“He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins
of any, they are retained.”
–John 20: 22-23

Meditation – Step 7: Make it Easy to be Good and Hard to be Bad

We said our goal was to give practical spiritual resolutions to start the new year. This week is simple. It’s two words – Monthly Confession.

Make monthly confession a part of your spiritual life. In the hectic nature of our modern lives, having the intention and actually planning it is half the battle or more so let’s do it right now. It takes about 15 seconds to schedule it.

Receiving the gift of mercy will transform your life and your spiritual life.

We started this New Year’s series by saying that the secret to a happy
life is to live a holy life. Let’s resolve to make 2017 our happiest and
holiest year yet!

Prayer for the New Year
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
–Matthew 18:20

Meditation – Step 6: Find God in Others

How can I work on my spiritual life when I’m drowning in the daily grind of work and with the needs of my family?

God says – Bingo! Right There! What if every time your baby cries or every time your child needs you, you hear the voice of God in disguise?

As for your spouse, sacramental marriage is sealed in the name of the Holy Trinity. By definition, God is in the midst of your union.

If we have the eyes to see it, we can live immersed in God’s presence all day every day.

Prayer for the New Year
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him
who is of a contrite and humble spirit.”
–Isaiah 57:15

Meditation – Step 5: Find God in Yourself

Whether you know it, feel it, or experience it, by virtue of your Baptism God dwells within you in the name of the Holy Spirit.

So what do you do with this powerful love that can literally transform
the world?

Let this reality be born in your home. Let it come alive in the secret, in the quiet, in the humility that no one will see.

You can take this power within you and do one practical thing every single day…bestow this blessing on your children. Bless them everyday.

The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26

Prayer for the New Year
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
–Romans 12:2

Meditation – Step 4: Set Your Mind on the things Above

Today is the Feast Day of our dear friend at Paradisus Dei, Saint Don Bosco!

Don Bosco raised thousands of boys. He took them off the streets of Turin, Italy and formed them in the ways of Christ and the Church. He loved the boys and the boys loved him. His famous method was 1) Reason 2) Religion and 3) above all kindness.

And although Don Bosco was always merciful and kind, there were two areas where he simply would not compromise. He knew that so long as the boys clung to these two things they would NEVER make progress in their
spiritual lives.

One of these things was bad books. In our modern day, we can translate this to mean “bad media.” Media molds the mind, and the type of seeds that we plant in our minds, whether good or bad, will always be reflected in the type of fruit that bears forth in our hearts and lives.

What if we made a resolution for 2017 to get out the bad media in our home, and instead replace it with things that elevate our minds toward God?

 

Prayer
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
–Matthew 6:6

Meditation – Step 3: Give God Some of Your Time

Do you have a resolution to pray more this year? If so, make a daily appointment with God and treat that appointment with God in the same way you would approach a business appointment.

1. Pick a place where you can give your undivided attention.
2. Pick a specific time

You would never set a meeting with your boss without a specific time and place.

So, slow down and pray more. Trust that if you keep your appointment, God will always keep His!

Prayer
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“Above all hold unfailing your love for one another,
since love covers a multitude of sins.”
–1 Peter 4:8

Meditation – Step 2: Use Money for Others

Have you ever tried to rip away a dog’s favorite toy out of it’s mouth? Impossible right? What do you do instead? Have the dog come over and start petting him and talking sweetly. After a little while the dog loosens its grip and you can easily sneak away the toy. I know you’ve done this!

But what if we take time to stop and be still and think about all the blessings that God has poured out into our lives. The more we ponder the goodness of God and recognize that he is a good Father who will always provide, the more we become like that dog that loosens its grip. We begin to open up our hands. We begin to see our resources as a gift that we have been given by God to share.

St. Francis would chase down the beggars to make sure he offered them whatever he had. Rather than avoid eye contact with the homeless, be prepared to give.

 

Prayer
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“Above all hold unfailing your love for one another,
since love covers a multitude of sins.”
–1 Peter 4:8

Meditation – Step 1: Honor Your Wedding Vows

“The family is placed at the center of the great struggle between good and evil, between life and death, between love and all that is opposed to love.”
– Saint John Paul II.

Have no doubt, Satan is trying to destroy your family!  The enemy is coming for those you love the most. The question is, what are you going to do
about it?

Discover a practical way to be a hero to your loved ones, starting with
your spouse.

Prayer
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“The hope of the righteous ends in gladness.”
Proverbs 10:28

Meditation
The end of one year and the beginning of another comes with celebrations, reflections, new goals, and the famous New Year’s resolution. Each year we say we’ll start doing this, or stop doing that. Unfortunately, for some of us, our big plans rarely make it to February.

It’s time to Live It!

At Paradisus Dei we are here to resolve with you. Strive to become a better person – a person you WANT to be – a person after God’s own Heart. The secret to a “happy life” is to live a holy life. Let’s make 2017 our happiest and holiest year yet!

Prayer
Remember us, O God; from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ. You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever. Amen.
—From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace
and truth; we have beheld His glory.”
John 1:14

Christmas Meditation
Christmas day marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration. We have spent the past few weeks preparing ourselves for the coming of our Savior, and now we get to rejoice in that coming for 12 full days.

If you wish for the true spirit of Christmas to linger, remember to pray, to lift your eyes from this world, to make time for family and friends, and to put silence into your life. These things help you prepare for Christmas, but they also help you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas!

Prayer for Christmas
Father in Heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth. We ask this in the name of
Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
The Sacramentary (New York: Catholic Book Publishing, 1985)

“For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night
in its swift course was now half gone, thy all-powerful word leaped
from heaven, from the royal throne.”
Wisdom 18:14-15

Advent Meditation
When it was time for Mary to give birth to Jesus, there was no room for the Holy Family at the inn. That means that the Inn would have been crammed with people scurrying around. To be honest, it sounds a little bit like the mayhem in the mall the week before Christmas.

But notice, that’s not where Christmas happened. Rather, it happened away from the hustle and bustle. It happened in a family, united to God in the silence of the night.

This Christmas, follow St. Joseph’s example. Go into the silence, and perhaps you will glimpse God’s all-powerful Word hidden in the
eyes of a child.

Prayer for Advent
Father in Heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth. We ask this in the name of
Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
The Sacramentary (New York: Catholic Book Publishing, 1985)