40 Bags Inspiration from the Gospel

Last Lent I mentioned this same scripture as something of an inspiration for this challenge.  I found it rather fitting that this was the scripture reading the last Sunday of Ordinary Time.  I meant to write about this earlier, but alas the day to day activity of a young family prohibited it.  So here is my inspiration for our continued journey to de-clutter this Lent.  

Gospel MT 6:24-34

Jesus said to his disciples:
“No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

Much of our life revolves around our quality of life.  For many of us this quality of life centers around our house, our belongings, our clothing and for our little children the number of toys they have compared to their siblings.  As the gospel points out we cannot serve two masters.  So the question is, are we serving our desire's hold over us to attain a certain status with stuff, or are we serving our Lord with the blessings he has gifted us.  

So this Lent, as I've mentioned before, I'm eliminating duplicates.  I have two knife stands on my counter.  Do I need both?  NO!  I do use knives from both, but I can get by with one so another family can use the one I don't NEED.  My closet has a couple of items that look similar.  Do I need both of them or are they similar enough to be interchangeable?  My children have too many toys.  Does my son really need matchbox cars and the Tonka cars?  No.  So I will be teaching my children the lesson of simplifying our lives.  

Good luck on your 40 Bags.  I hope you are able to use this as a teaching/evangelizing lesson for your family or community.  

Novena for Couples Trying to Conceive - Day 9

Novena to St. Anne,

the Mother of the Virgin Mary

Day 9

 

First, recite this prayer. 

Glorious St. Anne,

filled with compassion for those who invoke you,

with love for those who suffer,

heavily laden with the weight of my troubles,

I knee at your feet and humbly beg you

to take my present need under your special protection...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter,

the Blessed Virgin Mary,

and lay it before the throne of Jesus.

Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.

Above all, obtain for me the grace to one day meet God face to face,

and with you and Mary and all the angels

and saints praising Him through all eternity.

Amen

Daily Prayer

Most holy mother of the Virgin Mary,

glorious Saint Anne, I, a miserable sinner,

confiding in your kindness,

choose you today as my special advocate.

I offer and consecrate my person

and all my interests to your care and maternal solicitude.

I hope To serve you and honor you all my life

for the love of your most holy daughter

and to do all in my power to spread devotion to you.

O my very good mother and advocate,

deign to accept me as your servant,

and to adopt me as you child.

O glorious Saint Anne, I beg you,

by the passion of my most loving Jesus,

the Son of Mary, your most holy daughter,

to assist me in all the necessities

both of my body and my soul.

Venerable Mother,

I beg you to obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

and the grace of leading a life perfectly conformable

in all things to the divine will.

I place my soul in your hands

and in those of your kind daughter.

I confide it to you,

above all at the moment

when it will be to separate itself from my body in order that,

appearing under your patronage before the Supreme Judge,

He may find it worthy of enjoying His Divine Presence

in your holy companionship in Heaven.

Amen.

Recite the...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Pray for us, Saint Anne!

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Novena for Couples Trying to Conceive - Day 8

Novena to St. Anne,

the Mother of the Virgin Mary

Day 8

First, recite this prayer. 

Glorious St. Anne,

filled with compassion for those who invoke you,

with love for those who suffer,

heavily laden with the weight of my troubles,

I knee at your feet and humbly beg you

to take my present need under your special protection...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter,

the Blessed Virgin Mary,

and lay it before the throne of Jesus.

Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.

Above all, obtain for me the grace to one day meet God face to face,

and with you and Mary and all the angels

and saints praising Him through all eternity.

Amen

Daily Prayer

 

Remember, O Saint Anne,

you whose name signifies grace and mercy,

that never was it known

that anyone who fled to your protection,

implored your help,

and sought your intercession was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence,

I fly unto you, good, and kind mother;

I take refuge at your feet,

burdened with the weight of my sins.

O holy mother of the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

despise not my petition...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

 

but hear me and grant my prayer.

Amen.

 

Recite the...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Pray for us, Saint Anne!

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Novena for Couples Trying to Conceive - Day 7

Novena to St. Anne,

the Mother of the Virgin Mary

Day 7

First, recite this prayer. 

Glorious St. Anne,

filled with compassion for those who invoke you,

with love for those who suffer,

heavily laden with the weight of my troubles,

I knee at your feet and humbly beg you

to take my present need under your special protection...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter,

the Blessed Virgin Mary,

and lay it before the throne of Jesus.

Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.

Above all, obtain for me the grace to one day meet God face to face,

and with you and Mary and all the angels

and saints praising Him through all eternity.

Amen

 

Daily Prayer

 

O Good Saint Anne,

so justly called the mother of the infirm,

the cure for those who suffer from disease,

look kindly upon the sick for whom I pray;

alleviate their sufferings;

cause them to sanctify their sufferings by patience

and complete submission to the divine will;

finally deign to obtain health for them

and with it the firm resolution to honor Jesus, Mary,

and yourself by the faithful performance of duties.

But, merciful Saint Anne,

I ask you above all for the salvation of my soul,

rather than bodily health,

for I am convinced that this fleeting life is given us

solely to assure us a better one.

Now, we cannot obtain that better life

without the help of God’s graces.

I earnestly beg them of you for the sick and for myself,

especially the petition for which I am making in this novena...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through the intercession of His Immaculate Mother,

and through the efficacious and powerful mediation.

O glorious Saint Anne,

Amen.

Recite the...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Pray for us, Saint Anne!

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Novena for Couples Trying to Conceive - Day 6

Novena to St. Anne,

the Mother of the Virgin Mary

 

Day 6

First, recite this prayer. 

Glorious St. Anne,

filled with compassion for those who invoke you,

with love for those who suffer,

heavily laden with the weight of my troubles,

I knee at your feet and humbly beg you

to take my present need under your special protection...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.

Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter,

the Blessed Virgin Mary,

and lay it before the throne of Jesus.

Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.

Above all, obtain for me the grace to one day meet God face to face,

and with you and Mary and all the angels

and saints praising Him through all eternity.

Amen

Daily Prayer

Glorious Saint Anne,

mother of the Mother of God,

I beg you to obtain through your powerful intercession

the pardon of my sins and the assistance I need in my troubles...

Catherine & Edgar Valles

Valerie & Sam Budnick

Janay & Toure Delaney
Teresa & Stuart Horton

Those wishing to remain anonymous

and all couples trying to conceive children.


What can I not hope for

if you deign to take me under your protection?

The Most High has been please to grant the prayers of sinners,

whenever you have been charitable enough to be their advocate.

Kneeling at your feet,

I beg you to help me in all spiritual and temporal dangers;

to guide me in the true path of Christian perfection,

and finally to obtain for me

the grace of ending my life with the death of the just,

so that I may contemplate face to face your beloved Jesus

and daughter Mary in your loving companionship throughout eternity.

Amen.

Recite the...

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be to the Father...

Pray for us, Saint Anne!

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.