Mama's Spiritual Toolbox

Tools for Mama's Spiritual Toolbox




Links.Website.Blogs.Books.Music.Apps.YoutubeVideos.
Study Programs.TV.Radio.Crafts.Interviews.Retreats

For Catholic Moms and their families...


PRAYER AIDS:
     Spend time with our Lord in Adoration 
     MassTimes.org Find all Mass times in your area
     Daily Scripture Reading (USCCB) 
     Daily Mass Readings and Prayers (Laudate App)
     Read the Bible in a Year
     Rosary: Pray the rosary with others worldwide at http://www.comepraytherosary.org/
     A Mother's Liturgy of the Hours

OTHER (Alphabetically)

Apps (our top 10 click here)

     Bible App
     Rosary App
     Daily Reading
     MyConfessor (for pastors)
     Saint of the Day for Kids App 
            interview with Saint of the Day for kids artist, click HERE
     Saint of the Day 
     Free Bible App
Articles for Young Moms
      The Tunnel
      Bringing Small Children To Mass
Altar Servers - Great video
Adoration On-line  http://www.savior.org/devotions.htm
Blogs 
     A Catholic Home Journal
     Catholic Sistas 
     Brandon Vogt
     Jennifer Fulwiler
     Catholic Mama Of 6
Books
      Great Catholic Books

       Book List for Kids
CDs/Catholic Speakers     
      Lighthouse Catholic Media
      http://www.catholicconference4moms.com/
Crafts/Fun Projects
     Catholic Icing
     Enter Under My Roof
     Catholic Printables for kids
Interviews
     Interviews with Catholic Women
Movies - click here for a great list to start
     Christian Movies
     Catholicism Series by Fr. Barron
     DecentFilms.com
Music
     CatholicBands
     Marie Bellet.com and an  interview with Marie click here
     Marian Grace/Colleen Nixon  and an interview with Colleen click here
Mary 
     (2 min video that sums up so much)
     Did Mary Have A Day Like This?
News
     Zenit
     ChurchMilitant
     LifeNews  
Vocations
     Imagine Sisters 
     Vocation Boom 
Pro-Life  
     LifeNews
     One More Soul
     Cases of Rape
     Great video sharing facts about contraception
     1 million pennies - prolife fundraiser
     Breast Cancer linked to The Pill - Women of Grace Episode
Radio
     WLOF - Station of the Cross
     EWTN
     Spirit FMRetreats
     Light of the World
     33 Day Personal Retreat
     
Stories to Inspire
     Mailbox (about seeing Jesus in all those we meet)
TV
     EWTN 
     New Catholic Reality Show
     Family Land TV
Youth Conferences/Retreats 
     Steubenville 
     Holiness Revolution 
     College Connection 
Videos to inspire
    The Hairbrush: Beth Moore
Websites
     America Needs Fatima
     Catholic Sistas 
     OneMillionMoms
     Ten Minutes with Teresa Tomeo


By Topic

Forgiveness
     Song:  Forgiveness by Matthew West
     
"I Thirst" Mother Teresa Meditation
Meditation
Disc questions: (first write the answers down on a piece of paper during quiet reflection, then share as a group)
1) For what do you thirst from God?
2) What does God thirst from me?

Let Go of Fear

- Article
- Music video Walk on Water by Britt Nicole
- Meg Meeker The 10 Habits of a Happy Mother
1) Clarify the fear 2) Brutal honesty is in order 3) Desensitize, step by step 4) Ways to Love Him More
- Disc questions:
1) What do you fear? Is this fear holding you back?
2) Peter disappointed Jesus by not trusting fully in Him.  In what areas of life have you not trusted in Him
enough?
3) What is one way that you would like to step out of the boat this year?

Revealing Our Cracks

Arwen Mosher in Just Me on Fri Sept 30 2011

The Eucharist

Reflections about preparing yourself for Holy Mass
Disc Questions
1) What message do we as parents send out children regarding Religion or going to Mass?
2) What can I do to increase my own personal spirituality so that I can truly fall in love with God and the Eucharist?
3) What do I need to evaluate regarding our priorities as a family?


Suffering
Activity: Light a candle in the room.  You may only notice the candle when you turn off the light.

Marriage
    Ideas for Date Night at Home  


Fatima
     http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/

Fun idea: ask your moms group to grab a bible and look up these vs...
Stress relief- I will be glad I pinned this during the school year


Tell us what you recommend! Got a favorite? Add your comment below.








God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world,
and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.
                                                                                                       - Baltimore Catechism

KNOW HIM

How can we get to know God?
We get to know His Son. 


And we do this the same way we get to know a new friend
...SPEND TIME TOGETHER.  TALK.  LOOK.  LISTEN.  LEARN.  OPEN YOUR HEART.   

Even when we have a strong relationship with someone, the only way to maintain that bond is to do the same - spend time together and continue to learn new things about each other.  The same is true in our relationship with Jesus.  We must make a commitment to spend time in prayer and study EVERY DAY if we truly want to deepen our relationship with Christ. 

Let's talk about prayer first, and study second.



PRAYER:  We can spend time in prayer each day in our homes, in our car, and at work during a break.  We can also spend time in prayer at Mass or in Adoration.  The challenge is not where, but when.  Making time for prayer in our busy lives must be a priority.  Just as we are sure to eat each day and feed our bodies, we need to make a habit of spending time each day feeding our souls.  If you don't have much of a prayer life yet, we suggest that you start small.  Carve out at least 10 min of your day.  Find a quiet place where you can be alone if possible


(This can be difficult as a mom with little ones - if this is the case, find a quietER time of day before everyone wakes up, while the babes are napping or playing at your feet). 


STUDY:  Do you know Jesus?  Do you really KNOW Him?  Do you know His words?  Do you know his ways?  His teachings?  Do you know His love for you?  Do you know how he suffered?  Have you looked at a statue lately and let your eyes really see his face while he hangs crucified on the cross?  Do you know what the disciples say about Him?  Have you heard what the saints say about Him?  Do you know His mother?  We live in an age like never before when we have so many amazing tools right at our fingertips to help us wrap our minds around the person of Jesus, who is our Lord and Savior, who should be and can be the very CENTER of our life. 

These tools are all around us, but sometimes we chose not to use them.  Let us ask you some tough questions...How much time do you spend each day watching secular TV...your favorite show or the news or that cooking channel you know you love?  How much time do you spend listening to secular radio while you are driving kids around or running errands?  how much time do you spend surfing the net, checking your email, tweeting and updating your Facebook page?  Have you seen a good movie lately? Did it make you a better person...a better woman, mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, neighbor? 

Imagine for a moment if you made a change in your life and decided to replace those secular tools with holy tools. 

By that we mean this - turn off your favorite show and turn on EWTN or a good Christian movie...turn off the local music and news station and turn on Catholic radio or pop in an Lighthouse Catholic Media CD with an inspiring talk by a great Catholic speaker....put down the People magazine and pick up a life-changing Catholic book.  Turn off Facebook and tune in to great Catholic links and blogs

Want more ideas?  Instead of another dinner out with your friends, find a Catholic conference to attend and listen to a great Catholic speaker.  Instead of your next girl's get-away, find a retreat and get the real rejuvenation you need.  Instead of picking up the phone to chit-chat, pick up your Rosary and pray for your spouse, your kids, the poor souls in purgatory.  Standing in line at the grocery store irritated that the cashier isn't moving fast enough?  Spend that time in prayer, thank God for your blessings, say a Hail Mary for your friends or family. Instead of hitting the snooze button, grab your daily scripture study and read today's gospel...or open the bible and let our Lord speak to you through scripture.   

Prayer and Study. 

These will change your life.


Start today, and then continue every day for the rest of your life, to get to know our Lord so you can fall in love with Him, and His church.  Because when you know Him, you can't help but truly love Him, and when you love Him, you want depserately to serve Him...




Once we KNOW Him 
we can't help but...

LOVE HIM
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”  
He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
                                                                                                                                                                            - Luke 10:25-28


How do we show our Lord and Savior we love Him? 

We spend time with Him in prayer.
We attend Mass every Sunday, and every day if possible.
We praise and adore Him in Adoration.
We keep His commandments.
We allow the Sacraments to illustrate our covenant relationship with Him.
We are faithful to our spouse in marriage.
We raise our kids to His glory.
We offer our day to Him.
We can worship and love Him when listening to Christian/Catholic music.
We can offer small sacrifices throughout the day.
We can show love and respect by making the sign of the cross when we pass a Catholic Church.
We can honor His name by never using it in vein.
We can love Christ in each person in our lives and all those we encounter each day.
We can love Him with our whole heart.
We can love Him with our whole mind.
We can love Him with all of our strength.

But what may be the key to loving Him?

Perhaps it is to grow in our understanding of how much He loves us. 

Give your life to Jesus, and let Him love you.  He wants nothing more, and nothing less.


When we KNOW Him 
we can't help but LOVE Him,
and when we LOVE Him we want to... 

...SERVE HIM


  
“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received,
how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat,
I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.” 
                                                           - Mother Teresa


If you have never read a book about Blessed Mother Teresa or listened to her speak, we suggest you do so today.  This woman is a saint of our time...someone who lived and breathed in our modern world and brought Jesus to all those she met.  Do you want to know what kept her going each and every day caring for the dying, the poor, the orphaned, her sisters, her workers, etc.?  Her burning love for our Lord.  She knew Jesus and spent time with Him every day in morning Mass and every afternoon in Adoration.  This was the fuel she needed to make every action, every word, one of love.  And then she went out and found Jesus in each and every person she encountered throughout the day.  She lived as we are all called to live - to see Jesus in everyone.  She taught us that we do not have to go to Calcutta to find the sick, the poor, the lonely...they are right here in our own town, our own neighborhood, or own families. 

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”   ― Mother TeresaA Simple Path: Mother Teresa



 
Think about this.  People all around us are lonely, and sad, and hungry for LOVE.  And many are dying from a lack of faith (and they may not even realize it).  Let's face it, our world is a mess.  Most of you reading this are not starving, or without power, or afraid to go outside because of war...that's not the mess I'm talking about.  The mess is a culture of death that is stealing our children, our husbands, our families, our souls.  The mess is that people are too busy to make a meal for a sick friend.  The mess is that we no longer even know our neighbors.  The mess is that the elderly are neglected and fogotten.  The mess is that we're more worried about our kids going to college than going to heaven.  The mess is that more than 50% of marriages end in divorce.  The mess is that suicide among children has risen 300% in the last 30 yrs.   The mess is that our children suffer from depression because of of drug-addictions, pre-marital sex, STDs, abortion, etc.  The mess is that 8 children in the U.S. die every day due to gun violence. The mess is that most Catholics do not believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  The mess is that the Confession lines are empty, we are receiving the body and blood of Jesus with unclean hearts.  The mess is that people chew gum and talk throughout at Mass.  The mess is that we cannot even kneel throughout the Consecration...we must sit back in laziness instead of bowing our heads in appreciate and love for the greatest sacrafice of all. The mess is that many do not come to Mass at all.  The mess is that we are afraid to share the good news with our friends and co-workers.  The mess is that we are too busy to set aside 10 mintues a day to pray.

But do not despair.  God has not left us orphans. 




He sent his Son so that we may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). 




And if we do what he asks and live as he calls us to live, slowly we will see a change.  We can be the change.  One person at a time.


Let's start today to love better.





Let's start in our own families.



Let's start one smile, one kind word, one small unselfish act of love at a time.




“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  ― Mother Teresa

“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”  ― Mother Teresa

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”  ― Mother Teresa


“Work without love is slavery.”  ― Mother Teresa

That last quote really hits home for us mothers.  WORK WITHOUT LOVE IS SLAVERY.  How often have I grumbled as I bent down to change another diaper.  How often have begrudged picking up another toy off the floor, or driving my kids here and then there.  Oh how I have been so crabby because I didn't get enough time for me. These are the times I've felt like a slave in my own home.  But how different those moments would be if I captured those thoughts and turned them into love...love for my beautiful baby who needs a diaper changed, love for my beautiful teenager who needs a ride all over town, love for my life that is so full of blessings. 

The same is true at work, at the grocery store, even at church, or bible study, or volunteering.


If we do our work with a begruding heart, we are slaves.  If we do our work with love, we are like Christ, dying to ourselves for others.  We are each called in a different way, in a different place, but each has been called, and given a special gift to answer that call.

 As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.  Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,  to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever."
                                                                                                                              - 1 Peter 4: 8-11

We each are given a gift.  Let's use it...


Serve Him, Jesus, by serving your family
Serve Him by serving  your friends, neighbors, and co-workers
Serve Him by serving  your parish
Serve Him by serving  your community
Serve Him by serving  your country

CLICK HERE to get a CD or MP3 of Mother Teresa and hear her live.





Ducks need other ducks.
Catholic moms need other Catholic moms.



Some of us are blessed to have good Catholic friends, but many of us don't. So how do we find other Catholic moms? Seek out new friendships with potential 'Soul Sisters'. Look for signs that someone is trying to live her Catholic Faith - maybe you see them at Mass each week, your run into them at a parish event such as a mission night or retreat, or you bump into them at a Christian/Catholic bookstore. Ask your pastor for the names of some woman with whom you may be able to connect. Look in the bulletin and find a ministry you can join in your parish and meet some new gals. When you spot someone, step out of your comfort zone and ask if she wants to grab a cup of coffee some time, or invite her over for a playdate if she has little ones.


Also, look for a Catholic Moms group in your area. If you can't find one, start one! Even if it's just 3-4 woman to begin, you will find new 'Soul Sisters' quickly.  

Finally, PRAY. Ask God to bring good, holy women into your life. He may not do it in our time, but He will bring them when He feels you are ready. Our friend Sueellen has as a great idea...hang out with the older woman who are saying the Rosary before or after Mass - they may not be your age, but they can still offer you an incredible amount of love and support until you do find people in the same stage of life. In the meantime, continue to visit us at CatholicMomsConnect. The whole idea behind our blog is to let Catholic moms know THEY ARE NOT ALONE. Our interviews are with real people just like you and me.

Ducks need other ducks. Catholic moms need other Catholic moms.

It's our Catholic Faith; let's live it.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for recommending us as a craft site! That was so kind of you. We have so many projects that we're looking to share for Lent & Easter...can't wait!

    ReplyDelete