Revolution of Love.com
How Can I Make My Life Prayerful, As A Wife and Mother?
by Janice
When Brian and I were on Ave Maria SCOL we began to correspond with a fellow SCOL couple, John and Janice (actually they were the very first marriage to come from the site!) I have found myself looking forward to Janice's letters, not only to catch up, but because she always offers incredible wisdom for such a young mom! Being a godly wife and mother of three adorable kids I would like to share some of the lessons Janice has shared with me. In her most recent letter Janice shared her thoughts about a wife and mother learning to make their life prayerful. She says:
"In your article Help! I Have A Hard Time Praying you have asked one of the fundamental questions of wives and mothers. Basically, "How can I find time to be holy?" While setting aside time for prayer is essential, we must remember that St. Paul calls us to "pray without ceasing". The question then becomes, "How can I make my life prayerful?"
In our hustle and bustle, that can be difficult. One way I've tried to make my life prayerful is to put reminders around the house. There is a prayer for work which some seminarians, priests and religious use which I have printed and set on my sink since the kitchen is where I begin my workday. I have the children's baptismal certificates over the children's beds as a reminder that I serve not MY children, but rather GOD's children.
More important, I printed the Works of Mercy on nice cardstock and put them in strategic places around the house. "Clothe the naked" is posted above my washing machine and "Feed the hungry" on the refrigerator, just to cite a couple of examples. If we only realized the works of mercy we do as wives and mothers! Every single one is part of our regular routine. Purifying and raising our work to a noble cause, that of serving God, is indispensable if you want to grow in holiness."I have reread these words often and always find them encouraging. I hope they are helpful to you as well!
(A special thanks to you, Janice, for your friendship and counsel! I bet you never realized how many others you'd be helping as well!)