A Spiritual Baby Shower

What began as a rosary written for someone else, turned out to be a very intimate moment for me personally. I was asked to write these rosary meditations after a dear friend of ours had a spiritual baby shower. Spiritual baby showers have become quite popular for expectant mothers who already have several children or have decided that prayers are really all they need. We gather, share fellowship, maybe bring some diapers, or gift cards for future dinners, but the most important thing we do is pray for a beautiful mom who continues to say yes. What I didn’t realize though was that the first time this rosary would ever be prayed would be for my own daughter-in-love! God always orchestrates things so perfectly. Writing a rosary for someone dear to me, not knowing I would become a grandmother soon, and celebrating the gift of life through prayer so intimately. What an unexplainable joy it was to sit back, hear these mysteries prayed out loud for someone I deeply love and feel the Holy Spirit amongst a room of family and friends. A moment I will never, ever forget. Thank you, Jesus!

The Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38)

Heavenly Father, so often as moms we are afraid to let go and let you take control. We pray this mystery today to reflect on Mary’s full YES to you Lord. Thank you for giving us this immense example of what it really is to be a mother and what it really means to live according to your will. Help us Lord to be more like Mary, to never waiver on our yes to you, to let go of our will and our plan, and to trust that yours is way more beautiful than ours ever would be. Please be with us today as we shower our beautiful sister in Christ with love and gratitude for her yes to you. Please use her today to be that perfect example of what we need to be too and help us all fill her with our loving support and prayers as we witness her yes to you and your child. You have asked us to be open to life, to follow your will and to love according to your promises. We offer up this mystery for our beloved sister ___________, for it was her yes to you that brings us here today.

The Joyful Mysteries: The Visitation

“And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43)

Heavenly Father, you taught us that we need each other. You gave us the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We pray this mystery today to remind us to be there for our sisters in Christ before they even ask us, to walk by their side, to show up along their path and to all be the giver of life you ask us to be. Thank you Lord for teaching us through the humility of Elizabeth to accept our sisters presence when they are there, to allow them to walk by our side and to let go of all the pretenses of the world that make us feel we are powerful and can do this journey of life alone. We need you Lord, we need the sisters by our side and we need this beautiful mother of Christ ____________that we celebrate today. Remind us Lord that with every visit, with every hug, with every conversation, you are there in the midst of it. Not because we deserve it, but because it is your plan for our lives to be weaved together. Thank you for our sister__________, the perfect example of a giver of life and what it means to recognize you in everyone around her. We are grateful for you Lord, help us to celebrate you through every life you give and for every visitation you place in front of us.

The Joyful Mysteries: The Nativity

Matthew 1: 8 "and sent them on to Bethlehem with the words, 'Go and find out all about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage."

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing Jesus into our lives and teaching us the true meaning of the nativity, of family. Through the intercessions of Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, we can lift up our prayers of gratitude for giving us the perfect model of family life. Every decision, every step, and every action they made, pointed to you Lord. They never wavered on what was most important, they never left each other’s side, they never worshiped any other God, and they simply loved. They loved with you, because of you, through you. Thank you Lord for the gift of _________. Be with her and her family as they take on their own nativity and lead through their domestic church. Help guide them, protect them and lead them to be your light to others. Through Mary, Joseph and Jesus, we see the perfect example of what it means to not only be family but to share your word with others.

The Joyful Mysteries: The Presentation

Luke 2:22-23 "When the day came to purity them according to the law Of Moses, the couple brought him up to Jerusalem so that He could be presented to the Lord "Every first-born male shall Be consecrated to the Lord."

Heavenly Father, the world we live in doesn’t understand what it means to present ourselves to you and be fully consecrated within you. Sometimes we as moms wonder if we are doing all that we need to do in giving our full selves and family to you. Today, we present ourselves to you through this mystery and ask for your forgiveness for those times that we haven’t left ourselves at the altar with you or followed your will for us. The more we learn about our Catholic faith, the harder it is sometimes to live daily the disciple You need us to be but we accept this challenge and are grateful to be your daughter . Help us Lord to follow your guidance for us as moms and to trust that when we don’t have all the answers, you do. We lift up our sister __________today to You Lord. We present her and her family to you and trust that your plan for her is greater than anything we could ever imagine for her. Thank You Lord for the gift of law, for the sacraments that give us direction and for the works, the words, and the perfect love you taught us to abide within.

The Joyful Mysteries: Finding Jesus in the Temple

Luke 2:46 On the day they came upon him in the temple Sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and Asking them questions."

Sweet Jesus, thank you for leading the way for us. For teaching us to always be in our Father’s house first, for never going in our own direction, for trusting that He knows what’s best for us as His children, and for teaching us that we must always search for God in our lives. The thought of not knowing where our children are for days is heart wrenching but the grace your mother gave us through her trust is forever stamped in our hearts. Thank you for not faltering, for being human in many ways but for also doing what we feel we would never be able to do. You raised the bar high for us Jesus, you have loved us through it all and you showed us what it means to never be lost. We offer up this final joyful mystery to our beautiful sister in Christ __________ today. Thank you for gifting us with her love, for gifting us with her example of faith and for gifting us with her witness to Mary and to you. Please keep her safe, keep her in your Father’s house and never ever let her go.

My prayer for you today is that you remember your yes, and the yes that surrounds you. I pray you will gather with those of like-minds, pray together, share fellowship and see the gifts God brings to the moment. May you embrace your goodness, hold on to you faith community and feel God's love in your day.

Together in prayer. Hand in hand.