The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Feast Day Nov. 21st

Today’s feast day is in commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary being dedicated to God at the temple as a young child. Remembering Mary’s consecration to the Lord, is a beautiful opportunity to discuss the Sacrament of Baptism with your children, and remind them that through our baptism, we become a part of God’s family—we have been set apart as Christians and people of the Lord as we are baptized in “The name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Today is also a great time to think about how grateful we are that Mary, through her free will, said “yes” to God to be the mother of Jesus and allowed herself to be an instrument of His divine will. When was a time in your life that you said “yes” to God?

Celebrating Through Food:

Today, we made Joanna Gains’ wonderfully named recipe, Dedication Casserole, for dinner. This yummy chicken and rice dish pairs nicely with salad. If you want to make a “Marian inspired salad,” toss fresh spinach with blueberries, blue cheese, chopped walnuts, and toss with a vinaigrette of your choice.

Celebrating Through Crafts—Renewing Baptismal Promises:

For younger children, the website “Look To Him and Be Radiant” has a free printable water-droplet Baptismal promises worksheet. Color and cut the water-droplets out and then, reading them one by one with your child/children, glue them onto a large sheet of paper in the shape of a cross.

For older children, make a “renewal of Baptismal promises” wheel. Using a paper-plate, write the baptismal promises around its edges. Then take another paper-plate and cut a small triangle out of its edge. Place the paper-plate with the triangle cut-out on top of the other paper-plate, and adhere the palates together with a craft button. Spin the wheel and renew your baptismal promises.

Here is a link, from Creighton University, for Baptismal promises and prayers.

Celebrating Through Prayer:

Say the “Hail Mary” prayer together as a family. You can also say the prayer I wrote below:

Dear Mary, Mother of God most humble and most blessed and pure, please pray that I may always have the courage and faith to say yes to God’s will in my life. I beseech you, dear mother, hold me in your heavenly embrace and through your intercession bring me closer to your son, our Lord Jesus. Pray that I may live out my baptismal promises and a life that is pleasing to the Father. Amen.

Additional Readings:

Here is a reading from Loyola Press and reading from the Catholic News Agency.

Comments

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Feast Day: Nov. 17th Saint Elizabeth of Hungary has always held a special place in my heart since she is my confirmation saint. If I'm being honest, when I was reading about saints back in the eighth grade, trying to choose which saint I wanted to take as my patron, my requirements were as follows: (1) She couldn't die a horrible death, (2) She was married with kids, (3) and her life was pretty good allowing her to serve God and others through the blessings she'd been given. In hindsight, my list of "requirements" was probably a little superficial, but now as an adult I focus more on the virtues and saintly qualities of Saint Elizabeth, and find inspiration in how she lived. She was humble, a kind and loving wife and mother, and very generous to the poor. She also made plenty of time to pray and grow in her relationship with the Lord. On her wedding day, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who was a princess, did not wear a crown. Instead she s...

Study the Saints

Study the Saints: As I write this post, four days into the New Year, I’m called to reflect upon what New Year’s Resolution I can make that will be the most beneficial for my family and myself. A word that’s inspiring and that comes to mind is “Saints.” Celebrating the Saints on their feast days is wonderful and has been a blessing to my family. My children have learned about various holy men, women, and children from all places of the world and times in history, and they have been able to try foods from various cultures. I love how the Catholic Church is universal! Matthew Kelly wrote a book entitled Rediscover the Saints that I read last year, and I believe it has been part of a catalyst that has taken me to the next level of learning about the Saints. Celebrating saintly feast days is wonderful, but taking the time to read the actual writings of the Saints can be an even bigger game changer and blessing in your life and the lives of your family members. To date, I’ve only read the D...

Saint John Neumann

Saint John Neumann: Feast Day Jan. 5th Saint John Neumann, the first American Bishop to be canonized and Patron Saint of Catholic Education, has a special place in my heart. My late grandfather’s name was John Neumann, and when my brother was confirmed, he selected our grandfather to be his sponsor and chose Saint John Neumann as his patron. I like to reflect on the reality that as our grandfather, John Neumann, stood beside him as his sponsor, Saint John Neumann prayed in Heaven for my brother at his Confirmation. Aside from this neat family name connection with a Saint, as a former teacher I also find Saint John Neumann to be inspiring, since he helped increase the number of Catholic schools while he was Bishop of Philadelphia and brought numerous religious sisters into the schools to teach. Faith instruction of children and young people was definitely important to Saint John Neumann. If you are interested in reading more about Saint John Neumann, check out this article from Francis...

Just a Catholic Mom

Search This Blog