How Daily Mass Benefitted My Day to Day Life

Prayer is at the heart of any relationship with God, but to many people, including myself, maintaining a healthy prayer life is a constant struggle. Our daily schedules become so filled with our careers, family, and other activities that it seems we barely have time to breathe. But this is really when we need prayer the most. As I write this I am reminded of a quote from St. Francis de Sales, “Every one of us needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy, and then we need an hour.” In other words, as life becomes increasingly more complicated and hectic, that’s when our relationship with God becomes ever more critical.

In my personal experience, attendance at daily mass as helped me greatly in this area. I am fortunate in that there are a few churches near my job that offer daily mass at times that are easy to attend before I have to report to the office. I also realize that not everyone reading this may be in a similar situation and finding a daily mass may be much more difficult. I strongly encourage everyone to give it serious consideration. Start off slowly by attending a daily mass once or twice a week and you can eventually grow from there.  The benefits and graces from faithfully attending a weekday mass even once or twice weekly are powerful.

Thousands of Rallies Worldwide

Take a look at the map below. Each of those red dots represents a city or town where a rally was happening on October 15, 2011. The people at these rallies are concerned about where our society is headed and want to make a difference. No, these weren't Occupy Wall Street protests, these were the annual Public Square Rosary Rallies by America Needs Fatima.

This map is from their blog which details the amazing growth of these rallies every year:

As the world situation becomes increasingly bleak, confused and hopeless, the idea of holding a Rosary in a public place has caught on: in 2007, where there were 2,107 rallies. In 2008, 3,500. In 2009, 4,337. In 2010, 5,963.
Today, thanks to the intercession of Our Lady, there were 7,515 Public Square Rosary Rallies held across the United States as well as in 22 other countries across the globe.

Over 7,500 rosary rallies in 23 countries around the globe. That is truly powerful. This is the type of rally that will bring about real change in our world. This is what brings comfort and healing to the poor and marginalized in our culture as opposed to the chaos and and insanity we are seeing by these "occupiers" on Wall Street and elsewhere which only brings more conflict and division.

According to news reports there were protests inspired by "Occupy Wall Street"  in 951 cities worldwide on October 15, 2011. This same day there were over 7,515 Rosary Rallies worldwide. I think the message is quite clear as to what this world really needs.

Click here for the America Need Fatima Blog and more information on these amazing Public Square Rosary Rallies.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I want to commemorate the feast day of St. Patrick by posting the Breastplate Prayer that is attributed to this great hero and saint. I like to think that this is how he would want this day to be celebrated instead of the usual silliness we see each year.

I posted the entire prayer below. (Thank you to PatrickMadrid.com for this translation of the prayer.) I also want to share with you this link to a slide show from the 2007 Boston Catholic Men's Conference. The slide show is set to a song by Martin Doman which was inspired by this same prayer. The song is titled "St. Patrick's Breastplate".

St. Patrick pray for us!

Breastplate Prayer of Saint Patrick

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,

The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,

The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,

The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the love of seraphim,

In the obedience of angels,

In the hope of resurrection unto reward,

In prayers of Patriarchs,

In predictions of Prophets,

In preaching of Apostles,

In faith of Confessors,

In purity of holy Virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today

The power of Heaven,

The light of the sun,

The brightness of the moon,

The splendour of fire,

The flashing of lightning,

The swiftness of wind,

The depth of sea,

The stability of earth,

The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today

God’s Power to guide me,

God’s Might to uphold me,

God’s Wisdom to teach me,

God’s Eye to watch over me,

God’s Ear to hear me,

God’s Word to give me speech,

God’s Hand to guide me,

God’s Way to lie before me,

God’s Shield to shelter me,

God’s Host to secure me,

Against the snares of demons,

Against the seductions of vices,

Against the lusts of nature,

Against everyone who meditates injury to me,

Whether far or near,

Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues

Against every hostile merciless power

Which may assail my body and my soul,

Against the incantations of false prophets,

Against the black laws of heathenism,

Against the false laws of heresy,

Against the deceits of idolatry,

Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,

Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today

Against every poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against death-wound,

That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ within me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ at my right, Christ at my left,

Christ in the fort,

Christ in the chariot seat,

Christ on the deck,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

A Faith Unshaken

This is an awesome video from CatholicMountain.com an online network for men of faith. This video contains a powerful message for all men in that God is calling us to

"Stand as a Brotherhood United, and live by a faith unshaken, to testify to the Truth."



Every Christian man needs to watch this video to remind themselves who we are and what we are called by God to do.

12 Tips for Praying the Family Rosary Daily

I want to share this post from the blog Canterbury Tales by Taylor Marshall.  It provides parents, especially Dads, practical tips on getting your family to say a daily rosary together. I know from personal experience how much of a challenge this can be, especially with young children. However, I can't think of a better way for dads to strengthen and protect their families. I have posted the complete list below. Please also click here to visit Canterbury Tales to read the rest of this great article which gives more details on the enormous spiritual benefits of a daily family rosary.

Twelve Tips for Praying the Family Rosary Daily (Attention Catholic Dads)

1. Pray using alternation (The father prays first half of Our Father and everyone else prays second half - same goes for Hail Mary and Glory be).

2. Pray the Rosary after dinner but right before bed - this means homework needs to be finished before dinner. Homework kills the Rosary if you don't stay on top of it. You'll also need to say goodbye to watching prime time television - since this is the ideal window of praying together as a family.

3. Pray the Holy Rosary always at the same place at the exact same time. Devotions become strong - even invincible - by constant custom and habit.

4. Pray the Rosary in a special room and set up a little altar with a Bible on it, candles, a statue or image, holy water, or a relic.

5. Dim the lights and light the candles when you begin. If you let the little ones light the candles - they will love it. Kids love fire. Make this a "special time" different from other times. We even burn incense on our domestic altar on feast days. (You can do this easily by placing a little metal screen over a votive candle and then by placing a few grains of incense on the screen. It's fast and easy. This way you don't have use charcoal.)

6. Maybe begin with a hymn or Bible reading to slow things down and set the tone. 

7. The father sets the example. I recommend that the father kneel for the whole Rosary. This communicates importance and solemnity to the Rosary. Children attach importance to what dad does, e.g. mowing lawn, going to work, driving the "dad car," etc.

8. Make it a rule that the child who prays all the responses and volunteers to lead a mystery (10 beads) gets to stay up 10 minutes more than everyone that night - at our house this means you get to watch baseball or have a book read to you. This may be the most important tip. Kids under 7 or 8 need this sort of incentive. If you tell a 6 year old, pray the Rosary so that you receive grace and sanctity - they don't get it. If you say, pray the Rosary so that you can stay up and read a book with me - they'll hit their knees and pray like angels.

9. The one who gets to stay up also gets to blow out the candle at the end. This gives another incentive to pray the prayers - especially for the younger ones. For some reason, blowing out the candle is a really big deal to younger children. (Kids love fire!!!). You'd be amazed how a four year old will attempt to stay still if he can only place a grain of incense on a flame or blow out a candle. (Did I mention that kids love fire?)

10. End with invoking everyone's patron saint (your children's names, confirmation names, and other patrons). E.g. "Saint Thomas: pray for us. Saint Jude: pray for us. Saint Anne: pray for us." Always finish with St Joseph and then Holy Mary Mother of God. Then say "Sacred Heart of Jesus: have mercy on us," three times. If you're shooting for the plenary indulgence, make sure to pray an Our Father and Hail Mary for the Pope.

11. If family Rosary is new, start with one decade for a week. Then go to three for a week. Then go to five decades on the third week. Then don't ever stop.

12. After the daily Rosary is established in your home, have each child announce a mystery and pray the whole decade. This gives them confidence in praying and makes it natural. Plus, they'll learn to memorize all the mysteries of the Holy Rosary - which means they will have memorized the biblical account of Christ's life, death, and glory! This is why the Rosary is called "the Bible on beads."

10 Things to Pray For and With Your Child

If you haven't already heard of All Pro Dad, I suggest you visit their website at http://www.allprodad.com/. It is a Christian website with advice, resources, and even events around the country to help men become the best dads they can be. One of the contributors and national spokesman for All Pro Dad is Tony Dungy, retired coach of the 2007 Super Bowl Champions Indianapolis Colts. Dungy, along with many other current and retired NFL stars have helped grow All Pro Dad into an great resource for fathers. There are also links at the bottom of the page for All Pro Dad's sister sites for moms and families, iMom and Family Minute.

One of the regular features on All Pro Dad is their daily Top Ten List which provides daily tips on topics such as raising children, improving your relationship with your wife and living your faith each day. I posted in its entirety the 10 Things to pray for and with your child. It is based on the Our Father and is contains great advice on not only what we as dads should pray for, but what we can teach our children to focus their prayers on. Please visit All Pro Dad and pass it along to others.

10 Things to Pray For and With Your Child

We all want the best for our children, and prayer can be an important part of helping them to grow up. But how should we pray for them and with them?

Well, there's no better guide for prayer than listening to Jesus. When His friends asked him how to pray, He suggested an outline we have come to know as “The Lord's Prayer.”

This “10-Ways” list is based on these words of Jesus:

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. Your kingdom come, Your will be done - in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive the sins of others. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.” 

Pray that your kids make a real connection with God: this is the starting place. The fact of prayer assumes a God who is not distant. This is where we all must begin. 

Pray that your children honor the Creator: It's important that kids learn to believe in a real God, a Being of light and power who we can't help but respect and honor – a Creator they can revere rather than the light-weight “Heavenly Santa Clause” of myth. Prayer becomes more meaningful in the context of respect and reverence. 

Pray they translate that honor into action: Kids who honor God are more inclined to participate in their Creator's work. It's the way “Thy will be done” turns into, “Yes, and we'll do it every day.” 

Pray that they are well-equipped to meet every daily need: Prayer as a vehicle to honoring God, is less concerned with “God - give me what I want”, or “me, me, me” as a matter of course. But it is absolutely appropriate to pray that our kids acquire the wisdom and the skills to live in freedom, without going hungry and without fear.

Real Men Pray the Rosary

 More Catholic men are praying the rosary to grow spiritually

I came across the article in the link above about an awesome apostolate in Texas called Real Men Pray the Rosary.  It was started by David Calvillo as a way to reach out to men and share with them the true power of praying the rosary. His website at the link above contains information on how to pray the rosary, related events in the Texas area, a blog that discusses the mysteries of the rosary, and a place to order gear displaying the logo to the left.

I agree with Mr. Calvillo. The rosary has gotten the reputation over the years as something for old women and that it is not very masculine. However, some of the greatest male saints in our Church's history fervently prayed the rosary. These saints were courageous men, some were knights and others were martyrs who willingly laid down their life for our Church. Through their example, we men today can learn what true manliness and masculinity really means.

Thanks to the work of apostolates like Mr. Calvillo's, we are seeing more men and women embracing their faith and the rosary. In this increasingly atheistic society, the rosary is a powerful way to strengthen our faith, bring our families closer together and be a witness for Christ to those we encounter.

Thank you David and Josefina Calvillo for this wonderful apostolate. They will be in my prayers. I encourage you to visit their website and learn more about the rosary.

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• Real men pray the rosary (beliefnet.com)

Inspirational Words From an American Hero

I want to share this truly remarkable Father's prayer written by American war hero General Douglas MacArthur. I also posted below, after the prayer, an inspirational quote from General MacArthur about his view of fatherhood.

I was so impressed by these words, that I am thinking about making them a permanent fixture on this blog. MacArthur's eloquent prayer and statements capture the truth of real fatherhood. I hope and pray that more men have seen these words and have been moved by them as I have to always strive to be a better man not for our own sake, but because of the examples we are giving to our sons and daughters.

A Father's Prayer
by General Douglas MacArthur
 
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough
To know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
And humble, and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
A son who will know Thee – and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those that fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men, one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."

(This reflection was written by General MacArthur, during his early days in the Philippines during the Pacific War, and was left as a spiritual legacy to his son Arthur. Made public after the general’s death in 1964.)


"By profession, I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder – infinitely prouder – to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle field but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, 'Our Father who art in Heaven.'  "- General Douglas MacArthur about being a father to his son Arthur.