Print Blog
Email a FriendPosted by Mark on Monday, Jan 3, 2011 11:48 PM (EDT):
How wonderful! Thank you for sharing this prayer.
Resolution Prayer
Helped me in 2010 - let it help you in 2011!
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Monday, January 03, 2011 10:41 PM
I know it’s now 2011 and we’re looking forward, but does anyone care to join me in a little 2010 retrospective? I’ve got something neat to share, I promise!
Last January I made a one-word resolution: JOY. I felt that, in spite of the blessed circumstances of my life, I was failing to appreciate it properly and live joyfully day-to-day. In 2010 I wanted to change that.
Making a resolution like JOY, I soon learned, is a little different than making a standard resolution which involves simple acts of the will. Although I can force a positive attitude (which helps), I cannot manufacture joy. The ability to rejoice is a gift of grace. I can turn my open my heart to it, but it is God who gives it.
After a certain amount of frustration over my inability to make myself be joyful, I realized it was time to let go. Instead, I’d try what I think of as the “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” route: handing Him the reins.
I recalled a prayer I used to pray faithfully, but had nearly forgotten. Years ago I happened upon it and copied it from a book in our parish’s adoration chapel (I’m pretty sure it was this one.) The Internet tells me it’s from St. John Vianney, and this is the quote from his writings:
When you go to Holy Communion you must always have an intention, and say, when you are on the point of receiving our Lord’s Body:
“Oh my good Father, who art in heaven, I offer thee, at this moment, thy dear Son, as he was taken down from the Cross and laid in the arms of the blessed Virgin, and offered by her to thee as a sacrifice for us. I offer him to thee by the hands of Mary to obtain such and such a grace: faith, charity, humility….”
My children, mark this well, whenever I obtained a grace, I asked it in this way, and it has never failed.
Although I still tried to build habits of positivity, I quit putting pressure on myself to be joyful. Instead, every time I received Communion, I’d say St. John Vianney’s prayer with the word “joy” in the relevant spot. I made this a habit, and then I put the whole thing out of my head.
But when it came time to assess the success of my 2010 resolution, I was pleasantly surprised to realize: I think it worked! The last part of this year brought me the first trimester of a pregnancy, never an easy time for me, and added the complication of discovering our twins, which is a joy, but a nerve-wracking one. And yet I believe that internally, I am day-to-day more joyful than I can remember being. Often worn down, yes, but filled with a certain knowledge of God’s love and protection, which truly does make it easier for me to rejoice.
It’s nothing I did. It’s a free gift of his grace, and I’m grateful for it and for the prayer that brought it to me. I hope the prayer may bless some of you as well!
Happy 2011!
Comments
Page 1 of 1 pages
Posted by Rachel LaPointe on Tuesday, Jan 4, 2011 1:39 PM (EDT):
I had quite a similar experience with my word of 2010 (Peace)!
Do you have a word for 2011? I’d love to hear it!
Posted by Jackie Varicak on Tuesday, Jan 4, 2011 9:05 PM (EDT):
I love this so much I posted it to my blog to share!! My blog has Joy in it’s title and so I couldn’t pass up adding this wonderful article for my readers.
Posted by Christie on Tuesday, Jan 4, 2011 9:55 PM (EDT):
Thank you, Arwen! I felt a lot of anger last year and I knew I needed to let it go and be joyful for so many blessings in my life. But the year went by and I felt myself getting worse instead of better. I think I was trying so hard to control so much and not accepting , not living, what I deeply believe about trusting Our Lord.
What a terrible example as I homeschool my four kids (ages 10-2) and they remember more of my outbursts than my loving actions and words.
Thank you for some direction to turn myself around in 2011.
That is a beautiful prayer. I must copy it down! Thank you! I’ve chosen a word of the year the past 4 years now and have loved being able to focus on a specific word to guide me through the year. This past year it was peace and I even chose Bible verses with the word peace in them to help to along. Still praying through my word for 2011… I think I hear the still small voice of what it will be, but I’m not ready to reveal yet! blessings!
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give Faith And Family Magazine permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.
