Category Archives: Rosary

Getting to Know Mary (And a GIVEAWAY from Trendy Traditions! NOW CLOSED)

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Haley | 56 Comments

Daniel and I both agree that getting to know the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most grace-filled aspects of our conversion to Catholicism. It was not so long ago that the idea was absolutely unfamiliar to me. I grew up in the Protestant tradition which, in my experience, completely ignored the Mother of God except during Christmas time when we were sure to mention that she was “just a regular gal! Nothing special about her! Move along, please!“

It wasn’t until college that I starting thinking about Our Lady much at all. But one day I distinctly remember being “introduced” to her. When an Eastern Orthodox housemate of mine was setting up her room and hung an icon of Madonna and Child (Our Lady of Tender Mercies) right above her bed, I asked her about it. She explained that she was devoted to Mary and that this icon was her very favorite image of Our Lady because of the tenderness of her countenance and the way she embraced the infant Christ. “It reminds me to pray and to ask her for her intercession,” she said. From further conversations about her Marian devotion, I came to understand that she had a relationship with Mary. She knew her. I was intrigued. (Fittingly, this gal’s name is Marianna Rose—I’m not even kidding. You can’t get more Marian than that!)

Image credit: Aquinasandmore.com

When I was pregnant with Benjamin I started to think about Mary more often and even started asking for her prayers for my baby and her help so I could be a good mother. But, it wasn’t until I started praying the Rosary that my relationship with Mary started to blossom. I pray it when I’m frightened, when I’m joyful, for my children, for my marriage, for our families. It is always there to catch me. During long nights with sick babies, Our Lady is there, keeping company with me and praying with me to her precious Son. When tragedy strikes and I can come up with no words of my own, I can rest on the words of the Rosary. A year and a half ago when I received the news that dear friends had lost a child, I sat down on the kitchen floor speechless. What could I say? The grief was too great to compose any words. The Rosary was there and I rested in the knowledge that Our Lady knew just how they felt: she lost her child and had to see Him suffer more deeply than any other would ever suffer. That sorrow had pierced her heart and she would understand their pain in a way that I did not.

Pope Benedict XVI has said of the Rosary:

“…the Rosary is experiencing a new Springtime. Without a doubt, this is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation can nourish for Jesus and his Mother, Mary. In the current world, so dispersive, this prayer helps to put Christ at the centre, as the Virgin did, who meditated within all that was said about her Son, and also what he did and said. When reciting the Rosary, the important and meaningful moments of salvation history are relived. The various steps of Christ’s mission are traced. With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory.”

I love the Rosary which is why I’m so excited to host a giveaway sponsored by Melanie of Trendy Traditions for one of her beautiful handmade rosaries. I’ve actually had the pleasure of praying the Rosary with Melanie, because we go to the same ladies monthly Rosary night (how apropos, right?). She contacted me about doing a giveaway before we realized that we live in the same town and have mutual friends! Then I realized that Melanie made the beautiful rosary that Lucy’s godmother, Colleen, gave her on the day of her baptism.

It has beads with her name and Melanie even attached a St. Lucy medal for our little Lucy Elanor. And it’s blue for Our Lady!

Trendy Traditions is a family business and they donate 10% of all sales to Catholic charities.

Melanie has generously offered to give away one of her beautiful personalized Our Lady of Guadalupe rosaries. This design features a large, beautiful crucifix and a center in the traditional Guadalupe image. Both are made of high-quality pewter. She will customize the rosary with the winner’s name and choice of color.

To enter (you can do any or all options for a total of 5 entries):

1. Subscribe to Carrots for Michaelmas via email (see subscription form on the upper sidebar) or via Google Reader or another RSS reader and leave a comment saying you did. (If you were subscribed via email before last week, you will have to resubscribe to the new site, sorry for the hassle!)

2. Like Carrots for Michaelmas on FB

3. Like Trendy Traditions on FB

4. Subscribe to Melanie’s blog

5. Share this giveaway on FB (or on your blog)

(Leave an additional comment for each extra entry to let us know you did)

A winner will be chosen by a random number generator on Sunday May 20, 2012 at 10pm EST.

Thank you, Trendy Traditions for this fantastic giveaway! Please check out the Trendy Traditions Etsy site to see all of the gorgeous rosaries available!

p.s. If you’re looking for a good introduction to the Rosary, I highly recommend Karen Edmisten’s The Rosary: Keeping Company With Jesus and Mary

AND THE WINNER IS….Sarah O.! Sarah, you will be hearing from Trendy Traditions very soon about personalizing your rosary and shipping to you

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Posted in catholicism, Giveaway, Our Lady, Rosary

Tagged Giveaway, marian devotion, our lady, rosary, trendy traditions

The Big Ol’ Catholic Reading List

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Haley | 18 Comments

Ok, so it’s not that big and it’s definitely not in the ballpark of comprehensive (would that even be possible?). But, in response to a reader’s request for resources on Catholic teaching, Catholic motherhood, Catholic blogs, and books that influenced our decision to convert, here’s…well, something. It’s off the top of my head with a couple suggestions and notes from Daniel. I would LOVE your suggestions and recommendations for additions!

CATHOLIC TEACHING/CATHOLIC THOUGHT:

(Daniel’s note regarding recommended reading for Catholic thought that also influenced our conversion:

“Read the Church Fathers, beginning with Ignatius of Antioch. Before I was Catholic, I thought that the Protestant Reformation was necessary because of a steady decline that had taken place in the Church from its very beginning. I thought that everything would be great if we could just get back to the Early Church. But I figured we just didn’t have a record of that time. Turns out, we do. Ignatius of Antioch lived in the first century and was martyred in the beginning of the second so his writing held a lot of weight with me. When I read his letters, I was quite surprised by what I found. Over and over again, he emphasizes loyalty to the bishops; an idea that was totally foreign to me. He spoke of the Church as a single organization with a hierarchy and chain of command. He also spoke of the Eucharist with great reverence and called it the ‘medicine of immortality.’

Continuing through the centuries… St. Augustine, St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Anselm. With these guys, it wasn’t so much a particular argument they made that drew me to the church. Instead, it was the continuity that exists over the centuries in their writings. This flew in the face of my idea that there was a ‘falling away’ from the truth. Quite the opposite, their was unbroken consistency of thought and teaching that existed from the early church all the way up to the contemporary Catholic Church. Maximus emphasizes this continuity (albeit in the 7th century).”)

A good place to start is with The Epistles of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch. There’s a good Paulist Press edition. Also worth reading are: The Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm, Confessions or the Enchiridion of Faith, Hope, and Love of St. Augustine, and Selected Writings of Maximus Confessor.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church—doesn’t get much better than this. Confession: I haven’t read the whole thing. Maybe remedying that should (obviously?) be one of my Lenten devotions.

Signs of Life by Scott Hahn—Daniel and I read this together during Lent two years ago. There are 40 chapters so it’s perfect for lenten reading. Dr. Hahn is also a convert and this book is a beautiful introduction to Catholic sacraments, sacramentals, and practices. Hahn includes many, many Scripture references in his chapters which is always helpful to those of us coming from a Protestant background.

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton—Just awesome. Everything Chesterton writes is delightfully funny and painfully true.

On Being Catholic by Thomas Howard: Written by a convert, this book explains facets of the Catholic faith and Catholic worldview and dispells minunderstandings of the Catholic faith that might arise coming from a Protestant worldview.

On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux—Following in the footsteps of St. Augustine, this medieval saint writes beautifully. I am a medievalist at heart and I just love St. Bernard. Here’s an example: “Faith certainly bids me love him all the more whom I regard as that much greater than I, for he not only gives me myself, he also gives me himself.”

Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Friday?: The Catholic Origin to Just About Everything by Michael P. Foley—Written by one of our Baylor profs, this is a delightful read.

And if you’re up for something dense but amazing—any of the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.

CONVERSIONS:

Return to Rome by Francis Beckwith—Dr. Beckwith’s story of his reversion to Catholicism after becoming Protestant and being President of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Crossing the Tiber by Stephen Ray—Part I is his conversion story from Protestantism and Parts II and III are on Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.

Confessions by St. Augustine—the ultimate conversion story.

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton—Another good conversion story highlighting the working of God’s grace guiding us, even when we are unaware.

Apologia Pro Vita Sua by the Blessed John Henry Newman—The spiritual autobiography of a former Anglican. Confession: I haven’t read this one, but Daniel really liked it.

CATHOLIC PRAYER AND DEVOTION:

St. Benedict’s Prayer Book—We love using this for morning and evening prayer for our family.

An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales—Exhortations to holiness through prayer and examination of conscience by a wonderful saint of the Church.

The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary by Karen Edmisten—Fantastic introduction to praying the Rosary. I’ve read it twice and it has helped me make the Rosary a frequent and familiar devotion in my spiritual life.

MOTHERHOOD:

Familiaris Consortio, Encyclical by the Blessed Pope John Paul II: This one definitely falls into the category of Catholic teaching but has much to say on motherhood and the family in modern life. I’m more than halfway through and loving it.

HAGIOGRAPHY:

Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset—Well-researched and beautifully written biography of St. Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset, another fellow convert to Catholicism.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, “The Dumb Ox” by G.K. Chesterton—Nobody writes biography as delightfully as Chesterton. A wonderful introduction to this great saint.

FICTION:

ANYTHING written by Flannery O’Connor. My favorite is The Violent Bear It Away.

(Daniel’s note: “This is hard to explain. Perhaps it was that she was a Southern author writing about the South. I guess she was able to translate her Catholicism into the language of my Southern Protestantism. I can’t really put my finger on it. Obviously, the sacraments are a huge part of her work, even when they are slightly hidden. There is a kind of radicalism in her stories that makes sense to me and I think is a core part of the Gospel message. There is a totality to it that I think is clearly shown in Catholic theology. She also helped me see that some of my objections to the Catholic Church were actually rooted in my modern, materialist perspective and not really in anything biblical.”) Warning: If you’ve never lived in the South…these works might be really hard to understand.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh: THE 20^th Century Catholic Novel. Wickedly funny and full of heartbreaking truth, Brideshead follows the working of God’s grace in the aristocratic Flyte family through the eyes of their friend Charles Ryder. I read it every year and the characters have become beloved companions. I can’t explain why, but I think this book influenced me to become Catholic more than any other.

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset: I’ve written about how much I love this saga before—how often do you find good medieval historical fiction? Kristin’s spiritual journey chronicled throughout the books is complex, beautiful, and worth reading.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (Daniel’s note: “I guess this is hard to explain, too. Maybe part of it was that I absolutely loved Tolkien and his worldview. So the fact that he was Catholic made me see Catholicism in a more positive light. There are also a lot of sacraments in his work. The Eucharist shows up all the time.”)

What are your suggestions for MUST-READ books and resources on Catholic faith?

(p.s. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a copy of the clothbound Penguin classic edition of Pride and Prejudice! It ends tomorrow at noon!)

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting me!

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Posted in Books, Husband, Prayers, Rosary, Saints

Tagged books, Catholicism, church fathers, conversion, faith

October: The Rosary

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Haley | 1 Comment

Each month of the year has a special emphasis in the Church Calendar and October is dedicated to the Rosary. Growing up Protestant, I was taught to be concerned by ‘rote’ prayers which lead to spiritual dryness and to instead use my own words in order to be more ‘authentic’ and ‘genuine.’ Yet, as I have been exposed to ancient prayers, I have found them not rote, but rhythmic, and not dry, but life-giving. I find great freedom in praying the words of the saints prayed by the faithful for centuries instead of making up my own words spontaneously. This is partly due to my lack of creativity when praying. If I depend on my own words, they usually are exactly the same as the last time, but they aren’t as rich or beautiful as more ancient prayers like the Rosary.

While praying each decade of the Rosary (a decade is an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be) you are to meditate on one of the Holy Mysteries, such as the Annunciation or the Visitation. Familiarity with the prayers allows you to move beyond the words you are praying to scenes in the life of Christ and of his Mother, Mary. It becomes like a stained-glass window illuminating a scene from the Gospel as you view it. The more I pray the Rosary, the more layers I see unfolding. It is a rich prayer that never grows dull.

An excellent introduction to the Rosary is by Karen Edmisten, also a Catholic convert, called The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary. It discusses theological and devotional aspects as well as practical methods of incorporating the Rosary into busy modern life.

Being unfamiliar with the Hail Mary until a couple of years ago, I was unaware that the first three lines are actually Scripture (the Gospel of Luke). The last two lines are a request for prayer. One of the most beautiful aspects of the Hail Mary is that the name of Our Lord Jesus is at the very center of the prayer:

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

Pope Benedict XVI has said of the Rosary:

Together we confirm that the Holy Rosary is not a pious practice banished to the past, like prayers of other times thought of with nostalgia. Instead, the Rosary is experiencing a new Springtime. Without a doubt, this is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother, Mary. In the current world, so dispersive, this prayer helps to put Christ at the centre, as the Virgin did, who meditated within all that was said about her Son, and also what he did and said. When reciting the Rosary, the important and meaningful moments of salvation history are relived. The various steps of Christ’s mission are traced. With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory. May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace emanating from these mysteries, so that through us we can “water” society, beginning with our daily relationships, and purifying them from so many negative forces, thus opening them to the newness of God. The Rosary, when it is prayed in an authentic way, not mechanical and superficial but profoundly, it brings, in fact, peace and reconciliation. It contains within itself the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the centre of each “Hail Mary”.

I’m trying to make the Rosary part of our daily routine, particularly during this month of October, but am more often than not failing to make it happen. Whenever we do incorporate it into our day (usually evening when Daddy is home) it is centering and a rich blessing.

Benjamin calls it a “reereeree.” I’d like to start praying a decade with him everyday. Right now we pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be just before bed but I think he might be ready to lengthen that prayer time little by little.