Episodes
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Happy New Year, Friends!
Today we're tackling a fascinating topic, and one that could possibly help you achieve some New Year's Goals: Praying for Your Temperament.
This episode started as a conversation pre-recording a few months ago... sharing how novenas appeal to some people but for others they are impossible to stick with. "I wonder if that's a temperament thing..." lead us to Google which lead us to discover Meg Hunter-Kilmer's blog series on a book called "Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms for Different Personality Types" by Chester P Michael. Apparently it IS a temperament thing.
But before we get to THAT, a funny backstory of how Meg came To My House to record this episode... Nancy and I found her blog series, thought it was fascinating, and I offered to reach out via Instagram to ask her to be a guest on the podcast. Throughout 2019, Meg kept popping up on my feed via various Catholic folk with the hashtag 'hobo for Christ,' so I had been following her for several months and her posts had been hitting home for me (especially this one). I was happy to have an excuse to DM "Heyyy Meg!" After a bit of back and forth, we realized Meg was actually booked for a couple retreats and speaking engagements around my neck of the woods in early December, so she offered to come in person to record. How cool is that? If you're wondering about her mission and work, we go into it for the first bit of this episode.
BACK to temperaments...In the book, Chester breaks down the human population based on their Myers-Briggs personality types and divides them into four categories: Ignatian, Augustinian, Thomistic, and Franciscan
Why is this important? Well, the Church has a few ways that we are 'required' to pray. We all need to go to Mass every Sunday and Our Blessed Mother has asked us to pray the rosary daily, but beyond that, we're free to pray in the way the feels most comfortable to us. Additionally, if you're married and you've been struggling to pray together (*raises hand*), it could be a temperament thing. Have a listen here and read though Meg's blog for suggestions of how to work through these differences in prayer styles.
Hoping this helps you achieve a more prayerful (and hence peaceful) New Year!
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
Connect with Meg via her blog, on Facebook, or on Instagram
Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms for Different Personality Types is available on Amazon right here
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Hey Friends!
Happy Fourth Week of Advent! Today we are wrapping up our book study on Interior Freedom, and sticking with the theme of 'we can only control what is within ourselves,' Nancy is without a voice this week so it's just me, Katie.
This episode focuses on the last third of the book (that first section was so huge!!). And for me, the two words that kept popping out were HOPE and IDENTITY, so they are the focus of the episode as well.
Fr. Jacques Philippe defines hope as, "the virtue of people who know they are infinitely weak and easily broken and rely firmly on God with utter trust… To learn hope, we have to pass through impoverishment." (p100-101) On page 105, he goes on to say, "lacking hope, we don’t really believe God can make us happy, and so we construct our happiness out of covetousness and lust." And doesn't that capture the frantic-ness of "preparation for Christmas?" Our to-do list triples in length, we spend money we may not have (or don't really need to), say yes to more events and outtings than is our norm (possibly even our comfort level) and why? Because it's Baby Jesus' birthday and He wants us to or are we afraid that that Good News isn't enough?
I think the way the world prepares for Christmas (consumerism, greed, busy-ness, etc.) can also be linked to our need for Identity, the other theme for today. We desperately want others to like us, or at least others to 'see' us in some favorable light... This feeds our Social Media addiction (or maybe just mine?). Doing and making things, decorating in certain ways, so we can get that perfect picture worthy of a hundred likes and comments. As modern moms, we are more isolated than any other generation of mothers before us. If we haven't worked hard to create and maintain our 'village,' we're without one, so we put that time into an online presence which doesn't actually fulfill our need for friendship and camaraderie. In the words of Fr. Philippe:
One of man’s deepest needs is the need for identity… we are trying to satisfy a need for being by having… or confuse being with doing. (p 121)
It is extremely dangerous to identify ourselves with the spiritual good we are able to do. (123)
Humans beings are more than the sum of the good they can accomplish. They are children of God, whether they do good or cannot yet manage to do anything… this is why humility, spiritual poverty is so precious: it locates our identity securely in the one place where it will be safe from all harm. If our treasure is in God, no one can take it from us. (p124)
So this Advent, my challenge to you is this: some time between Now and Christmas, sit silently for just 5 minutes, holding the creche in your hands, and ask Him "What do you see when you look at me?" Then ask Him to fill you with Hope and Awe at the mystery of the Incarnation.
Also: reach out to a real life friend and make plans for sometime in the next month (if you don't have something on the calendar already). Maybe it's just me (introvert and HSP), but in winter, I tend to 'hibernate,' despite my need for some (even just a little) interaction with other mommas. This hibernation tends to cause a resurgence of my 'media addiction,' which feeds the Mom-Guilt-Monster, so... I am going to be proactive and make some real life plans for interaction and I challenge you to do the same.
To close: I want to share a few of the quotes I shared in this episode that I haven't already mentioned above. Anyone of these would be amazing to take before the Blessed Sacrament and 'chew' on. Here we go:
(on being Hopeful)
Pure-hearted people are not so much those free of all faults and all wounds, as those who put all their hope in God and are certain his promises will be fulfilled. The pure-hearted expect everything from God; they hope in him and in him alone. (p110)
(On gracefully receiving more than we could ever return)
It doesn’t come naturally to us to give freely… nor do we find it easy to receive freely… receiving freely means trusting the giver, with open hearts, It also means abandoning ourselves and it requires a lot of humility…. We commit a fault against this free giving and receiving in our relationship with God or with other people every time we make the good we’ve done into an excuse for claiming a right, demanding gratitude or recompense… learning to give and receive freely requires a long laborious process of re-educating our minds, which have been conditioned by thousands of years of struggle for survival. (p119)
(Words of Christ to an anonymous Spanish spiritual writer)
“Doesn’t God reveal himself as your Abba? Have not I, the Son, taken on your condition at its most wretched? Doesn’t the Paraclete defend you? Believe all this with heart and soul and it will fill you with trust and confidence…. God pitches his tent to dwell with YOU. God is incarnation. God’s new name is Emmanuel, God With Us: God with YOUR reality. Open yourself to it without fear.“
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
PS: If you still haven't bought the book and this series sparked your interest, it's available right here.
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Missing episodes?
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Following the theme of 'we can't control things outside ourselves,' we're needing to take a week off from the Advent Book Study of Interior Freedom and instead, we're sharing something else... The 12 Days of Christmas! Hoping that sharing this week gives you time to prepare a few 'liturgical living' activities but also gets you excited for the days following December 25th.
As Catholics, the Christmas Season doesn't actually begin until the Christmas Vigil and doesn't end till Epiphany (or if you'd rather, Candlemas on February 2nd). This is a perfect justification to be 'slow' putting the decorations away and keep listening to carols, It's being Liturgically Appropriate.
Today we're not going to discuss the symbolism of the song "12 Days of Christmas," but that's a really neat thing to read about (have a look here). Instead, we're going to use Mary Reed Newland's book "The Year and Our Children" to walk through the 12 days of Christmas. There are some fun, easy, and meaningful ways to mark the feast days we celebrate during the Christmas Season.
Following Christmas day, we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of our Church. He was one of the first deacons of the Church and gave his life in service of others. One possible activity to mark the feast day is to sing all five verses of "Good King Wenceslas," since it was on the Feast of Stephen the good king look'd out. You can find the lyrics here. Another idea is to find a way to serve or give to others, just as St. Stephen and St Wenceslas did. Gather up some toys you no longer play with to donate. Serve a meal at a soup kitchen. Make some care packages to hand out to the local homeless.
On December 27th, we celebrate the feast of St. John the Evangelist. It is a traditionally a day to bless your wine. You could ask your parish priest to do so or you can can do so at home with a simple prayer service like this. How did this become a tradition? Well, legend says St. John drank a cup of poisoned wine and did not die because he had blessed it before he drank. Some even claim the poison rose out of the glass in the form of a serpent at the words of blessing. So raise a glass to St. John's heavenly health today.
During the 12 Days of Christmas, we also celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the Feast of the Holy Family, New Year's Eve, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and Epiphany. We share some ideas for each of these feasts in this episode and we'd love to hear your family's traditions too! Please share here or on Facebook!
Your sisters in the small things
Nancy and Katie
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Welcome back from our Thanksgiving break and welcome into Advent! We hope you had a beautiful "Turkey Day" and that the first week of Advent has been somewhat peaceful and prayerful.
During Advent, we will be doing a three part series on the tiny but powerful book, Interior Freedom, by Fr. Jacques Philippe. If you don't have it yet, you can grab it here and join in on the fun. For this episode, we focused on the first section (through pg 81). Even if you don't plan on reading the book at all, this episode still has something to offer and we'd love for you to tune in.
We picked this book for Advent because this time of year is full of expectations. Expectations others have of us. Expectations we have of others. Expectations we have of ourselves. Besides all the normal busyness of life, there is all that Needs to Be Done to get ready for Christmas. All these expectations can make us feel penned in and frankly a little grumpy (especially if you are an introvert!!! All the gatherings this time of year are EXHAUSTING).
Enter Fr. Jacques little book on Interior Freedom. We have limited control to no control on what happens exteriorly, but interiorly, we can choose how we react, interpret, and respond.
To illustrate, Father tells a little story about St. Therese (one of his favorite saints who he mentions quite frequently in his writing). St. Therese was often given involved tasks to complete within her community... things that required concentration. Before beginning such a task, she would tell Jesus, "I choose to be interrupted." In this way, she could lovingly accept interruptions from her sisters and if she was able to work for an entire focused hour or even two, she could thank God for the gift of that time.
There were a few quotes we both loved from this first section of the book:
No circumstance in the world can ever prevent us from believing in God, from placing all our trust in him, from loving home with our whole heart, or from loving our neighbor. (p24)
Our freedom always has this marvelous power to make what is taken from us- by life, events, or other people- into something offered. Externally there is no visible difference, but internally everything is transfigured. (P57)
We are not always masters of the unfolding of our lives, but we can always be masters of the meaning we give them. Our freedom can transform any event into an expression of love, abandonment, trust, hopen and offering… positive things become a reason for gratitude and joy, negative things an opportunity for abandonment, faith, and offering: everything becomes a grace. (P58)
During the season, let us turn our little annoyances, distractions, and disappointments into opportunities to accept and offer it all to the Baby Jesus.
Your sisters in the small things
Nancy and Katie
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Hey Friends!
Before we dive into this week's topic, two quick announcements! One: We will NOT be releasing a new episode next weekend. We're taking a week off for Thanksgiving. BUT (two), we will be back the First Sunday of ADVENT with the first episode of our book study series! The book we're reading is Interior Freedom by Fr. Jacques Philippe. You can snag it right here!
This week, we're discussing another one of those Special Catholic Things: Novenas. What is a novena? Where do we get the tradition? Do I have to start a novena on a particular day (like do the dates matter)?
The root of the word "novena' is Latin for nine. The original novena was prayed by the apostles and Our Blessed Mother as they waited for the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. From there, novenas have been composed to many of our Saints and for many of our Feast Days (Christ the King, for example). Usually, a novena is prayed leading up to the Saint's feast day so that the ninth day of the novena is either the eve of or the actual feast day, but you can begin a novena whenever you'd like!
Pray More Novenas is our favorite go-to for all things novenas and they have a great FAQ page that you can check out and learn even more about our Church's awesome form of prayer. They also offer a FREE novena reminder service via your email. The prayers of whatever novena is currently "going on" will be sent to your email as a daily reminder. It is So Cool.
One thing that is important to remember about novenas... it can be tempting to believe that God can't possibly respond 'No' or 'Not right Now' to your novena prayers, but the fact is, He often does. A novena isn't a magic formula for a 'Yes' and we are powerless to make demands or attempt to control God. Sometimes, prayers are answered in a way that is not immediately apparent or more subtle than what we were expecting. It could be a change of heart, renewed energy, or inspiration to pursue something different.
In this episode, we both share an intention that is near and dear to our hearts right now. We also ask that you share your intentions with us. It would be an honor to carry your intentions to our Lady and our Lord. Just email Nancy at [email protected] and she will pass everything onto Katie so we can both be praying for YOU.
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
Mentioned in this episode:
Advent book study of Interior Freedom
Pray more Novenas
Katie's new devotional for Catholic Women facing Infertility (15% off all November)
Flying Novenas ala Mother Teresa
St. Andrew's Christmas Novena
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** Before we jump into this week’s episode, we want to let you know that we’ll be doing a book study this upcoming Advent!!! The book is Interior Freedom by Fr. Jacques Philippe. Have you read anything by Fr. Philippe yet? He is AMAZING. Such a gentle, yet wise voice… our hope is this study will help us all stay centered this Advent on what (or WHO!) truly matters. You can snag a copy here. First episode/discussion will be on December 1st!! **
And we're back with Part 2 of our Mini Series on Relics!! We thought it might be good to distinguish between veneration and worship. Besides the fact that relics are pieces of dead people or things that have touched dead people, those unfamiliar with the practice might also take offense at the idea of us giving "worship" to something/someone other than God. But the fact is, we *don't* Worship relics. We venerate them. In the words of one of our Church Fathers, St. Jerome,
“We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are.”
So if you have friends thinking you’re weird for worshiping pieces of dead people, you’ve got your reply right there. It ISN’T worship. Holding, gazing, praying with (not TO) relics can help us feel a stronger connection to the holy people we are asking to pray for us. Relics are a powerful reminder that the Saints are Real People who had Real Bodies. Also: the fact that there are no first class relics of Christ or Our Lady strengthens our belief in the Ascension and the Assumption. Where are their bodies? Not on Earth!
Anyways, this week on the podcast, we’re diving into specific relic stories. Namely the Holy Stairs, the Crown of Thorns, and the Shroud of Turin.
The Holy Stairs were brought to Rome by St. Helena. They are the stairs that Christ ascended to appear before Pilate.
The Crown of Thorns were in the news earlier this year when a fire broke out in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It, along with many other relics and the Eucharist were saved from the blaze.
The Shroud of Turin is arguably the most fascinating relic of our Faith. It is the cloth in which Christ was covered and buried in and a ‘negative image’ of His face was left. Studies of the shroud have shown us just how much Christ suffered on Good Friday before dying on the Cross.
Have you visited any of these 'extreme relics?' Tell us about it in the comments!
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
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Welcome back!
Today, we start a two part series on relics... What are they? Are there different kinds? Why do Catholics hang on to pieces of dead people?
It might surprise you to find out that the practice of keeping relics is not something that started with the early martyrs, or even with Christ. No! The first example of relics we found in scripture is in the second book of Kings (13:20-21). Some men were burying a dead man when they were attacked by Moabites. They threw the body into the tomb to flee and the body landed on the bones of Elisha, a prophet. Immediately, the man came back to life and stood up.
A dead man came in contact with the bones of a holy prophet and came back to life! How cool is that?
In the New Testament, we have the story of the hemorrhaging woman touching the hem of Christ's garment and being healed (Matt. 9:20-22), Peter's shadow having healing power (Acts 5 14-16), and the clothes and handkerchiefs of Paul bringing healing as well (Acts 19:11-12). Even the way in which Christ's body was treated after the crucifixion points to the importance and sanctity of the body.
There are three 'classes' of relics. First class are actual pieces of the person's body (bone, hair, etc.). Second class relics are things the person owned or used (piece of clothing, their rosary, etc.). Third class relics are things that have been touched to a first or second class relic.
Have you ever encountered a relic? Maybe you had a relic come 'on tour' to your parish? Did you know that there probably is at least one relic in your own parish permanently? Most altars have a relic inside them and many parishes have some relics in the sacristy. Just ask your priest if you can see them!
We'll be back next week with some more awesome relic stories!
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
Bishop Robert Barron speaking on relics and Gnosticism
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Welcome back to another week of the Just One Small Thing Podcast!!
Continuing on our 'Fall Triduum' theme, we're discussing All Soul's Day today. Although the last day of this great Triduum of our Faith, it seems to be the 'middle child' in some ways... It's not an eve. It's not a Holy Day of Obligation. It's also kind of sad. We all have people we have known and loved and they've passed on and we're not exactly sure where they are... Did they go straight to Heaven? Are they still in purgatory? How exactly are we supposed to celebrate it?
First of all, it's really truly beautiful that our Church gives us a feast day expressly to remember our beloved dead. Many (most?) of us will spend some time in purgatory after we die and the only way we can get to Heaven is the prayers of those on Earth or in Heaven. There are actually indulgences attached to praying for the dead during the month of November! It's also comforting to have this time to remember those we've lost personally.
That's exactly what we do in today's episode... Nancy and I both share a bit about our beloved dead and discuss ways to remember and honor them on All Souls' Day and throughout the month of November. Some ideas are:
Visit, clean, and decorate their graves (check out this beautiful tradition in Poland!) Speak their names Ask them to pray with you Display their pictures/names Pray the St. Gertrude Prayer (see below)We also discuss how we talk about death with our kids. As uncomfortable and sad it might be, death is a reality our children need to be aware of.
We'd love to pray for your beloved dead too! Please comment here or email us so we can add them to our list.
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
The St. Gertrude Prayer (pious tradition is that 1,000 souls are released from purgatory upon each recitation... more about that here):
Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
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Hi There!
We're getting seasonal today and tackling Halloween... If you're like us, you probably remember the annual struggle to narrow down your costume ideas to a single CHOICE and then the excitement of running door to door to get candy (FOR FREE) from strangers.
Halloween was quite different as we went on college and post-graduation life. Halloween seemed like nothing more than an invitation to dress immodestly and drink to excess, so no thank you, Halloween, we'll just move on to All Soul's Day.
Through Katie's husband's obsession with the history of All. The. Things, however, we've learned that Halloween does have some deep roots in Catholicism, even if the 'seeds' had been pagan. As Catholics, when we evangelize, there should always an effort to respect the traditions and culture of the people we are preaching to. We should not seek to eradicate all former ways of life, but seek to find ways to 'baptize' some traditions and tie them into our beautiful Liturgical cycle.
For example.... according to pious tradition, St. Boniface was working hard to spread the Good News to the people of Germany, but there was the issue of this huge tree they worshiped. St. Boniface knew a tree doesn't have any supernatural power; only the Creator of that tree did. And so to drive home the point, he chopped it down. Yet, he allowed the people to continue on with the tradition of bringing smaller trees into their home in the middle of winter and those trees became a reminder of The Tree of our Salvation, the Cross. Christmas trees are a 'baptized tradition' from pagans.
Another example of this is the harvest festival of Samhain (Gaelic word pronounced 'sewing'). On October 31st, the Gaelic people would have a celebration to mark the changing of the seasons and the beginning of the 'darker half' of the year. These celebrations involved bonfires, costumes, prayers (to false gods), and feasting. When saints like Patrick and Columba came to the island, they took the fact that Samhain occurred on the eve of All Saints' Day and gradually turned Samhain into All Hallow's Eve. Catholics like to party, so the costumes and feasting could remain, but the praying to false gods was left behind. So, Halloween is actually the first day of the triduum our Church celebrates each fall.
Beautifully, these three days connect the three parts of our Church: Militant, Triumphant, and Suffering. In some of the earlier celebrations of "All Hallow's Eve" children would dress up as angels and demons and 'battle' each other, reminding us of our daily battle to choose good over evil. We are the Church Militant. On All Saints' Day, we remember those who have been victorious in this earthly life, those who now enjoy the heavenly banquet, and can intercede for us: the Church Triumphant. And finally, on the last day of the triduum, we pray for the Church Suffering, those in purgatory who require our prayers to get to Heaven.
We hope you enjoy today's episode as much as we enjoyed recording!
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
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Hi Friends!
Happy Feast Day of Fatima (if you're checking this out Sunday evening). October 13th, 1917 is "The Day the Sun Danced." It's a great day to pray the rosary!
Speaking of roses.... It's October and we'd be remiss if we didn't share about one of our favorite saints, St. Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower. Before St. Therese died, she declared "I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth." Since then, many Catholics have asked St. Therese's intercession and have received roses, both literal and figurative at times, as their answer.
St. Therese was the youngest living daughter born to St. Zelie and St. Louis in 1873. From a very young age, she knew God wanted her to be a Carmelite Nun. She faced years of waiting despite going to visit the bishop and even the pope himself to ask permission to enter the convent. Finally, at the age of 15, she was allowed to enter the cloistered community.
She lived a very quiet, somewhat uneventful life in the convent. She was sick frequently and often fell asleep during prayer. In fact, after she died, her sisters were at a loss as to what they should write in her obituary. But, if you read her autobiography, written under obedience to her superiors, you get a glimpse into the holy simplicity and smallness with which St. Therese lived her life.
Today on the podcast, we have a guest, Nancy's sister-in-law, Bobbi Verly. Bobbi grew up with a love of St. Therese that blossomed into a deep devotion. Through her prayers, Bobbi's vocation was revealed in jarring detail from a relatively young age. Though it took years to come to fruition, Bobbi peacefully waited to see God's plan come to life. It's truly an amazing story you'll want to hear!
Nancy and Katie both have some St. Therese "Rose Stories" to share as well. It's funny how someone so small and 'weak' in the eyes of the world has touched the lives of so many from Heaven. As it says in First Corinthians 1:27, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."
We hope you love our Little Flower Stories. If you have received a rose from St. Therese, please reach out here, via e-mail, or on Facebook to share your story!!
Your Sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
Mentioned in this episode:
The Story of a Soul (St. Therese's Autobiography)
The Way of Trust and Love by Fr. Jacques Philippe
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Hi Friends!
Happy October!!! You probably know that October is considered the month of the Holy Rosary, but do you know why? If you're listening the evening this episode goes live, it's the eve of Our Lady of Victory's feast day, also known as Our Lady of the Rosary! This feast day was established during the pontificate of Pope Pius V after an astounding victory of Christian forces against the Ottoman Turks on October 7th, 1571. The Battle of Lepanto! The Christian forces by all accounts shouldn't have won... They were outnumbered and fairly inexperienced with naval battle. But the leader, Don Juan of Austria, issued a weapon to each of his soldiers upon the eve of battle: a Rosary. And all the soldiers knelt and prayed it together before heading into battle and Our Lady came to their aide.
In this episode, you'll learn all about the Battle of Lepanto, hear some personal rosary experiences of ours, and learn about some other miracles attributed to the rosary, one of them in late 1970s!
Our Lady has been clear: over and over she has asked us to pray the rosary daily for peace in the world. She never said it had to be prayed all in one 'sitting' or while sitting in a chair with candles lit. We need to pray it as we CAN not as we CAN'T. A decade here, another decade there, maybe even a decade or two as a family or with your spouse. And as evidenced by our miracle stories today, Mary honors our efforts. To close: here are a few quotes to inspire and encourage.
“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”
-St. Padre Pio
“Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have presence of God.”
– St. Josemaria Escriva
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.”
– Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Have you experienced a miracle through the rosary? How do you get your rosary in every day? Share your tips in the comments!
Your sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
In this episode:
Nancy's new Rosary Board Books
Fr. Calloway's lecture at Steubenville
Fr. Calloway's book Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon
Chesterton's poem Lepanto
This image of Mary wrapping the infant Christ in her mantle
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Hey Listeners!
Welcome back and happy New Week to you! What's your favorite Marian Apparition? Is it Lourdes or Guadalupe or Fatima? (both ours are one of those so don't feel bad for being 'predictable')
This week we are exploring some lesser know apparitions. Ones you didn't hear about in Catholic School. Ones Nancy and I found out about through an amazing lecture by Fr. Don Calloway (see link below) and then read more about in his amazing book Champions of the Rosary.
In a way, Marian Apparitions and Miracles of the Rosary are a bit like our Saints, aren't they? There is always more to learn which is pretty awesome. One way to get your kids (or students) excited about learning is for them to see you excited about it for yourself.
The first of the two lesser known apparitions we discuss today is Our Lady of Las Lajas (or Our Lady of the Rocks). This apparition happened in the 1700s in Columbia. The visionaries were a mother and daughter and as a final gift, Our Lady left her image in the rocks of the cave where they had visited each other. Not ON the rocks. IN the rocks. Geologists have found the image is actually several feet into the wall of the cave with no evidence of paint dye of pigment. Oh. And this image appeared after the daughter had been brought back to life through the intercession of Mary. (WHAT???)
More recently, there were multiple appearances of Our Blessed Mother in Kibeho, Rwanda in the 1980s to a group of school children. Because this was such a recent event, you can hop on Youtube and see actual footage of people going into ecstasy when Our Lady appears and speaks to them. She requested a renewed devotion to the rosary of her seven sorrows (we spoke about this particular rosary in this episode) and warned of a 'river of blood' in Rwanda unless there was prayer and repentance. Unfortunately, some say because Our Lady's warnings weren't heeded, these apparitions were followed by the Rwandan Genocide in 1994.
If there is some lesser know Marian Apparition that you LOVE that you suspect we haven't heard of, we'd love to hear from you. Please reach out and share with us!
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
In this episode:
Fr. Calloway's lecture at Steubenville
Fr. Calloway's book Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon
An article on Our Lady of Las Lajas
An EWTN special on Our Lady of Kibeho
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Hi Friends!
This week we're diving into Natural Family Planning or NFP. What is NFP, you may be wondering? NFP is any method of observing your monthly fertility signs and using them to plan when to 'renew your vows' with your husband.
Fertility Awareness is not just for deciding when to try for a baby though. Many health issues can be traced back to cycle or hormonal abnormalities, so women of all ages and stages can benefit from becoming aware of their fertility signs.
Today we have a special guest, Katherine Young, a real life Fertility Care Practitioner This means she helps women learn how to observe and chart their fertility signs using the Creighton Method of NFP. In her own words, her goal as a practitioner is to:
"help build a culture of life through empowering women and couples to understand their fertility and respect God’s gift of sexuality and the dignity of the human person."
Pretty awesome right?
We'll cover why The Church teaches what She does with regards to contraception and the important differences between contraception and natural family planning. We'll also touch on the variety of methods available to grow in knowledge of your cycle. Some methods work better for different women... or even different stages of life and it's more than Okay to switch methods when you need to.
Finally, we'll discuss the importance of having a teacher for whatever method you choose. There is So Much information out there on the internet (and in books) regarding fertility awareness, but a teacher can be in impartial third set of eyes on your chart and build your confidence.
We hope you enjoy today's episode!
Your Sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
PS Interested in learning the Creighton Method with Katherine? Her email is [email protected]
Things we mentioned in this podcast:
This John Legend song
This website has a good overview of all the available methods
Naprotechnology: using fertility signs as clues to figure out what isn't working correctly within the woman's body and restore health and fertility
A great lecture that goes even more in-depth on the differences between NFP and contraception
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Hello Friends!
With yesterday being the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, in today's episode, we're taking a closer look at the Seven Sorrows of Mary along with the concept of being open to life, even if it leaves your arms empty (or emptier than you want them to be). We're talking specifically about infertility but as Catholic Women, practicing natural family planning can leave our families looking very different than we've envisioned, so everyone can get something from this episode (we hope :-) )
The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is closely connected with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross which has been celebrated since the year 326. Many of the great saints have written on her sorrows and Mary recently encouraged this devotion in the 1980s when she made several visits to school children in Kibeho, Rwanda. There is also a religious order that originally formed around a devotion to Mary at the foot of the cross called the Servites, formed in 1239.
The Seven Sorrows are:
The prophecy of Simeon The flight into Egypt Loss of the Child Jesus for three days Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary Crucifixion and Death of Jesus The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross The burial of JesusThere is even a special form of the rosary with seven 'septets' instead of five decades (maybe you have one in your house put to the side because you thought it was defective. haha).
We talk about the temptation to compare joys but also compare sorrows... She has it better than me. Or my struggle is more difficult than hers. But the fact is: there is no way to objectively rate someone else's pain on a scale of 1 to 10. God doesn't rate our suffering.
Katie speaks about the loneliness and 'compassion fatigue' (or maybe burnout?) that comes with infertility. It's hard to be sympathetic with a friend who is 'accidentally' pregnant or suffering from morning sickness, but the fact is their suffering is real too. And pain is only magnified when we're trapped in it. Our Mother can help us with our sorrows. She is with us in this pain. She knew loneliness (Exile in Egypt), anxiety (the Christ Child is lost for three days), and desolation (seeing her son crucified).
There is so much to learn and so much comfort to find meditating on our mother's sorrows.
One More Thing: If your parish or diocese is offering some sort of a ministry for those facing infertility: Please share with us! We'd love to get more happening all across the US.
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Katie's New Book: Waiting with Mary: A Seven Sorrows Devotional for Catholic Women facing Infertility (Lulu Link will be added here within the next week and a half... follow TheJoyfulLeap on IG or FB for updates)
Naprotechnology: medical treatment of fertility issues that are in line with Church Teaching on Human Dignity and Sexuality
Organic Conceptions (Online emotional support program for couples dealing with delayed conception/infertility; Coupon Code for J1ST Listeners: JUSTONESMALLTHING)
This instagram post
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Hello!!
Sterling is back with the Just One Small Thing Podcast, joining the select few who have been guests TWICE (Sterling, your certificate is in the mail ;-) ). You might know Sterling from her Catholic Minimalism Facebook Group or her podcast Coffee and Pearls. Or maybe you’ve read some of her books? Today, the three of us discuss how to make a Catholic Home without breaking the bank as well as how to create an atmosphere of peace and hospitality.
Home decorating, just like the spiritual life, this is NOT a task that can be accomplished in one afternoon, but rather a gradual progress towards the idea you have in mind. How can you keep costs down while still making your home beautiful? All three of us have some beloved and ‘featured’ decorations in our homes that we found/rescued from second hand stores as well as prints we purchased through Etsy (or Peter’s Square) from a variety of Catholic Artists.
In terms of ambiance, candles and music are what Sterling loves best in her home. Books read aloud or listened to via Audible or Overdrive are part of daily life in the Jaquith household. Home should be a place where we long to be… somewhere we feel at peace and comfortable and what we listen to can be just as important as what we choose to hang on our walls.
Why make our homes Catholic? Well, first of all, our kids are like sponges and what we choose to surround them with is what will occupy their imaginations. Also, as someone wrote in a thread in one of Nancy’s Facebook groups, when children are presented with religious images around their home, it acts like a visual anchor and seeing them at church will feel ‘like home’ too. Having a Catholic Home can also serve as an inspiration, reminder, and challenge for us as well. The words we choose to use, the shows we choose to watch, the music we choose to listen to.. This all affects our souls. Lastly, it’s a chance to evangelize to others. What is on display in one’s home shows to guests what the person values.
Finally: we also touch on Screens and their ability to pull us in and away from real life. It's a real addiction and Sterling has created a challenge course to help you cut back on screen time and re-claim your life (see link below)! I think Nancy and I are both signing up. I know I need it.
We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording!
Your Sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
Here are some Links from today's episode:
www.kickyourdigitalhabit.com www.catholicwomenshine.com www.sterlingjaquith.com Facebook Minimalism Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catholicminimalism Books: https://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Jaquith/e/B01LXVFNMU?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1565284977&sr=8-1 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-pearls-wisdom-for-catholic-moms/id1052637927 www.overnightprints.com Sterling's favorite album to play in the house (Free through Amazon prime) https://music.amazon.com/albums/B00CLY2NYY https://www.etsy.com/shop/smallthingsgr8love?ref=shop_sugg https://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetlittleonesshop https://www.instagram.com/rough2rustic/ for rosary hangers -
Next in our Sacramental Series, we’re learning about Scapulars. We’ll talk specifically about the Brown Scapular today but there are several different color scapulars each with their own particular devotion.
The Scapular is a beautiful tradition of our Church started with the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites, unlike many of the orders founded around the same time, have no saintly founder that we know of. Instead, the order was founded by laymen who were former crusaders. Their community began on Mt. Carmel in Palestine, the same mountain on which Elijah defended the faith in One True God from via a challenge of the priests of Baal. After religious persecution (meaning martyrdom for some), the Carmelites returned to Europe around 1235.
Now, if you’re like me, you have been wearing a scapular for decades, so this next bit might be troubling, but Stay With Me… Carmilite St. Simon’s vision of Mary in July of 1251, which included the gift of the scapular, has not actually been given an official “Truth” stamp by The Church. Unlike Fatima (1917) or Lourdes (1858) or Guadalupe (1531), this vision has not been verified. Part of this is due to the fact that it happened long ago (1251-ish). Records that might have documented the vision have been lost. Some say that is was an attempt to legitimize the Carmelite order, who unlike the Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, etc. had no saintly founder. Infact, St. Simon’s feast day (May 16th) had been removed from the calendar for a time, only to be placed back with the understanding that no mention of the vision would be made. (Check out his bio on the Carmelite Website)
REGARDLESS: As Nancy states: throughout the history of Our Church, heresies have been uprooted and destroyed. The scapular, much like the rosary, remains. Although as I child, I thought of it as a ‘get out of Hell free’ card, as an adult I wear it as a sign to my devotion to Our Blessed Mother, a physical reminder that I am under her protection and I have pledged myself to be “totus tuus.”
There is a rite of investiture in the brown scapular that any priest can perform for you (Nancy’s family takes ‘the plunge’ this coming spring!!!). Part of being vested is a pledge to pray some form or Marian Devotion daily (the rosary) and to live chastely according to your state in life.
Let’s close with the morning offering of those who wear a scapular (which I found here):
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary (here kiss the scapular as a sign of your consecration), I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with It the offering of my every thought, word and action of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can, and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary Immaculate, that she may best apply them to the interests of Thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Your Sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
Need a scapular?
My parish priest recommends these ones, hand-stitched by Sisters of Carmel but the ones Andrea makes over at StellaMarigoldArt are breathtaking!
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Today, we’re diving into another sacramental of our Faith: the Chapel Veil. Reminder from last week:
Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. (CC1670)
Wearing a veil at mass will not give you special graces the way a Sacrament does, but some women find it helps open them up to receive the graces of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Did you grow up in a parish where veiling was the norm? Neither of us did. In fact, Nancy remembers seeing it once as a child and thought they were Menonites or something (kids think funny things!!!) and Katie’s first exposure to covering (see what I did there) was at Latin Mass as an adult.
Interestingly, St. Paul writes about women covering their head while in prayer in his first letter to the Corinthians(Check out Chapter 11). The tradition was carried over from the Jewish people and then picked up by various other religions after Christianity.
The tradition was actually a requirement for centuries and then due to some misinformation from the press circa Vatican II, the Catholic World was told women veiling wasn’t required anymore.
Despite it not being ‘required’ anymore, many women are choosing to pick up the tradition again.
Why Some Women Choose to Veil:
As a sign of reverence for the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist As a way to symbolize the difference between men and women As a sign of unity with your husband Because, like the Eucharist, women can bare life. Life baring things are sacred. It can act as ‘blinders’ and increase focus during mass/deepen prayerWhy Some Women Choose not to Veil:
Not aware of the tradition/that it is still “okay” Husband is not on board (wearing something that is meant to be a visual sign of submission to your husband as to Christ that your husband Doesn’t Want You to Wear wouldn’t be a good idea) It can be ‘attention grabbing’ It can be hard to keep your head covered while wrestling little ones during mass (making it more of a distraction than something that filters out distractions)In this episode, we’ll tackle some of the Whys and Why Nots (and some solutions to the Why Nots).
Just to be clear: We did not record this episode with the intent to tell every woman that they need to veil, BUT: if you have wondered if you should… if you’ve felt it on your heart to consider… this episode’s aim is to educate and assist in your discernment. We hope you enjoy it!
Your sisters in the small things
Nancy and Katie
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For the next four weeks, we’re diving into Sacramentals. What are they? Why do we have them? How did each particular devotion come to be? To begin, let’s take a look at this line from the Catechism:
Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. (CC1670)
Sacramentals can be an object (such as Miraculous Medal or Holy Water) or an action (like the Sign of the Cross or the different postures we assume during mass).
For our first episode of the series, we’re discussing Miraculous Medals.
For the cradle Catholics, this is, quite possibly, something you’ve had close to you and worn for a while, but were you ever taught about the Saint this medal was given to? We weren’t!
In July of 1830, St. Catherine Laboure, a novice of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, was woken up by a child (some say her guardian angel) and asked to come to the chapel. There, Our Lady appeared to her and told her, “My child, I am going to give you a mission.”
In November of the same year, Mary again appeared to St. Catherine and gave her the image of the medal she wanted made and worn by all the faithful: “Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.”
Two years after these visions, the medals were made with approval of the Church and handed out all over Paris. Originally called The Medal of the Immaculate Conception, it quickly became known as the Miraculous Medal within the first decade of the devotion because of the many miracles attributed to it. In 1836, after proper investigations, the apparition was declared genuine by the Church. St. Catherine didn’t reveal herself as the recipient of the medal until shortly before her death, almost 50 years later.
What I love about the Miraculous Medal is how it can be used for catechesis. Each symbol on the medal tells us something about Our Lady and Christ in a simple yet beautiful way. Much like the stained glass windows in our churches, this medal serves as a means to learning more about and growing deeper in our Faith.
What we mention in today’s episode:
This Blog Post
Chewslife Rosary Bracelets
And here’s a cool info-graphic to share with the kiddos
Hope you enjoy today's episode!
Your sisters in the small things,
Nancy and Katie
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Hello and welcome back to the second season of The Just One Small Thing Podcast: Everyday Wisdom for Catholic Women!
In today’s episode you’ll get to meet my friend and New Co-Host, Katie Wood, while we talk about this season’s motto: Let the Eucharist Lead.
To be honest, this might be our motto forever and ever because how can you beat it? Isn’t this what it means to be Catholic? Christ in the Eucharist is at the center of it all, whether in Adoration or the Celebration of the Mass. He is truly present in that little host and gives Himself to all, freely, without reserve. This is our model for Love. This is our path to holiness.
We’ll share what this motto means to us in our lives as well as some examples from the Saints, specifically St. Alphonsus Ligori and Venerable Cardinal Van Thuan.
We’ll also touch on alternatives for when physically visiting an adoration chapel isn’t possible (did you know your guardian angel can go without you?) and the spiritual warfare (and momma struggles) you can expect to face when you can go (did you know cooled incense makes for a particularly fearsome ‘warpaint?’ True Story).
Additionally in this episode: some exciting news concerning the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! People have been asking how they can help support the ministry and I have an answer!!
Things we mention in this podcast:
Katie’s Blog (Birth Stories, NAPRO Success Stories, and Momma Musings)
Catholic Sprouts Patreon
Five Loaves and Two Fish: Meditations on the Eucharist by Cardinal Van Thuan
The Practice of the Presence of God by Br. Lawrence
Rosary Meditations by Mother Teresa
Thank you so much for joining us for Season 2! If you like what you hear, please consider sharing with a friend or leave us a comment! We’d love to hear from you!!
Your Sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
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Hey there friends!
It's a big day around this small corner of the internet. Today I am sharing the LAST installment of the VIRTUES OF THE ROSARY. I can hardly believe it! I started discussing these virtues last summer, and here we are finishing them up as we approach another summer.
So, today is all about the virtue attached to the final Glorious Mystery: the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. The virtue for this mystery is FRIENDSHIP WITH MARY.
Since I feel like I have been talking about being close to Mary for this entire series, I start this episode by looking at Friendship in general. First of all, we need to remember that clearly friendship is important to God. While on Earth Jesus went out of His way to form friendships and He seems to even had had various types of friendships, and His best friend was likely St. John, the Beloved Disciple.
There are two problems with modern friendships:
We often USE our friends for our own gains, and don't really love them. We think that one friendship (or marriage) should be the only friendship that we need. And this is simply not true.True friendships require time, vulnerability and listening. These are the building blocks for any friendship and we can apply them to our friendship with Mary as well.
We are called to spend daily time with Mary, share the secrets of our heart with her and listen to what she has to share with us. We need to listen, in particular to her message from Fatima: to Pray the Rosary and to accept suffering for the redemption of sinners.
And that is it! I certainly enjoyed recording these episodes and I pray that they have enriched your own praying of the Rosary.
Once again, if you would like to grab a copy of the Rosary Booklet where I offer reflections of each mystery of the Rosary, you can grab one right here: https://catholicsprouts.com/rosary-book
And, the Just One Small Thing Podcast will be taking a break for the months of June and July! But, I will be back with new weekly episodes in August (God willing).
Your sister in the small things,
Nancy
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