Gratitude for God
Posted on September 29, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Kristy Solis
Back to school and time for school pictures. My daughter came home from school with her school pictures, handed them to me and said, “I do not like my pictures.”
As her mother, I may be biased, nonetheless, the pictures are beautiful. My daughter could not even tell me why she did not like the pictures; she just thought they could be better. Read More
Holy Guardian Angels: Helpers at Our Side
Posted on September 27, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Lisa Janusa
Is the Holy Guardian Angel prayer just for children? Definitely not!
As Catholic children, we were taught this simple prayer:
“Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here.
Ever this day, be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.”
This prayer is for all ages. As a mother and grandparent, I have seen and appreciate the gift of the Holy Guardian angels for myself, my children and my grandchildren.
The Catholic Catechism #336 teaches us of the constant love and protection our guardian angels provide from conception until our final breath. God gives this incredible guardian with heavenly qualities to each human being.
Guardian angels are part of the ninth choir of angels and are pure spirits not limited by space or time. They are constantly in prayer and adoration before the throne of God. Their vision far surpasses ours, and their movement is as fast as thought. Simultaneously, while in heaven, they remain constantly at our side on earth. They cannot read minds, but they can learn through observation how best to assist us.
How do we communicate with the angels and they to us? Our guardian angel speaks to us through our conscience. Have you ever experienced a thought out of the blue to pray for a particular person or an impulse to do some charitable act? Did you ever get an ominous feeling that you needed to avoid going somewhere planned and learned later you avoided harm? I believe the Guardian Angels may have been at work.
They can assist parents with their Holy Light to properly form their children’s conscience. Parents can invoke the Holy Guardian Angels of their children at the beginning of each day and can call on the angels to assist them as they lead and guide their children to God. Parents can also pray the prayer with their children to create awareness of this constant companion that God designed angel just for them and how this angel understands them best and is happy to help any time when request by prayer.
Guardian angels can also help parents be more loving and patient with their children and give insight to what is really going on in their child’s troubled mind when they are struggling.
I suggest sharing stories about how guardian angels have been involved in saints’ lives. For example, St. Padre Pio had a close relationship since childhood with his guardian angel. When he became a priest, angel helped him as translators when people worldwide went to him for confession. Many people became his spiritual children; he instructed them to send their guardian angel to him if they had any need. Many of these requests were answered in miraculous ways.
Holy Guardian angels are ready, willing and eager to bless each of us and ultimately help us reach our heavenly eternal home.
I pray that you won’t miss the opportunity to make these angelic intercessors your friends.
Be careful what your kids watch
Posted on September 25, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Kim Roberts
After reading a Facebook post about a new cartoon entitled “Little Demon,” which was billed as a Disney show, I decided I needed to see what all the outrage was about.
While this is not actually a “Disney” show, per se, it falls under the umbrella of companies they own.
It is an adult cartoon about Satan and his daughter, who is the anti-Christ, and her mother.
I fear that messages that bring Satan into our everyday life, like it’s ok to coexist with him, are confusing to children and all together wrong.
Parents need to be vigilant about this type of careless messaging that glorifies Satan.
To Mark the Days and Seasons
Posted on September 22, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Phillip Garside
As the school year amps up, having multiple children in multiple schools means that multi-tier schedules are reasserting their dominance over our digital calendars.
Society is geared to the individual, not the community. Unchecked, society’s incursion onto our family digital calendar will tear the family in 16 different directions. Our calendars can become overbearing taskmasters when one child is at a sport, another’s aftercare has a shelf life, a third gets an unexpected invite, and one parent has a semi-regular late meeting. Read More
How Can We All Rise to the Occasion
Posted on September 20, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Ty Salvant
Children do what you do, not what you say.
We have all heard that and understand it to some extent. However, sometimes we forget just how much and what our children observe.
When we eat the bag of cookies, they are watching. When we are unkind to a friend or family member, they are watching. When we binge-watch a series one weekend, they are watching. When we project an unhealthy or unrealistic image of marriage, they are watching. Read More
Returning a Smile
Posted on September 18, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Charla Misse
I’m a smiler. I smile at people when I am running, driving, shopping … Basically, if a person is within my vicinity, I am going to smile at them for no reason other than them just being there.
No matter what is happening in my own world, I want to emanate “love.” Read More
Mary, Our Heavenly Mother
Posted on September 16, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Charlotte Phillips
On Sept. 8, the church celebrated the birthday of Mary. Growing up Catholic, our household said many of Hail Mary’s. And, growing up in a Dominican church and school parish, the rosary was often said at school, too.
As I have gotten older and become a mother myself, my devotion to Mary has shifted from a devotion filled with Hail Mary’s to a true relationship with our heavenly mother. Read More
Safe Environment
Posted on September 15, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Stacy LaMorte
If you are blessed to get to volunteer at your child’s school in any capacity, did you know that you must go through Safe Environment training through the Archdiocese of New Orleans? It’s a requirement for all adult volunteers, with a renewal every three years. Read More
Miracles are holy whispers from God
Posted on September 14, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Vivian Marino
Right before school starts is generally when I set aside time to empty out the backpacks from the previous school year. And, yes, I am late to the game.
I throw away notebooks and take out looseleaf from binders, with hopes of salvaging some of the supplies so the kids can reuse them. Read More
God, how can I build your cathedral today?
Posted on September 8, 2022 1 Comment
By Gina Sternfels
At a recent Catholic conference, I was reminded of the story of the three brick layers that resonated with me.
A man walked up to the men working. He asked the first man what he was doing, and his response was, “I am laying bricks.” Next, he asked the second man, who replied, “I am putting up a wall.” Then, he asked the third man the same question. His answer was, “I am building a cathedral.” Read More
Arrange time for fun during the school year
Posted on September 6, 2022 Leave a Comment
By Gavin Lewis
Summer is over, and so is the fun … or is it???
As summer comes to an end, we are pushing our kids to shift their mindset away from the playful days of the summer. We implore them to stop eating all the food from the refrigerator all day (maybe it’s just my kids, lol) and move towards being prepared to learn a world of new information. Read More
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