Catholic Sistas is excited to be a part of the Small Steps for Catholic Moms blog tour, hosted by the good folks at CatholicMom.com!
::THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED AND WINNERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED – SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE WHO WON!::
I recently heard someone summarize what I already knew to be true, but had failed to put into words…or better said, thought to put into words. Prayer is our center and all we do through the day should be an overflow of that prayer. We were discussing how the religious life works and how their days start in prayer. As laity, our days should also follow this model. Simply put, God has marching orders for us each day. When we don’t report for duty – through prayer – it’s hard for Him to tell us what He wants to accomplish through us.
Distractions, whether mental or physical, can influence how our day goes. Moms, this is all too true for us! How often do we wake to the sweet little pitter patter of feet running down the hallway, which turns to throwing the door to your bedroom WIDE open and ends with arms and legs flailing all over your bed?
Think of prayer as your oxygen mask. In order to help the rest of the family, you have to be centered and grounded in responding to God’s call to spend time with you each day. He desires it and we have to respond in kind by giving Him our time. Personally, I find prayer time first thing in the morning helps to offset the arrival of cranky momma, who usually shows up not long after waking up and before the coffee has gone down the ol’ gullet. When I do make time for prayer, I find the graces are always more than sufficient to get through the day. With six kids, homeschooling, owning a side business, running the blog, attempting to write for the blog, and tossed headlong into various ministries and other apostolates, both online and in my parish community, I found out very quickly that if I squander my time, all else falls to the wayside…and that’s me being intentionally vague about what actually happens. CHAOS would be a better description of my reality. The foundation of my day has to be set just right and with care in order for the rest of the day to go marginally smooth.
I found myself relating heavily to Ginny Sheller’s post promoting the Small Steps Tour. I, too, am a person who is constantly on the go, whether in action or thought. My mind is always spinning with what needs to get done through the day, or am busy working on a project, or thinking about a project that needs to be tackled. I bounce from the domestic front to the blog to homeschooling to parish activities and meetings – round and round we go – WEEE!
The book Small Steps for Catholic Moms, written by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss is written and laid out so simply that it becomes a must have for anyone’s prayer arsenal. If you find yourself in a spiritual rut or live by excuses as to why you can’t find time to pray, this book will put you on the path to break those habits. It is broken down by each month and contains a theme for each. Here, let me just show you how easy your prayer life can become:
1) Wake up.
2) Open book to October 10.
3) Read the following:
Think:
“Therefore, be constant in practicing every virtue, and especially in imitating the patience of our dear Jesus, for this is the summit of pure love. Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy.”
– St. Paul of the Cross
Pray:
You did not only accept your cross, Jesus, you embraced it. Help me to embrace every cross that comes my way.
Act:
Is there someone you avoid because he or she talks too much? Call that person today, open your heart, and listen.
This is an excerpt from October, which has a theme of “Patience.”
Now for FREE LOOT!
WIN: Catholic Sistas has TWO copies of Small Steps for Catholic Moms and we want to give them to YOU. How do you enter? Just leave us a comment and we’ll pick a winner once the tour is over on October 12, 2013. Not Catholic? No worries! This book is perfect for any person who desires a deeper, more intimate relationship with Our Lord through prayer and reflection.
WIN BIG: Visit CatholicMom.com to enter the “Five Minutes Alone” contest to win a HUGE assortment of books, including a copy of Small Steps for Catholic Moms. You only need to fill out the form and leave a comment answering the question What’s the funniest way you grab five minutes alone? Comments won’t win the prize, so be sure to fill out the form on their site!
CONGRATULATIONS TO CYNTHIA AND JENN!
CATHOLIC SISTAS WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU TO GET YOUR COPIES OF SMALL STEPS FOR CATHOLIC MOMS TO YOU ASAP!!
WINNER #1:
WINNER #2:
