more at peace, more relaxed and excited for the big day. If you’re going to be a guest ay someone’s home… text the host and tell them how much you’re looking forward to seeing them on Thanksgiving. Offer to help, and ask them if there’s anything they’d like you to bring. That simple text can help lighten their stress and make them feel so loved and thought about. After all, the sisters of Bethany attentively welcomed Jesus and He is the most gracious guest imaginable. Let’s bring that spirit to our holiday, whether we’re hosting or visiting.

4) Plan a break: Make a plan that on Thanksgiving, you will set aside even 15-20 minutes to be completely, fully present to the moment…and grateful. If you’re the cook and host, plan for at least 15 minutes to leave the kitchen and just visit and participate with your guests. If you’re the guest, be sure you give at least 15 minutes helping the host or really listening to someone else talk… bonus points if it’s someone who no one else is talking to! Be a good listener. See who might need someone to sit with. My grandmother had six kids and twelve grandkids and she was accustomed to hosting big gatherings and making all feel attended to and welcomed. But on her last Thanksgiving, at 101 years old, she still found a way to welcome, and it wasn’t even in her own home. She noticed how busy I was, looking after my small children. Out of the blue when the appetizers came out, she said to me, “Annabelle, get a plate for us, and we’ll share it and sit together and talk.” I did just that, and the blur of activity seemed to fade away as we just laughed and chatted. The kids were just fine, and my grandmother and I had such a great time. Little did either of us know, she would pass away in a matter of weeks. I’ll never forget that Thanksgiving.

5) Invite Our Lord to your Thanksgiving: How can we do this in truth? Let’s up our game for the way we pray grace this year! Let’s pray with gratitude for those who are gathered around the table; and pray by name for those by name who aren’t there; and the souls of the faithful departed. Let’s really welcome Him in officially. How to do this? Perhaps have a Sacred Heart candle or picture in the middle of the table, or an icon or holy card of Our Lord framed and set amid the candles and decorations. Finally, to prepare our hearts to welcome Him into our Thanksgiving preparations more fully, let’s learn from the examples of Sts. Martha and Mary by invoking their assistance in prayer.

Sign up here for a nine-day novena to Saints Martha and Mary, to be delivered to your inbox: It will only take 9-12 minutes a day so in its brevity it will still allow you to get all the items of your to-do list done… but will also allow that they’ll be done in the most beautiful spirit of prayer and joy.

Saints Martha and Mary of Bethany, pray for us!

Read all posts by Annabelle Moseley Filed Under: Catholic Spirituality, Culture, Evangelization, Family Life, Featured, Prayer, Theology Tagged With: Annabelle Moseley, Bethany Plan, novena, Saint Martha, Saint Mary of Bethany

Ask This Saint for Help and Gather Roses All Your Life

By Lisa Mladinich

Image from www.LittleFlower.org

As I spoke about on Relevant Radio’s Morning Air Show, today (at the 25-minute mark, Monday, September 24), this is a great day to begin the very simple and joyful novena to one of our greatest saints, St. Thérèse of Lisieux of the Child Jesus (a.k.a., The Little Flower). In fact, any day is a great day to begin to invite her to walk with you and teach you what she knows.

Image: www.LittleFlower.org

Thérèse is a doctor of the Church because of her spirituality of simplicity and trust, as well as her highly-accessible writings, which continue to have a profound impact on the Church. I highly recommend her memoir, Story of a Soul (read it free, here), and a powerful little book (available for about $3) of her advice to novices, The Thoughts of St. Thérèse.

First, find below a little about my connection to her, and then I’d like you to know more about the saint herself.

Scroll down for catechetical takeaways!

My First Saint

When I experienced a deep conversion back to the Catholic faith, in 1992, at the age of 33, Thérèse was my first saint “friend.” She has been a powerful intercessor ever since, and I named my daughter (who came to us, finally, after many years of infertility) after this beautiful saint.

Thérèse is known for sending roses as a sign of her intercession, and I still receive roses in many different forms, quite often. Sometimes I actually receive a flower or find a rose petal laying somewhere. Sometimes it’s an image of roses that comes into view at a key moment.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

I have noticed, at speaking engagements, that I am almost always approached after my talk by someone named Rose, Rosa, Rosemary, Mary Rose, Roseanne, or even Therese.  I always tell them, “You’re my rose from St. Thérèse, today!” Often, they have something of value and beauty to share with me.

History

Marie-Francoise- Thérèse Martin was born in Alencon, France in 1873. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was very young, so Therese was a sad little girl and quite spoiled by her family, but a conversion experience struck like lightning at the age of 14 and made her want to be totally pleasing to God. Not long after that, she became very ill and was tormented by the devil, but she was healed through a miraculous statue of Our Lady that was placed in her room.

Thérèse sought entry to the Carmelite convent at Lisieux, France, at a young age and went to Rome to seek permission from the Holy Father, Pope Leo XII. She entered the order at 15, and by 21, she was the novice mistress, due to her great wisdom and sanctity.

Therese at 15: Image from www.LittleFlower.org

She suffered much for the sake of others, but she was always cheerful. She wrote poems and plays, dedicated herself to loving the most difficult nuns in her convent, and—under obedience to her superior—wrote the great spiritual classic, her personal memoir, Story of a Soul, which is something anyone can read and be blessed by.

Both of Thérèse’s parents and are also canonized saints, and her sister, Leonie, is under consideration! What an amazing family.

Her Wisdom

She is known as “The Little Flower” and her “spirituality of the smile” (a.k.a., her “little way”) has transformed the faith of so many people, increasing their trust in God and their desire for sanctity.

For example, through the saint’s description of overcoming of scruples (a neurotic feeling of constantly sinning and failing to please God), I learned not to be afraid of God, but to imitate her simplicity, trust, and joy

Among her many gifts to the Church, St. Thérèse wrote and said beautiful things about supporting the dignity of other human beings. She said, for instance, that we should always, always look for the best in another person because the best parts are the truest parts–for they are “of God.”

Takeaway: When we look for God in others, we find him. Jesus said, “Seek and you shall find” (Matt 7:7), so when we look for him, he is looking back at us. And as we gaze at each other, we become more like him. And since we are made in his image, we find our most authentic selves by imitating him. It’s a win-win-win.

By looking for Jesus in others, we swiftly grow in virtue, as well as in the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and we increase our desire for holiness. When we desire holiness, like St. Thérèse did, we should recognize as she did that we cannot become saints on our own.

Image courtesy Pixabay

Thérèse wrote in Story of a Soul that she saw herself as a little child trying to lift her tiny foot onto the first gigantic step of sanctity, but not able to reach it. She described herself as looking up at Jesus, who stood at the summit of the staircase, gazing affectionately down at her. She declared that she would lift her arms and beckon to him, and he would come down to her, lifting her in his arms and carrying her up the stairs to sainthood.

Takeaway: We can do the same! This spirituality of great trust and affection for Jesus can teach us the practice of abandonment to grace, which allows God to work miracles in our souls.

Thérèse also addressed human dignity. She said, “How great must a soul be to contain a God.”

Takeaway: We should never doubt the dignity of our own souls, which by virtue of our baptism are tabernacles of the presence of God. Especially after Holy Communion, we are tabernacles of the presence of Jesus, which is why we don’t genuflect, as we enter the pew!

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Just as the hidden presence of Jesus in our churches impacts the culture for good, that same mysterious presence of Jesus in our souls can impact society, as well. And remember that God himself contains all of his creation: the angels and saints, the planets and stars, the earth and all its many layers of life, the Holy Souls in purgatory, and all of our loved ones, living and dead. And that presence is contained in your soul! God dwells in you in all his completeness.

Contemplate the majesty and mystery of that powerful and holy presence in your soul, every day, and then cultivate an awareness of that presence in others. In effect, continue to seek the face of Jesus in others.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

St. Teresa of Calcutta was a great devotee of the Little Flower and frequently quoted her, saying, “Do small things with great love.”

Takeaway: Such an accessible spirituality is truly worthy of our devotion, and such a sweet, charming saint is a precious gift to model ourselves after!

The novena (nine days of presenting a prayerful petition, modeled on the nine days of prayer that preceded Pentecost), starts today, culminating on her feast day, October 1. Of course, we can do the novena at any time, and many of her friends pray the novena prayer daily. Ask Thérèse to teach you her spirituality of simple trust, and watch your life change for the better.

And as you befriend the Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, watch for roses! She always sends them. Here is a rose for you, today!

Image courtesy Pixabay

 

For more information, visit the Society of the Little Flower:

https://www.littleflower.org/prayers-sharing/childrens-section/prayers/my-novena-rose-prayer/

And EWTN:

https://www.ewtn.com/therese/therese1.htm

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Featured, General Tagged With: Catholic prayer, novena, St. Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

What’s New?

microphoneNEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR NEXT IN-SERVICE?

Amazing Catechists can help!

Visit our Speakers page to access our available speakers and topics. And if you don't see what you are looking for, send a comment through the website, and we will get right back to you!

Catholic CD of the month club

Sign up for our Newsletter!

Columnists

Alice Gunther

Amanda Woodiel

Cay Gibson

Christian LeBlanc

Christopher Smith

Deanna Bartalini

Dorian Speed

Elizabeth Ficocelli

Elizabeth Tichvon

Ellen Gable Hrkach

Faith Writer

Father Juan Velez

Gabriel Garnica

Jeannie Ewing

Jennifer Fitz

Karee Santos

Lisa Mladinich

Marc Cardaronella

Mary Ellen Barrett

Mary Lou Rosien

Maureen Smith

Monsignor Robert Batule

Msgr. Charles Pope

Pat Gohn

Peggy Clores

Robyn Lee

Rocco Fortunato

Sarah Reinhard

Sherine Green

Sr. Teresa Joseph fma

Steve McVey

Tanja Cilia

William O’Leary

Archives

Share Amazing Catechists at your website!

Amazing Catechists

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2022 Amazing Catechists. · Log in