Michael Barber has memed me with a spiritual devotion meme, so here goes:
1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer.
It’s a mix between an individual Hail Mary, the Rosary, and the Memorare. I have different occasions on which I say each of these.
3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
I have, but not at present.
4. Do you have holy water in your home?
Yes, including a bottle with water from Lourdes.
5. Do you "offer up" your sufferings?
Yes. This is something I often do for various intentions, including in a general way for my own sanctification and for the salvation of souls.
6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
I have not yet explored these devotions.
7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration? How Frequently?
Yes, though the frequency varies.
8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or a Sunday morning Mass person?
Neither. I don’t have a set Mass time on weekends. I normally go either late Sunday morning or early Sunday afternoon. (I like to sleep in after square dancing Saturday night.) If there’s a special reason, I sometimes go to Saturday evening Mass (before dancing).
9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Yes, though as part of my diet, I don’t do full-blown meals (makes you too hungry and puts you at risk of eating more than you mean to). Instead, I snack, trying to eat the minimum needed to satisfy hunger at the moment (followed by fiber). Because I don’t have a formal meal time, I may forget to pray, so what I do is say "Lord, bless this, and all I eat and drink," including the last part to cover those times I forget. When eating with others, of course, I do the "Bless us, O Lord."
10. Favorite saints.
Mary, Paul, Peter, Luke, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Jerome, Patrick, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas More, Gianna Molla.
11. Can you recite the Apostles’ Creed by heart?
Yes, but I have to fight myself not to get it mixed up with clauses from the Nicene Creed.
12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
Yes, very frequently.
13. Bonus Question: When you pass by an automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
Yes. I also pray for the people involved whenever I hear a siren (police car, ambulance, fire engine) going by. I generally say "Lord, please help the people involved, and all in similar situations." The clause "and all in similar situations" is something I often try to add whenever I’m praying for someone who has a special need or is dealing with a special problem.
I don’t tag specific people, so in keeping with the Akin Meme Mutation, I hereby meme anybody who wants to be memed.
A friend of mine jokes that when he forgets to pray before eating, he says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is in me bless the Lord.”
“11. Can you recite the Apostles’ Creed by heart?
Yes, but I have to fight myself not to get it mixed up with clauses from the Nicene Creed.”
I’m really relieved to hear this. I’m in the process of conversion now and I learned the Apostles’ Creed first and now I have a lot of problem with slipping into clauses of the Apostles’ Creed when reciting the Nicene Creed. To be safe, I always read the Nicene Creed if I’m at a Mass where it’s recited. I do feel it’s important that I make an effort to say it correctly with the other participants, even if I have to read it. As I participate in Scripture Breaking at my Church, I’m not normally present for the recitation of the Creed, so it’s not usually a problem, though.
I thought I was lax or had a particularly bad memory… In any case, I’ve about got this licked. I’ve recorded these and other important prayers on my iPod and I frequently listen to them and practice reciting them. I’m finding that I’m getting better at not mixing them up all the time.
Mr.Akin,Do you know the post meal prayer?
My wife and I would like to pray it after eating.
God bless you
Dan Hunter,
Grace after meals
We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.
from the Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism prayers for every day.
Take care and God bless,
Inocencio
J+M+J
Yes, but I have to fight myself not to get it mixed up with clauses from the Nicene Creed.
Hee hee…I’m always screwing up the Nicene creed in church because of sayinng the rosary. 🙂
I just say the Nicene creed quietly so people don’t hear my screwups.
Jimmy,
I would like to learn how you offer up your sufferings in both a general way for sanctification and the salvation of souls, as well as in a specific way.
My wife was diagnosed with MS this last Feast Day of Sts. Peter & Paul, which we believe to have been divine communication!
Thanks!
I generally pray to the effect: Lord God accept all my sufferings of mind and body for the salvation of the world.
Doing this can produce panic attacks of the “it doesn’t hurt that much” variety — viewing pain in light of the salvation of the world tends to make it look smaller — but then, you shouldn’t begrudge it on that account.
I’m impressed Jordan. Not only do I get the creeds mixed up but I also get their language all mixed up. I slip in and out of elevated English and vernacular English and, because I had a brief stint in Lutheranism, I still like to say “the quick and the dead” despite the fact that even elevated Catholic versions do not use that phrase.
This is just one of the many things I have resigned to not squaring away in this lifetime. I speak two Asian languages and my brain no longer works too good.
“Yes, but I have to fight myself not to get it mixed up with clauses from the Nicene Creed.”
Yeah, me, too. It’s good to know I’m not alone, along with Jordan & DJ. I won’t feel so stupid when I do it from now on! 😉
“Hee hee…I’m always screwing up the Nicene creed in church because of sayinng the rosary. :)”
Ditto.
I just started working on the Angelus, which I love. It’s not that long, but I’ve just started and sometimes forget the exact words. I really like the idea that many Catholics will be praying it with me at the same moment.
Are we allowed to post our faves in the comments? I don’t have a blog or anything so that’s why I’m asking.
#1 My favorite is the Jesus Prayer, you don’t need a rosary or even a chotki, just say the words, and God does the rest.
By the way, the person who started this particular meme blogs on spiritual devotions.
So Many Devotions…So Little Time
Can someone define “meme” for me? I think I get the idea from the context but have never heard it defined. Thanks.
(While you’re at it, what does “CHT” mean, as in, “CHT to the reader who e-mailed.” Jimmy should have a glossary.
Mark,
CHT= Cowboy Hat Tip
I am surprisedI am surprised — and quite nonplussed — to see that you, Mr. Akin, would actually give credence to the superstitious, discredited, and thoroughly ridiculous idea of the “meme”. That bigoted atheist Richard Dawkins has come up with man moronic ideas, but the concept of “memetics” is by far the most absurd of them all. I simply cannot understand why you would ever use the term “meme”, given its rather hateful connotations and associations, especially when we already have other words in our language that can suffice to explain human thoughts and ideas that do not bear any association with deterministic philosophies of human behaviour.
I assume that you, Mr. Akin, you are merely ignorant of what “memetics” is, and of the danger it poses to our society (because I have a great deal of respect for you and do not believe that you would use the term “meme” if you understood the origin of the word, and of the hateful ideology with which the word is associated). Forgive me if I come off as a little gruff, but I simply detest seeing the term “meme” bandied about by people who have no idea what it means. I simply made this post to hopefully raise everyone’s awareness about the insidious nature of the concept of the “meme”.
A good place to start learning about the origins of the term “meme” would be here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme
I think that we can all agree that the concept of memetics is not consistent with a Catholic worldview (memetics views religion, itself, as merely a self-propagating “meme”, and mainstream memetic thought refers to religion as a “virus of the mind”), and I therefore think that we should avoid the use of the term “meme” at all costs, lest we give credence to this most crackpot of all theories.
Randolph,
I simply detest seeing the term “meme” bandied about by people who have no idea what it means.
If you read the Wikipedia article you cite, “the meme as a unit simply provides a convenient way of discussing ‘a piece of thought copied from person to person.'”
I think that we can all agree that the concept of memetics is not consistent with a Catholic worldview.
Memetics is the study of memes. I’m not sure why you think studying memes would be inconsistent with a Catholic worldview.
Italics off.
“Yes, but I have to fight myself not to get it mixed up with clauses from the Nicene Creed.”
On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at noon Mass, my pastor accidentally lapsed into the Apostles Creed after he had properly begun the Nicene Creed, and once that happened the entire congregation sort of morphed with him — the result was what I’ll call “The Nicepostles Creed.”
Everyone had a stunned expression when we were done!
‘thann
Yes, but I have to fight myself not to get it mixed up with clauses from the Nicene Creed.
LOL. This usually trips me up when I forget not to add “and his kingdom will have no end.”
Re: The Angelus.
I learned this late in life at my children’s school. Ditto the prayer after the meal.
My staff love, “the beutiful church music” my Treo plays at 12 and 6. (Ave Maria). I tell them it’s to remind me to pray. They loose interest and discuss the latest gossip.
*SIGH*
Little do they know I dedicate it to them. Maybe if I were better at actually doing it.
Jimmy, since you’ve opened the door…. 🙂
1. Favorite prayer or devotion to Jesus: The Sacred Heart Litany.
2. Favorite Marian prayer/devotion: Tossup between the Rosary and the Angelus.
3. Scapular/medal: I wear a St Benedict crucifix daily.
4. Holy water: No.
5. “Offering up” sufferings: I do, from time to time.
6. First Fridays/Saturdays: No.
7. Eucharistic Adoration: I’d love to, but it’s only offered once a week in my parish, and then while I’m at work.
8. Saturday PM/Sunday AM Mass: Sunday morning, since that’s when my church choir sings.
9. Prayers at mealtime: Yes, both Grace and Thanksgiving.
10. Favorite saints: The Blessed Mother, Athanasius, Cecilia, Joan of Arc, Maria Goretti, Maximilian Kolbe, Michael, Nicholas, Vincent de Paul.
11. Apostles’ Creed: Yes, and like Jimmy and a few other folks, I, too, sometimes forget which Creed I’m supposed to say at Mass….
12. Aspirations: “Blessed Mother, pray for us” gets used quite a few times each day.
13. Auto accidents: You bet. Ditto with sirens.
Grace before and after meals? Try it in Latin:
Benedictus benedicat (May the Blessed One bless . . .)
and afterwards
Benedicto benedicatur ( May the Blessed One be blessed).
JW, that reminded me of whatG.K. Chesterton once said about the Benedictine saying ‘Benedictus Benedicat’ and the Franciscan retorting ‘Franciscus franciscat’. 😀
Grace before and after meals? Try it in Latin:
Is it not more like :
Benedic Domine, nos et haec tua dona, quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
——————–
Agimus tibi gratias omnipotens Deus, pro universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Okay, I’ll play. 🙂
1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer.
The Rosary; in particular, a set of Rosary tapes called “The Healing Rosary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help” (not sure if that’s the exact title). It includes 5 “Living Mysteries” which have a couple in common with John Paul’s “Luminous Mysteries”; I bought the tape set in 1999. I don’t know if they’ve been re-done with the Luminous.
3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
I wear the Miraculous Medal, and also own a few others, including my birthday saint, Teresa of Avila.
4. Do you have holy water in your home?
Yes.
5. Do you “offer up” your sufferings?
Not much, really.
6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
I’ve gone to a lot of First Fridays with Catholic Alumni Club of Pittsburgh, and occasionally on my own, but have yet to string together the 9 consecutive First Fridays specified by the promises for those devoted to the Sacred Heart.
7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration? How Frequently?
Not much nowadays. I used to go every week when we had it on Wednesdays at my parish. The last time I went was in August!
8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or a Sunday morning Mass person?
I usually go to the 11:00 AM Mass at my parish. The most common reason for me to attend a different one is if the choir (which I’m in) sings at it.
9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Not with the regularity that I should.
10. Favorite saints.
St. Teresa of Avila (birthday patroness), St. Edward the Confessor (my namesake), Blessed Margaret of Castello (unofficial patroness of the disabled).
11. Can you recite the Apostles’ Creed by heart?
Yes.
12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
No.
13. Bonus Question: When you pass by an automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
Sometimes.
Whoops, on the question of medals, I forgot to include – I wear a crucifix necklace with the St. Benedict medal inlaid on the cross.
10. Favorite saints.
Peter, Paul and Mary!
That is:
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
To which Kansas says:
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind.
Now, does that mean, then, that the answer to Life lies within our very selves???
Talk about being a Realist! ;^)