It's the end of the year and time to start thinking of the New Year and all that it brings. I was just cutting my saints names and putting them in a basket for the church and remembered that I hadn't brought this up in a year. This is another great tradition, a Saint picks you for the year! Anytime after New Years Eve you select a paper with a saints name on it. If you are not able to do that, you can say a prayer to the Holy Spirit and just scroll down the list until you feel the need to stop and look to see who selected you. I've done this for a few years now and always am blessed enormously by who will be my companion in the new year. Please enjoy this it's really fun.... This is the story from Mary TV. Mary TV Daily Reflection St. James Church, Medjugorje http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ December 30, 2009 Dear Family of Mary! "Dear children! Today, on the day of the Patron of your Parish, I call you to imitate the lives of the Saints. May they be, for you, an example and encouragement to a life of holiness. May prayer for you be like the air you breathe and not a burden. Little children, God will reveal His love to you and you will experience the joy that you are my beloved. God will bless you and give you an abundance of grace. Thank you for having responded to my call." (July 25, 2007) As we approach the New Year it is time to prepare to draw a saint as our companion. The tradition of praying for a saint as a companion each year has been practiced in the Church for many years. St. Faustina describes it in her diary and St. Therese of Lisieux tells of her experience drawing a saint. It is a lovely way to experience the Communion of Saints. Denis always says that when we draw a saint from the basket, it is really the saint picking us! He imagines the saints all jostling one another to see who will get to be our saint for the year! It is always amazing to see how the saint we receive is tailor made for us, having just the right gifts and expertise. It truly is a comfort to know that a special saint has become our friend and partner on the way. We feel much less alone. Here is an account written by St. Faustina of how a "saint" picked her for the year: "Jesus likes to intervene in the smallest details of our life, and He often fulfills secret wishes of mine that I sometimes hide from Him, although I know that from Him nothing can be hidden. "There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: I am your patron. Read. I looked at once at the inscription and read, 'Patron for the Year 1935 - the Most Blessed Eucharist.' My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament, where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be, at that moment, together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule." (Diary 360) It is exciting to see who the Lord provides for each of us as a companion! We can feel the intimate care of the Lord as the saint is revealed to us. Jesus knows who we need each year! We have provided a list of saints on our web site that you can copy and paste to your computer and print out. The list can be found at http://www.marytv.tv/html/pages_4.html. Then you can cut up the individual entries and put them in a basket or box. After a prayer or blessing, each person can pick their saint. We need our companions in heaven to support us in prayer and intercession! What a gift to have a community of friends in heaven to assist us as we take ground for the Lord here on earth! In Jesus and Mary! Cathy Nolan PS. Some good news from Medjugorje! (This report came from http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ - The Medjugorje Message, posted 12/29/09) "It was announced in Medjugorje today, at the conclusion of the 10.00am Mass for English-speaking pilgrims, that Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, and visiting Medjugorje for the first time, will give a talk in the Yellow Hall at Medjugorje on Wednesday afternoon, December 30. It was also confirmed that the cardinal will be the main celebrant at Midnight Mass on New Year's Eve, and at Mass on New Year's Day. Last night Fr Tomislav Pervan announced that the cardinal had arrived in Medjugorje that afternoon and had spent time in Adoration and then some time at the back of the church in prayer. As he left the church, the cardinal is reported to have said: 'Who could make these things up? Who could invent this thing? Man? No, this is not a human opera.' Fr Tomislav then said that we should not forget that the cardinal had held an important position in preparing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Schönborn is one of the most respected experts in the theology of the Christian East and is also a member of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)."
I was inspired by your post, Lee and got together a big bowl of Saints for my family today. After a quick prayer of thanksgiving and for guidance, we all picked a name (as did some friends of ours who came over for brunch today). It was pretty neat. The nine Saints that were drawn were: St. Joseph St. Jerome St. Anthony of Padua St. Dominic Savio Blessed Francisco of Fatima Archangel Gabriel St. Barbara St. Thomas More St. Francis de Sales Quite a group! Very exciting indeed... BTW, my Saint for the year is St. Dominic Savio. I look forward to getting to know him better! Wishing you all a happy, healthy and very holy 2010!!
bflocatholic, hurray for you! That is quite an impressive group indeed. What fun for all who participated and what treasures will come in the next 12 months. Do all the homework on St. Dominic as you can and really ask him to intercede for you, really enlist his help. On your calendar mark June or July as a refresher for your saint and yourself. Go and spend some quiet time them and rekindle the love affair...it gets to be old news just like other things and needs a jump start about then...that will carry you through to the end of the year when a new darling awaits you. I'm so glad you decided to jump in, you will never regret it and it adds so much to your spiritual life...if you let it. God bless you and your adventurous spirit and have a blessed and happy new year. Lee
So my saint for the year is St Therese of Lisieux! My patron saint. The fun part is looking into why that saint selected me for this particular year and what the lessons are....fortunately is takes all year to play out but it's not unlike a roll of toilet tissue, closer to the end the faster it goes! :roll:
Looks like Heaven's "heavy hitters" are coming out this year... My mother in law was over last night and picked St. Faustina!
