Daily Prayer (original publish date 2/15/2017)

Statistics show that Christian women pray daily more often then men at a difference of 61% to 51%. That is taking 53 countries into consideration. On average, Jewish men of Israel pray more than women at 34% vs 20%. In the U.S. and other countries, Jewish men and women daily prayer schedules are about the same at 71% and 72%. In the vast majority of countries surveyed, 34 out of 40, Muslim men and women prayed about the same amount of time, however, the men are more likely to attend weekly or daily service.

On average, the Jewish people pray 3 times a day. Shacharit (Morning service) varies by day:
Monday and Thursday mornings around 45 minutes
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday around 30 minutes
Minchah (Afternoon service) about 15 minutes
Ma'ariv (Evening service) about 20 minutes 

Muslims pray 5 times a day for about 7 minutes each time, but prepare for each appointed time as well.

Catholics are called to pray several times throughout a day.  Some of the prayers they may say are morning Lauds, prayer before and after meals, The Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy at 3:00 P.M. daily, Act of Contrition and evening prayer. If one was to say all of these prayers the average amount of time spent in prayer, daily, would be a little over an hour. The average amount of time spent in prayer, for the majority of people that associate themselves as Catholics, is 5 minutes a day. That's just heartbreaking.

55% of Americans say they pray every day. 21% said they pray weekly or monthly. 23% said they do not pray at all or rarely do. People over 65 are more likely to pray than those under 30 with a whopping difference of 65% to 41%.

Fascinating isn't it? Statistics also show that people are more likely to pray in a crisis, then when things are going smoothly. 

As Lent is fast approaching for the Christians around the world, I think it is time for all of us to take an inventory of our daily prayer life. The world is in a sad state of affairs and, quite frankly, I am really sick from the hatred. I am sure that you are too. Prayer brings an inner peace and a centering to people, or at least I find it does with me. If you think that you do not have time in your daily life to pray, think again. I used to pray to and from work. You can do it while exercising (take your earbuds out or get an app with the rosary.) You can do it while doing your dishes or cleaning up after the kids. You can pray standing in line at the supermarket, riding in a cab, bus, subway, during your lunch break. Be creative in finding ways you can incorporate it into your own life. 

At 3:00 P.M. Every day, stop and take 3 seconds to close your eyes and say, "Jesus, I trust in you." (I mean that 3 seconds in the literal sense). I might add that if radical groups are spending more time in prayer than you are, you really may want to reconnect with God and increase your time spent with Him every day. You cannot fight evil intent without the presence of God in your life.

We have some beautiful Catholic and Christian prayers on our Prayer Page if you need some assistance in getting started and learning the prayers. The link is:  https://gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page

Have a beautiful week.

Peace,
Mare

**Statistics are from various Pew Research Center articles.

Let the Children Come to Me

Well, my challenging year seems to be continuing. Since my last blog post, I have lost a very good friend of mine that I've known since childhood and have had pneumonia and a few secondary infections and things that have sidelined me. Through it all, though, I did have some wonderful moments where I saw and talked to good friends, old friends and family members and that is always a great thing, don't you think? Some days I do feel adrift, from the loss and recoveries, but to be honest I do have a very solid prayer life and that always keeps me centered when I take the time each day to say them. I also belong to an on-line novena group that delivers them right to my email address. If you are interested in receiving them as well, visit www.PrayMoreNovenas.com and sign up for them. Another great thing I do for myself is I have the readings of the day delivered right to my email address. You can get them as well by visiting http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings. 

 

Now you too have a few wonderful sources to help you meditate on the readings of the day and enrich your own prayer life. 

 

Over the course of this year I have a had a few people comment on my faith. Some acknowledge how strong it is and others say they wish theirs was as strong. Do you want me to let you in on my secret? I'm nobody special. The only water I can walk on is the same kind that everyone else can walk on, it's called ice. My secret can be summed up into a few short, but powerful, words:

 

Let Go, and Let God.

 

Trust in Him and let Him work in your life. Let's face it, left to our own devices we can and do make some really stupid mistakes. I know I have. To me, the Serenity Prayer hits the sentiment right on the nose when it says, ""God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;  courage to change the things I can;  and wisdom to know the difference."

Certain things in life you can't change and those are the things that you leave up to God. I was just thinking of when I was lying in the hospital for the umpteenth time this past March, with an I.V. attached to my arm and the antibiotic starting to course through my vein, thinking of my own mortality. I was receiving the best medical care, but, that doesn't always conclude with a restoration of health. People die all the time when they seem to be responding to treatments and doing well. When illness strikes  that is the perfect time to surrender yourself totally and completely to Him. If you are meant to be healed, then you will be healed. If not, offer your suffering up to Him for all of the stupid mistakes aka sins, that you have done in the past. It is purifying. That's where the wisdom part comes in. Seek medical attention if you feel something is wrong physically or mentally. God does work through healers but also trust in Him that what is going to happen to you is meant to be. God doesn't make mistakes. People suffer and die. It is part of the human experience but that doesn't mean that we do it alone. God is always with us, even when we don't feel that He is.

I loved the Gospel reading from May 26th. It was Mark 10:13-16: 

 

"People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them."

 

 

 

Well, what do children do? Children have open hearts and minds and rely solely on their parents or caregivers to provide everything that they need. Since it is physically impossible to go from child to adult to child again (unless you are Benjamin Button), we must do it mentally and spiritually. We must rely on God our Father to guide us in our decisions with the same childlike faith that we had in our parents as ankle-biters. I'm not going to lie, as an adult it is very difficult to do. When you are facing job loss or dwindling finances or lack of food it IS hard to not feel despair, but if you believe in the Lord with all of your heart and mind and proclaim that the Lord will provide, He will provide.  The Lord hears all prayer. The Lord answers all prayer. Just know that your answer and His answer may not be the same. Of course Jesus just loves children too but the scripture meaning is so much deeper than that.

 

Allow yourself to Let Go and Let God into your life. Enrich your relationship with Him, through His word and your prayer life. Trust in Him with a child-like faith and unconditional love. Again, I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm very much a work in progress, but I have found that letting go and letting God has increased my faith and conviction in Him tenfold and if I could change my life, then anyone can.

Peace, joy and love to you all.

Mare

Forgive Us, Our Trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us....

Can you imagine if God did that?

Yesterday I was reading the sermon on the mount for the umpteenth time and, as you all know, that is when Jesus taught us not only about the Beatitudes but also the proper way to pray to our Father. Today, I heard a beautiful homily about love, mercy and the power of forgiveness.  Jesus was very clear in His teachings about forgiveness, mercy and judgment. He wasn't fooling around when he said judge ~ lest you be judged. He wasn't kidding around when Peter asked him, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother who has sinned against me? Up to seven times?" The Lord answered, "I tell you not just seven times but seventy times seven." (That's because to infinity and beyond wasn't coined yet). We are called to forgive others; ALL those that have sinned against us, time and time again. It really doesn't have an expiration date, except for yours, and trust me when I say at that point it's too late generally.

It occurred to me that the Our Father is really a prayer that shows the incredible faith that God has in humanity when he creates us in our Mother's wombs and puts us on this earth. The words that we utter in that glorious prayer are an oath to God that we WILL forgive everyone,  just as He forgives us. We will love them all just as He loves us and we will do that for not only our friends and family but our enemies as well. When we utter that prayer we are making a promise to God that we will forgive them for the nit picky sins against us, the medium-sized sins and the mega, earth shattering stuff as well.

Can you imagine what it would be like if God actually did forgive us the way that we forgive others? Holy Moly, we would be in big trouble. God sees all and knows what we are going to do before we do it. The very good news is that God does forgive us our trespasses even though we are not very adept at forgiving others. All we have to do is ask God for forgiveness, with a sincere and contrite heart.

May we ALL strive to live up to the oath that we pray to our Father. Let us lift up our hearts and minds to Him and truly forgive those that have trespassed against us. May they do the same for us. God has faith in us all to do just that.

Peace,

Mare

Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and the Light

Economical White Rosary

People that I know often say to me, "you're so religious." I'm sure some of them are thinking more along the lines of gees she is such a zealot!! She's trying to push her religious agenda on me! Hoo boy, she has really gone off the deep end. She is a nut ball! Someone actually contacted Tom, when I first started out on Facebook (personal page), and asked him if there was something wrong with me. I can say I was amused and a bit annoyed by that but que sera sera.

Well, I guess I can say I have a little bit of all of the above in me but most of all I am now, what I would call, a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I love Him, totally and completely. I am in love with Him and His heart, soul, grace, patience, peace, forgiveness, and unending love. I am awed by His sacrifice for me. I am moved by His healing presence and the way that He can give me calm in the middle of chaos. I am inspired by the simple stories that he tells that can teach me so much when my eyes and ears are opened up to the message by the Holy Spirit. I am loved, beyond my wildest dreams. Just like everyone else I want to share my love for Him, just as someone else wants to share their love of their spouse, their children and grandchildren and even their pets. Sure, I love my family as much as the rest of you, but I have come to a place in my life where there is no Him and me when it comes to Jesus. It is us.

A few years ago He gave me a job to do. He told me, "woman, I want you to bring prayer to those that no longer come to My Father's house." That was in July of 2008 and from that experience Glory Glory Gifts was born. I think it is only by divine intervention that we (GGG) are not only still here but growing by leaps and bounds every year. I think that I can safely say that as of this month we have brought prayer to close to a million people via this blog, the website prayer page, Facebook, Pinterest and prayer cards sold or included with purchases. That's a heck of a lot of people. I'll let you in on a little secret. There has to be some divine intervention in this teeny, tiny, business because I'm one of those people that starts out gang busters with something new and as time passes it dwindles and fades away. It has been the complete opposite with this. In fact, I am more driven to share prayers of all kinds and Jesus with anyone that is in need. It is my goal to bring as many people as I can to my beautiful Savior so that they can feel as fulfilled and loved as I do.

It seems that so many people are in need of Him these days. The weekend was a prime example of how much hate and evil is in our country. Our world, and nation, is in desperate need of prayer and peace, or at least an end to violence, in our communities. Jesus is a man of love and peace. A heart that is filled with Him and His teachings, has no room for hatred.

If you would like me to assist you in finding your way to Christ through prayer, please reach out to me. If you are looking for prayer aids, GGG has affordable prayer beads that can be purchased through the website, or if you have financial difficulty, we have plastic ones available that you just pay shipping on. If you would like me to pray for you, please send me a private message and I will include your prayer intention in my weekly prayers in front of the Blessed Sacrament. We, at GGG, will be more than happy to assist any of you that are seeking a way to Jesus. Please reach out to us. I'm not a trained anything when it comes to theology, but I am a firm believer in prayer and in using it for healing and peace through Jesus Christ.

Here's a beautiful prayer that I created for myself that centers me and gives me peace. You can use a one-decade rosary or a five-decade rosary to say it. It is quite easy and focuses on Jesus. 

One decade rosary- Say an "Our Father" on the crucifix and on the Pater Noster bead. Say, "Jesus, I trust in You," on the 10 smaller beads (aka the Hail Mary beads). Repeat this 4 more times and end the prayer with the "Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen. 

On a five-decade rosary do the same, only just continue to the next bead in succession. In both instances you will have said 7 "Our Father" prayers and 53 "Jesus, I trust in You." 

Please feel free to reach out to us too. God bless and have a peaceful week.

Mare

Daily Prayer

"Grace" by Eric Enstrom

Statistics show that Christian women pray daily more often then men at a difference of 61% to 51%. That is taking 53 countries into consideration. On average, Jewish men of Israel pray more than women at 34% vs 20%. In the U.S. and other countries, Jewish men and women daily prayer schedules are about the same at 71% and 72%. In the vast majority of countries surveyed, 34 out of 40, Muslim men and women prayed about the same amount of time, however, the men are more likely to attend weekly or daily service.

On average, the Jewish people pray 3 times a day. Shacharit (Morning service) varies by day:
Monday and Thursday mornings around 45 minutes
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday around 30 minutes
Minchah (Afternoon service) about 15 minutes
Ma'ariv (Evening service) about 20 minutes 

Muslims pray 5 times a day for about 7 minutes each time, but prepare for each appointed time as well.

Catholics are called to pray several times throughout a day.  Some of the prayers they may say are morning Lauds, prayer before and after meals, The Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy at 3:00 P.M. daily, Act of Contrition and evening prayer. If one was to say all of these prayers the average amount of time spent in prayer, daily, would be a little over an hour. The average amount of time spent in prayer, for the majority of people that associate themselves as Catholics, is 5 minutes a day. That's just heartbreaking.

55% of Americans say they pray every day. 21% said they pray weekly or monthly. 23% said they do not pray at all or rarely do. People over 65 are more likely to pray than those under 30 with a whopping difference of 65% to 41%.

Fascinating isn't it? Statistics also show that people are more likely to pray in a crisis, then when things are going smoothly. 

As Lent is fast approaching for the Christians around the world, I think it is time for all of us to take an inventory of our daily prayer life. The world is in a sad state of affairs and, quite frankly, I am really sick from the hatred. I am sure that you are too. Prayer brings an inner peace and a centering to people, or at least I find it does with me. If you think that you do not have time in your daily life to pray, think again. I used to pray to and from work. You can do it while exercising (take your earbuds out or get an app with the rosary.) You can do it while doing your dishes or cleaning up after the kids. You can pray standing in line at the supermarket, riding in a cab, bus, subway, during your lunch break. Be creative in finding ways you can incorporate it into your own life. 

At 3:00 P.M. Every day, stop and take 3 seconds to close your eyes and say, "Jesus, I trust in you." (I mean that 3 seconds in the literal sense). I might add that if radical groups are spending more time in prayer than you are, you really may want to reconnect with God and increase your time spent with Him every day. You cannot fight evil intent without the presence of God in your life.

We have some beautiful Catholic and Christian prayers on our Prayer Page if you need some assistance in getting started and learning the prayers. The link is:  https://gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page

Have a beautiful week.

Peace,
Mare

**Statistics are from various Pew Research Center articles.

Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Well, I think He answers my prayers, SOMETIMES.  AT Times I don't like the answer; sometimes I feel like He isn't listening. The truth of the matter is that God hears all of our prayers.

Admittedly, many days I feel very close to him and it is often on days that I least expect to find any kind of peace or solace that I experience it. I live with a chronic, often very painful, syndrome that is basically a ticking time bomb in my body. I know that it is fatal but we are all dying so that thought really doesn't bother me. After all, you do have to die in order to be with our Lord and hold his hand or be held in his embrace. Truly, I long for that day however I wouldn't do anything to speed the process along; I have too many things I want to accomplish here before that happens. There are days, though, that I am wracked with so much pain that I have curled up into my bed and under the covers. On those days I have cried out to him to relieve the pain and yes, with the help of things like Advil and warmth the pain is alleviated.

Almost a decade ago I met a man. The moment our eyes met it was like the world stopped and I got hit by a lightning bolt at the same time. We got very friendly very fast and when I was with him, even if there were hundreds of people in the room with us, it was like we were the only two people standing there. I can't even count how many nights I tossed and turned and wrote in my journal all because of him. The first few years it was agony and ecstasy as any new relationship is. You know how it is, you think of your love night and day and can't wait to see them, even if it is just a glimpse of their smile. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything special, just being with them is special enough and you want to spend all of your free time with them. The only problem was that there wasn't any sunsets and rainbows in our future. There wasn't even any dates or stolen kisses in the present. I was gob-smacked, over the moon, crazy in love with a man that was totally and completely off the market and there was no way that was going to change either. It was sheer torture. Now I'm a reasonably level-headed gal. I do not give into flights of fancy and my feet are pretty grounded in reality but the man just overwhelmed me with emotion. After a few years of intensity I finally dropped to my knees in my bedroom one night and prayed fervently that God would lift this burden from my heart. He did just that and He also knocked me on my butt for a few years too. When I saw the man a  year or so later my heart still leaped, I can't lie, but at least I was able to talk to him without blushing wildly like a school girl. God answered my prayer yet I also got the opportunity to distance myself from things so that a clearer head could prevail. He is such an awesome God for doing that for me. It does show me, though, that even if you are truly, madly, deeply in love with someone that doesn't mean that you are meant to be together. It isn't a fun part of life yet it is a fact of life (and no he was not a married man, not in the traditional way anyway).

It is mentioned in the Bible that God does not answer all prayer. John 9:31 states, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." Well, since we are all sinners, I am certainly flawed as you have read, does this mean that only a select few receive his response to our prayer? Seems so. I guess, if you are living a life that is rife with mortal sin don't expect to be hearing from Him anytime soon. You must have a penitent heart, turn your life to Him, and live in the graces that He has given you. If it is His will and in your best interest He will heed and answer your prayers. It takes courage and hard work to follow in His footsteps in this day and age. That is why the sacrament of Confession is such a beautiful thing. I find comfort and solace in knowing that I can unburden myself of my sins weekly, if need be, and then go on living my life with and for Christ.

There is a beautiful prayer, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, that can and should be said daily, though it is for the dying. Jesus said that ALL should say this prayer daily. This prayer is one of penitence that asks God to forgive all of your sins. It is said on a rosary. In the interest of space I will provide you with a link to our Prayer Page on the website. The link is above. This is said at 3:00 P.M., which is the holy hour. Another great habit to get into is to meditate on your sins before bed and then say an Act of Contrition. That is on our Prayer Page as well. Another wonderful prayer is The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Also on that Page. That is said while you meditate on your sins and Mother Mary's sorrows. They are special beads that are available. Contact us for availability. The link is at the top of this blog.  Divine Mercy, Divine Child of Jesus, Rosary for Life, the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and a Chaplet to St. Benedict are some that are available at the moment. 

I can promise you, if you put God first in your life, He will put you first as well. Have a great week.

Mare