I raved about how much I loved Sarah's new book, and now I'm going to rave about it again. I love this book! (CleanerB, yours is on the way. It was hard to get to the Post Office amidst the puking of the children the last few weeks. Sorry!) Today, Sarah is taking over my blog on her blog book tour to remind us all to pray the Rosary together. Get out your rosary, and pray along with Sarah, then head on over and enter to win a Nook! Good Luck!
To celebrate the launch of her new book, A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism,
Sarah Reinhard invites all of us to spend her blog book tour praying
the rosary together. Today, she shares this reflection on the
Proclamation of the Kingdom:
I wonder if Mary appreciated knowing that a
sword would pierce her heart. I mean, it’s sort of the state of
motherhood, isn’t it? You give birth (which isn’t exactly a walk in the
park), and then that little bundle of smell-good gets bigger and starts
wiggling away in varying stages. Before you know it, you’re waving
goodbye as they get on a bus, hugging them as they graduate from high
school, and hiding your tears when they walk down an aisle to begin
their own family or serve in some sort of religious life.
When Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom, he wasn’t
necessarily telling people things they didn’t already know. He was
reminding them that following God is counter-cultural and that it takes
work.
Have you ever had someone you love or someone
you admire point out a major flaw of yours and make a suggestion for
improvement? I’ve come a long way, because I no longer attack the person
out loud when they do this. (I make no guarantees for mental
conversations I may or may not have with myself.) Over time, I’ve come
to appreciate the tender voice calling me to change.
Jesus’ voice in the proclamation of the kingdom
is a call to each of us. He loves us more than anyone else, and that’s
part of the reason he calls us to repent and reform. He sees what we’re
capable of and how great we can be for God’s glory, so he doesn’t
hesitate to encourage us. The path, though, isn’t easy, and it involves
swords in our hearts.
Got your beads out and ready to pray?
As we pray this decade of the rosary, let's
hold all those brave women who have said yes to difficult and
challenging motherhood in our intentions in a special way. Don't forget,
too, that we are praying for an increase in all respect life intentions
as part of our rosary together this month. (If you’re not familiar with
how to pray the rosary, you can find great resources at Rosary Army.)
Our Father . . .
10 - Hail Mary . . .
Glory Be . . .
O My Jesus . . .
You can find a complete listing of the tour stops over at Snoring Scholar. Be sure to enter to win a Nook (and any number of other goodies) each day of the tour over at Ave Maria Press.
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