Professional Prayer Warriors

Posted on by
1

Christians frequently ask each other for prayers, particularly in difficult situations.  Consider the Catholic cloistered nuns who dedicate themselves to prayer for the entire world.  They are definitely professional prayer warriors!  One particular order of Poor Clare nuns outside of Phoenix, AZ, has made themselves especially available to pray for anyone and everything.  You can go to this link, leave a petition, and know that the nuns will pray for you.  Since most of us don’t live near their convent, the online petition is the next best thing.  Besides, infertility and its many crosses definitely need prayer support.  Let these holy professionals pray for you!!

Our Lady of Akita pray for us…

Posted on by
Reply
Eucharistic Prayer of Our Lady of Akita 

 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist,

I consecrate my body and my soul to be entirely one with Your Heart

being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and

 giving praise to the Father, pleading for the coming of His Kingdom.

Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will 

for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls.
Most holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your 
Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child.

Amen. 
Please offer all of your sufferings, your infertility, your loses  and all the sufferings God has aloud within your family.  Unite them all to Jesus Christ Crucified, you will find peace only in Jesus.

The Bracelet

Posted on by
1

By Sue Elvis

We were anxious for Thomas to be baptised as soon as possible after his birth but the sacrament had to be delayed until he had been placed on a ventilator in the neonatal intensive care unit, and his condition had been assessed as stable. By this time, I had been moved to the maternity unit and it was Andy who arranged for the priest to come and baptise our son.
Father C placed a small white garment over our newborn baby, carefully avoiding all the wires and the tubes. And then with a sprinkle of holy water, together with the words, “I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, Thomas’ soul was filled with God’s life. He was given two Godmothers: my sister Vicky and my friend Cheri, and we all prayed that they’d be given the opportunity to guide and care for him here on earth. We all hoped his body would become as strong with life as his soul. But it was not to be. After a fleeting moment of life, just 28 hours after being born, Thomas left us and his Godparents, and joined God in Heaven.
Cheri was already the Godmother of our daughter Charlotte, who was two when Thomas died. We all realised Charlotte would grow up without any memories of her little brother. Thinking about this, Cheri decided to create a special bond between her two Godchildren, to hold them together despite the lack of memories. She wanted to give Charlotte something very special that would remind her that Thomas is alive in Heaven praying for his big sister.
When we went to the ‘viewing’ at the funeral home to see Thomas one last time before his funeral, Cheri brought along her gift for Charlotte. It was a delicate gold bracelet with a name engraved upon it. It was going to be Charlotte’s bracelet but the name on it was ‘Thomas’.
Cheri cradled Thomas in her arms, placed the bracelet on our son and we photographed Godmother and Godson for the first and last time.  Then she gave the bracelet to me for safekeeping: “Now Charlotte has a relic of her little brother which she can keep forever.”
The bracelet is not an everyday piece of jewellery. I keep it in my jewellery box and Charlotte wears it on very special occasions… like on her First Holy Communion Day when Thomas’ prayers joined ours as she received Our Lord for the first time.
Last September at the annual homeschooling camp, one of the fathers gave the girls a talk about relics. Mr D is well known for his interesting and stimulating talks on the faith, and I knew my girls would enjoy his class.
Charlotte came running up to me as soon as the class finished, eager to share what she’d learnt:  “We learnt all about relics today! We learnt how a relic can be a part of a saint like his hair or a bone or it can be something that belonged to and touched a saint like a habit… or it can be something that has been touched to a relic of a saint. And I told Mr D I have a relic of Thomas: Thomas’ bracelet that touched him and is now mine. Can I take it tomorrow and show everyone?” And so the precious bracelet was once again removed from my jewellery box and shared with the girls of Mr D’s class.
Charlotte is now 13. I guess I could give her the bracelet but she is quite content to leave it in my care. She knows she would be very upset if it ever got lost and she isn’t quite ready to take that risk upon herself. But one day the bracelet will be all hers.
The bracelet is treasured because it is associated with our child. It reminds us that Thomas is in the presence of God where he can intercede for us. Our son, our saint in Heaven, is praying for the special people in his life: his parents, his Godmothers, his sister Charlotte and all his family. And that is a real blessing.
Thank you Cheri, my dear friend. You used that short moment of time we had with Thomas to turn a bracelet into a relic, a precious bond between brother and sister.
Please share my stories at Sue Elvis Writes

Prayer is the light of the soul

Posted on by
Reply

The highest good is prayer and conversation with God, because it means that we are in God’s company and in union with him. When light enters our bodily eyes our eyesight is sharpened; when a soul is intent on God, God’s inextinguishable light shines into it and makes it bright and clear. I am talking, of course, of prayer that comes from the heart and not from routine: not the prayer that is assigned to particular days or particular moments in time, but the prayer that happens continuously by day and by night.

  Indeed the soul should not only turn to God at times of explicit prayer. Whatever we are engaged in, whether it is care for the poor, or some other duty, or some act of generosity, we should remember God and long for God. The love of God will be as salt is to food, making our actions into a perfect dish to set before the Lord of all things. Then it is right that we should receive the fruits of our labours, overflowing onto us through all eternity, if we have been offering them to him throughout our lives.

  Prayer is the light of the soul, true knowledge of God, a mediator between God and men. Prayer lifts the soul into the heavens where it hugs God in an indescribable embrace. The soul seeks the milk of God like a baby crying for the breast. It fulfils its own vows and receives in exchange gifts better than anything that can be seen or imagined.

  Prayer is a go-between linking us to God. It gives joy to the soul and calms its emotions. I warn you, though: do not imagine that prayer is simply words. Prayer is the desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not given by man but brought about by God’s grace. As St Paul says: For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself intercedes on our behalf in a way that could never be put into words.

  If God gives to someone the gift of such prayer, it is a gift of imperishable riches, a heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. Whoever tastes that food catches fire and his soul burns for ever with desire for the Lord.

  To begin on this path, start by adorning your house with modesty and humility. Make it shine brightly with the light of justice. Decorate it with the gold leaf of good works, with the jewels of faithfulness and greatness of heart. Finally, to make the house perfect, raise a gable above it all, a gable of prayer. Thus you will have prepared a pure and sparkling house for the Lord. Receive the Lord into this royal and splendid dwelling — in other words: receive, by his grace, his image into the temple of your soul.

Source: http://www.universalis.com/

PREEMIE PRINTS Part III: VISIONS AND FUTURE DREAMS

Posted on by
Reply

I close my eyes and see myself waking up on Christmas morning to deliver handmade ornaments to surrounding NICU’s. I see Preemie Prints serving dinners and breakfasts to families and hosting “NICU Night Outs” where moms and dads can take a break from the hospital and visit with other parents going through a similar experience. I see us helping families with hotel rentals and transportation costs when they are stretched to the max financially because of their NICU bills. I see us honoring the nurses and Doctors who do so much for these tiny babies. I see the Lord expanding this organization to other areas and states where NICU grad parents can get involved. I envision NICU grad families empowered with the spirit, and I hope to encourage them to use it to help others just starting their journey. 




Somewhere deep in my thoughts, I see this quaint comforting cottage style house for parents of preemies. Not a sterile hospital environment but a warm and cozy house within minutes of their babies. I see breakfast served every morning, a pumping room for moms, a prayer room, a NICU and Preemie library, computers, hammocks, and peaceful sleeping quarters. I see a place specifically for these families to utilize while they are away from home yearning to remain very close to their preemies. Looking back to our NICU stay, I remember holding one of my twins and a mom sharing our room was crying. I asked her if she was ok and she said yes but she lived 3 hours away and wouldn’t be able to return for a few days. I can’t imagine that, thankfully I lived only 20 minutes away, but that situation exists and sadly happens all of the time. Ultimately we also hope to fund medical research for preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality where life and the research are equal in priority. I thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to present Preemie Prints to you and to share some of my dreams. I ask that you consider us the next time you choose a charity to support and more than that I ask that you read through our website and pray for us. Please visit our prayer page at help pray for premature babies who are fighting for their lives as I type this. God bless each of you!




Preemie Prints is a non profit organization offering information, support, complimentary photography, gift bags, and prayer to families who have a premature or ill baby in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Preemie Prints Part II: Our mission and what we are doing now

Posted on by
1

I look at what lays ahead and the responsibility that comes along with what we are doing, and all I can do is thank the Lord that I have him to guide and lean on. I don’t have to be overwhelmed with anything. I take everything, except the prayer and support, lightly. My motto is trust in the Lord and what is meant to be will be. So as I write “my vision” for Preemie Prints please remember this is only what I see when I close my eyes. It may be God’s vision or The Spirit may have different plans entirely.  I am perfectly at peace to wait and see!







The mission of Preemie Prints is to share hope with moms and families who have a premature or sick baby in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Merriam’s definition of hope is “to cherish a desire with anticipation, to expect with confidence”. I feel that defines our mission perfectly which is why after much prayer I chose to focus on the word hope. Hope is what these moms and families need to hold on to. We want to encourage moms, bring a smile to their face, listen to them, and in the midst of their “roller coaster of emotions” we want to make sure they remain hopeful even when faced with an extremely serious and scary situation. I know that is easier said than done, but that is why organizations like ours exist. The nurses in a NICU are wonderful but really their purpose is to provide care for the baby. A hospital may have one or two social workers on staff but their time is spread thin. We exist, guided by the Lord, as advocates for the families and especially the moms! 







We offer 5 ways to share hope through Preemie Prints. The first way is information. Each mom will feel more involved and more like parenting in a NICU situation if they are informed. Most moms have just delivered a baby naturally or by csection, hormones are raging, moms are often on medication, extremely fatigued, and yet expected to bond with their baby. The last thing thing on their mind is researching NICU information. However, if they were provided with it, they would really be more equipped and better able to face this time in their life. We help by having the most up to date information all in one place on our information blog and included in an information binder in their NICU gift bag, which they are provided upon their baby’s admittance. The gift bag contains many items to help transition mom and baby into the NICU. Another way we offer hope is through the gift of complimentary photography to help preserve memories. A mom’s experience in a NICU with her premature baby will empower her for the rest of her life. Pictures will help to keep the experience from fading away and also are therapeutic during the time they are their. Pictures help with bonding, help to later decrease postpardum depression, and can even help with milk production when a mom can’t be with her baby. We really encourage moms to take pictures along their journey. Next is our support system which is made up of one on one meetings with moms, a support group, message board, online chat by appointment, facebook page, and emails that can be sent anytime of day. Last but certainly most important is prayer. We have a prayer page  that we invite all families with a premature baby to utilize and we invite everyone reading this to join in prayer with us. I have established a large network of prayer partners nation wide who are checking our prayer page daily and praying for our babies. The Lord truly created this page for preemies. I hope one day we are praying for babies world wide. 


HOPE THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY, SUPPORT, AND PRAYER!