December 2016 – Page 8

Daily Advent Prayer Experiences for 2016 by DailyGraces.net

December 5, 2016 – Fiat

Published on December 4, 2016November 27, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

Whew, yesterday’s readings were quite the rollercoaster. Still, I hope you were able to find something insightful in them, especially when we started connecting the idea of producing good fruit with Mary’s acceptance of God’s Will.

The word fiat is Latin for “let it be.” When the angel approached Mary and asked her if she would be the Mother of God, Mary responded “Let it be done unto me according to thy word.” When we refer to Mary’s fiat, we are talking about this whole phrase, attitude and posture of Mary as she submits herself to God’s Will.

We all have the ability to make our own fiats, our own yes’s to God. Every morning we make a choice, consciously or not. We decide and continue deciding throughout the day to do God’s Will or our own. When we choose to think of others first, like offering to make our spouse their breakfast, we are doing God’s Will. When we choose patience over anger when we are stuck in traffic we are doing God’s Will. Is God’s Will for me today to continue holding a grudge against a coworker or friend? Would God want me to take 3 minutes of my afternoon to pray a sign of the cross and reflect on His goodness or spend that time on Facebook? Should I go to bed at a reasonable hour so that I get proper rest to rejuvenate and care for my body or should I stay up too late and suffer the consequences in the morning?

When you break your day down, the majority of these situations are pretty clear what the right choice would be. Practicing following God’s Will in our everyday ordinary helps to train our wills for those times when things aren’t so cut and dry. Is it God’s Will that I pursue a vocation of marriage or priesthood? Is it God’s Will for our family that we adopt? How do I know if this job is where God wants me to be? How do I discern my finances and budget? Am I where God wants me to be right now? How can I possibly bear the weight of this cross (i.e. illness, loss, pain, loneliness, etc.) God is asking me to carry?

Tackling these big questions is difficult, no question and many times there isn’t a clear cut answer. But, if we have built a habit of little fiats in our daily life we will find that these larger questions less imposing. How do you think Mary was able to stand at the foot of the cross? By standing on a life of yes’s to God. We are to follow in her footsteps. When we say yes in our everyday we will find the strength to say yes on the day we receive a new cross to bear or find ourselves facing a complicated decision.

Today, find 3 little moments that you can say “Yes” to God and His Will. Maybe you will refrain from gossipping or petty anger. Perhaps you will deny yourself a second slice of pie because caring for our bodies is part of caring for God’s creation. You might consider the kind of music you listen to and what sort of influence it has over your thoughts and subconscious. You may discover that you already are making these choices, which is great!

3 opportunities to choose God’s Will today. Where will He surprise you?

***What fruits of prayer have you found growing in your life since we started this journey together? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

December 4, 2016 -Looking to the Future

Published on December 3, 2016November 25, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

Today’s readings present quite a challenge. The First Reading from Isaiah is so nice. Everyone will get along with everyone else, wolves and lions hanging out with lambs and eating hay, babies playing with poisonous snakes, sounds great right? God’s justice will be in full force and will not tolerate wickedness, but overall there is a very happy tone to this reading. Same with the Psalm and the Second Reading from Romans. There is special emphasis that even the Gentiles (non-Jews) will be able to flourish and partake in God’s paradise.

Then we hit the Gospel from Matthew. It starts off with John the Baptist and the phrase we reflected deeply on last week “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Now we get into the second part.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.(Matthew 3:-8)

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)

Anyone know what a winnowing fan is? Thank you Wikipedia: “Wind winnowing is an agricultural method developed by ancient cultures for separating grain from chaff. It is also used to remove weevils or other pests from stored grain.” Ouch! I’m pretty sure I want to be grain, how about you?

All last week we were preparing ourselves for prayer, finding quality times for prayer and exploring a few different kinds of prayer. We closed yesterday considering how we even need to prepare our attitude in order to experience fruitful prayer.

There is more to do. It is not enough to pray, even daily, without connecting it to something. Unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees we must produce fruit. That fruit is displayed for us most beautifully in Mary at the Annunciation. It is the fruit of submission and communion.

We will explore this theme all week. For now, today’s prayer is to repeat three times slowly and with great care Mary’s response to the Angel Gabriel after he told her God wanted her to be the mother of the Savior:

May it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38)

***Thanksgiving has just passed but before we get too carried away in the hype of Christmas we should remind ourselves that being thankful is something for everyday, not just Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for today? How does having a thankful spirit change the way you view your day? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

December 3, 2016 – Keeping Chaos Away

Published on December 2, 2016November 9, 2016 by Kate2 Comments

In case you don’t remember, this whole Advent series was inspired by a new cleaning routine I’m trying to stick with.

A load a day keeps the chaos away.

As most stay-at-home parents will tell you, laundry can be very quickly become a mounting tower of terror especially with small children around. If things get out of hand it can be a daunting task to regain control. The FlyLady’s solution is simple. Do one load a day. Start it in the morning, move it in the early afternoon, fold and put away in the evening. One load, start to finish, every day.

We can apply this concept to our prayer life. I’m not going to promise that a prayer a day will keep the chaos, the whining, the broken sink, the traffic or work deadlines away. However, a habit of prayer will help us to handle these unavoidable situations in a more humble, gentle, patient way.

St. Paul encourages us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I believe wholeheartedly in this pearl of wisdom. However, I also know from experience how intimidating a task it can be. Rather like that mountain of laundry. For just starting out on a prayer journey, I find St. Paul’s advice to the Philippians to be a little more manageable:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God (Philippians 4:6).

Still a challenge to be sure and definitely similar, but it’s more concrete. Giving all things to God in prayer and most importantly, doing so with a spirit of thanksgiving. I have found that I am a more thankful person when I talk with God every day, even if it is only for a few moments. The longer I go between prayer, the harder it is to find that thankful spirit. Instead I have an attitude of “Why me?” or “Where were you when!” or “I’m just too tired, talk to you later.”

After only one week we already have a few tools in our prayer preparation toolbox. We have a few periods of time each day that are conducive to focused prayer. We have the Sign of the Cross. We have our guardian angels. Let’s add one more inspired by St. Paul’s advice about our disposition regarding prayer. Thankfulness. Instead of begrudgingly giving God those three minutes, let’s offer them with a joyful spirit. The Psalmist tells us

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His mercy endures forever (Psalms 118:1).

For today, really hone in on these words, they are full of opportunities for reflection during your day.

Give thanks to the Lord….for what? What are you thankful for today?

For He is good…God is always good, even in the midst of a struggle or hardship. Regardless of what is happening in your life today, where do you see the goodness of God? It may be in a place you haven’t looked yet.

God’s mercy…We are wrapping up a whole year dedicated to the mercy of God. God’s mercy is present for us each and every day. What’s more, we are capable of being agents of God’s mercy to one another. Where have you felt God’s mercy? Who showed you God’s mercy? Who have you shown God’s mercy to?

Don’t sit down and expect to answer all these questions in 3 minutes. Wait for your prayer time, say the Sign of the Cross, ask your guardian angel for wisdom. Slowly repeat this verse once or twice and consider just one or two of these questions or one of your own making. Talk to God about it. Ask Him questions, offer petitions, seek reassurance or guidance. Before you know it, your 3 minutes will be up. Pray more if you want but regardless of when you close your prayer, continue your day with a renewed spirit of friendship with God.

If you gain nothing else from these reflections, hopefully some part of this prayer experience will be meaningful enough for you to try and continue it everyday. A prayer a day…

***What other Scripture passages do you like to use for prayer? Have you ever used a specific passage to focus your prayer? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.