SQPN » prayer

What Would Kermit Pray?

Fr. Roderick — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:32:47 +0000

I came across this wonderfully creative website with lots of photos of Kermit the Frog, including one of Kermit in Church.

Which made me wonder.. what would Kermit pray during this time of Advent? Post your captions in the comments!

I saw these captions on Facebook:

Peter Palumbo:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Carrie Rogers Corscadden:

Kermit would pray something for others. He’s always watching out for the whole Muppet gang. And maybe also for peace on earth….

Quentin Lewis:

Pray, pray? Oh yes, I always pray……but right now I am planning my dive into the Baptismal Font!

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Fr. Roderick — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:29:30 +0000

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Fr. Jay Finelli has a suggestion in the new episode of his iPadre podcast, entitled “Morning Offering”. What is the Morning Offering and what can it offer our spiritual lives?

Click here to go to the iPadre website or click on the player to listen online.

Short of Time? Try a Short Prayer

Kathleen Herbert — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:01:50 +0000

Remember the prayers the nuns had you memorize? Of course you do. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, the Memorare, grace before meals and the rest. If you didn’t attend Catholic schools, perhaps you received your religious training from your C.C.D. teachers. Some of you may be new to the faith after attending RCIA training. We are told to pray, but remembering to do so may be crowded out by our everyday obligations and lack of time. Making time to pray can be as easy as making time for a breath. And that’s something we all do. Enter the Breath Prayer. Never heard of it? Many haven’t, but it’s as easy as, well….breathing. Choose a short prayer. Some examples might be (or make up your own as the situation dictates):

God come to my assistance
Lord make haste to help me
Lord Jesus, have mercy
My God, my all
Have mercy on me, Jesus
I belong to you, Lord
Bless the Lord my soul
Lord, I give myself to you
My Lord and my God
Lord, increase my faith
Not my will, but yours
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Lord, do with me what you will
Speak Lord, your servant is listening
Lord, give me patience
Here I am, Lord

After choosing a prayer, make it a goal to remain in God’s presence as you begin. Think about the meaning of the words while you breathe in, and say the first part of the prayer; as you slowly exhale, say the last part of the prayer. No hurry; no rush.

Say your breath prayer throughout the day whenever you remember. If you commute, perhaps say your prayer while you’re stopped at a red light. Or if a negative thought about someone or something enters your mind, that’s the time to choose a prayer and silently repeat it to yourself until the negativity abates. God does not want us to embrace negative thoughts and feelings. Once you’re aware of them, gently say your breath prayer.

Prayer can become as natural as breathing. We’re all short of time. Why not try a short prayer?

As for me, I’m going to the Office

Kathleen Herbert — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:51:21 +0000

By Kathleen Setina-Herbert

As mentioned in a previous article, a few years ago, I decided it was high time that I get back on the path of praying regularly. Downloading the recitation of the rosary to my iPod, having several Catholic New Media apps on my iTouch or perusing iTunes’ Religion/Spirituality categories had become second nature to me. And somewhere along the way, in 2009, I learned that priests, religious and some laity prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as Divine Office or simply the Office. A little research and I found my starting point with the 1-volume Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours, which is an abbreviated version of a 4-volume set.

The LoH consists of psalms, hymns and readings and, together with the Mass, is the official public prayer of the Church. With the internet at your fingertips, do your own research to see if this is for you. No need to get all crazy with it at first. Start slowly, perhaps with Morning and Evening Prayer, and then build from there.

But be forewarned: praying the Liturgy of the Hours is addicting. Once you get into the rhythm of the LoH, there is a craving to pick up your device and download a week’s worth of recording or arrange the ribbons in your book. Your morning will not seem complete without saying the words “God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.” You’ll find familiarity and comfort in the words of the psalm–a poetic guide for worship, examples of emotion and honesty before God and a demonstration of the importance of meditation and prayer.

With the New Media available to us nowadays, we can join in praying the Office with either hard copy, electronic copy or audio for your devices. To help you get started, here is a short list of references:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sqpn-praystation-portable/id74072857

http://ibreviary.com/new/

http://www.universalis.com/

http://divineoffice.org/

Our Lord taught us to “pray without ceasing” and, though realistically, this may be humanly impossible, The Liturgy of the Hours can help sanctify your day and turn your thoughts to God. I think he would like that.

Healing Psalms & Prayers App

Lisa Jones — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:00:34 +0000

In recognition of the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Pauline Books & Media and the Daughters of St. Paul community created a special section on their website for prayer and healing resources to aid individuals, parents, teachers, priests and groups “seeking a way to help bring the needs of the victims to God.” The resources on their website include:

YouTube videos of prayers matched with photos
PDF of suitable prayers
How to talk to kids about disaster
Addressing our questions, such as ”Did God permit the earthquake and tsunami?”
News from the Daughters of St. Paul community of Sendai, Japan

For a short time, Pauline Books & Media is offering their Healing Psalms and Prayers app for free because they know that “sometimes we just need a short prayer to reconnect with God’s love and mercy.” The Healing Psalms and Prayers app contains meditations with contemplative music, 36 prayers of healing, audio psalms, and journal options in text and photo. ”Listen, meditate, pray for special needs, journal what’s in your heart.”

Find the Pauline Books & Media Prayer Resources by clicking here

The Healing Psalms and Prayers app can be found here

Lenten Promises

Fr. Roderick — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:47:16 +0000

By Kathleen Setina-Herbert

If you’re anything like me, time is a precious commodity. If one of your promises for Lent is to make more time for prayer in your life, I would highly recommend the U.K. Jesuits’ Pray-As-You-Go podcast.

Pray-As-You-Go is not a thought for the day, a sermon or bible study, but rather a framework for your own prayer. The sound of cathedral bells invite you in, giving you a moment to quiet your mind. Then a short musical presentation from the monks of Pluscarden or Glenstal Abbeys, the Community of Taize or the Westminster Choir further bring you into a prayerful state. Sometimes a contemporary piece or the south African male choir group Ladysmith Black Mambazo change it up a bit.

Then listen to a short scripture reading along with questions for personal reflections pertaining to that scripture. Given this framework, talking to God in your own words is made easy.

Available in iTunes, or at their website http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/ allows download as an MP3, WMA or as a .zip file to your device. Or listen on-line.

Pray-as-You-Go allows you to listen to and reflect on God’s word, grow in your relationship with God and become more aware of his presence in your life. All in 12 minutes a day. Who says promises are hard to keep?