I remember the first time I prayed an entire Rosary. I was twelve-and-a-half years old, and I had no idea what I was doing. My baby sister was just born with a slew of medical issues that no one had anticipated. My grandparents came to stay with my other siblings and me while Mom and Dad were at the hospital with her. When they arrived, they immediately sat down in the family room with my younger sister, my brother, and myself. They handed each of us a brand new Rosary. “It’s time to pray,” they said. “The Blessed Mother will help us.” So we prayed. Right there in the family room, before they even unloaded their suitcases. My siblings and I knew the individual prayers of the Rosary. The Our Father (or Lord's Prayer), the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be were part of our bedtime routines. And sure, we’d seen Rosaries before and even owned a couple ourselves. But as we all sat together united in prayer for the baby sister we had yet to meet, I knew that this prayer was unlike any I ever prayed before. What is the Rosary, Anyway? The Rosary might look like a fancy necklace, but it is so much more. For centuries, people of faith have used everything from paths of stones to knotted ropes to strings of beads to keep track of their prayers. And that’s exactly what the Rosary does for us! Made up of 59 beads, Rosaries also usually have a crucifix and a Marian medal. It is a sacramental that helps us keep track of the number of prayers we have said as we meditate on the lives of Christ and His mother, Mary. How Does the Rosary Deepen Our Prayer Life? How does praying the Hail Mary over 50 times help us grow closer to Jesus? Because knowing, loving, and communing with Him is the ultimate goal of prayer, right? I think Pope St. John Paul II said it best: Although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to Mary, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and through her. The repetition is nourished by the desire to be conformed ever more completely to Christ. At the end of His life, Jesus gave us His Mother to be our Mother, too. It's her deepest desire that we know her Son more and more. In our meditation on and recitation of the Rosary, we ask our Blessed Mother to bring our intentions and our very selves closer to the Heart of Jesus. And we all know that Jesus listens to His mother, right? Just ask the guests of the Wedding of Cana! 📿 Make It a Daily Habit Find Your Perfect Rosary From the Blessed Mother to St. Therese, St. Joseph, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, our rosaries are made to pray for your intentions every day. Shop All Rosaries → How to Pray the Rosary How do we pray the Rosary? Let’s take it step-by-step and bead-by-bead. Make the Sign of the Cross. While holding the crucifix, recite the Apostles’ Creed. On the first bead, recite the Our Father. On the next three beads, recite the Hail Mary (one per bead). In the space after the third Hail Mary bead, recite the Glory Be. On the next single bead, begin the first full decade. You will announce the first Mystery of the day (more on that below) and prayerfully consider it. Then, pray the Our Father. On the next cluster of 10 beads (or decade), pray one Hail Mary per bead. In the space after that decade, pray a Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer. Continue in this pattern for the next four decades as you move counter-clockwise around the Rosary. Announce and contemplate each Mystery, pray an Our Father, pray 10 Hail Marys, then finish the decade with a Glory Be. After all 5 decades have been said, conclude by praying the Hail, Holy Queen. Close with the Sign of the Cross. The Mysteries of the Rosary On each day of the week, we meditate on different Mysteries of the Rosary. The Mysteries are highlights of the events in the life of Jesus and His Church. The Joyful Mysteries We pray the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays. The Annunciation The Visitation The Nativity of the Lord The Presentation in the Temple The Finding of Jesus in the Temple The Luminous Mysteries We pray the Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan The Wedding Feast at Cana The Proclamation of the Kingdom The Transfiguration The Institution of the Eucharist The Sorrowful Mysteries We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Agony in the Garden The Scourging at the Pillar The Crowning with Thorns The Carrying of the Cross The Crucifixion The Glorious Mysteries We pray the Glorious Mysteries on Sundays and Wednesdays. The Resurrection The Ascension The Descent of the Holy Spirit The Assumption The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth To dive deeper into the spirituality and meaning of each Mystery, look here. We made a How to Pray the Rosary graphic just for you!   {formbuilder:MTAwOTI2} Cultivating the Habit of Praying the Rosary Making a habit of saying that many prayers each day may seem overwhelming if you aren’t used to it! Just to be clear, praying the Rosary every day is not a requirement of the Catholic faithful. It is an act of devotion. But anyone who has prayed the Rosary consistently for any length of time will regale you with testimonies about its power and the graces that accompany it. If you would like to begin to incorporate the Rosary into your daily prayer, here are some helpful tips, tricks, and resources: Many Hail Marys at a Time // The Rosary is prayed here, live, every day at 7:45 a.m. eastern time. Find a Rosary podcast, playlist, or app // I like this recording by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Start small // Begin by just saying one decade a day (an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be). Then, work your way up to pray an entire Rosary! Don’t go it alone // Find a prayer partner and commit to praying together. This could be your spouse, your children, or a friend! Encourage one another in your journey with Christ. Growing in Love for the Rosary I won’t say that my relationship with the Rosary has been fully committed since the day my grandparents placed the purple beads into my hands. There have been weeks, even months, that have passed without me picking up my Rosary and praying with it. But Mother Mary is always there, always waiting with love to carry us to her Son. Pray with her, love her, and let her be a mother to you, too, through this beautiful prayer. Your heart will be glad you did. What questions do you have about how to pray the Rosary? Join us over in our app for a live weekday Rosary at 11am ET! 

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I am far from perfect at praying the Rosary daily. I put my worldly obligations and my messy kitchen and Instagram before the Rosary again and again and again…But our Mama is patient with me, and I’m getting better. I have gotten better. One simple little trick has made the days I do pray the Rosary outweigh the days I don’t, and that’s the reason I’m writing this post. Not because I am perfect at it, but because the success of implementing this one thing made me wonder: how do other Catholic women make praying the Rosary a daily habit? Why Should We Pray a Daily Rosary? But first, why pray the rosary in the first place, let alone daily? We are so busy, doing very good things. In some seasons of life, setting aside 15-20 minutes for contemplative prayer truly feels next to impossible. Sisters, the reasons we are called to pray the rosary daily could fill an entire book, so I’ll keep it simple. It’s because Our Blessed Mother asks us to. In each one of her apparitions that have been approved by the Vatican, she has implored the world to pray the Rosary. The Promises of Our Lady to Those Who Faithfully Pray the Rosary She even made fifteen beautiful promises to those who pray the Rosary faithfully. These were revealed to St. Dominic, and then to Blessed Alan de la Roche. They are: Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means! The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. (Referring to perishing in hell) Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination. The Rosary is Fuel for Our Souls What promises for a time such as this! If you have never tried to pray the Rosary daily, there is no better day to start than today. Yes, today. You don’t need to have the perfect plan, the perfect time slot, or even the perfect Rosary (though if you don’t have one, you can find a beautiful one that was custom-made for the Blessed is She community here). I encourage you to ask for Mary’s special graces to make it happen during this month, in which we honor Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary, especially. 📿 Make It a Daily Habit Find Your Perfect Rosary From the Blessed Mother to St. Therese, St. Joseph, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, our rosaries are made to pray for your intentions every day. Shop All Rosaries → How Catholic Women Pray the Rosary I asked Catholic women on Instagram how they make praying the Rosary a daily habit. I found myself so inspired by the different ways our sisters prioritize this prayer in the midst of their busy lives. How encouraging is it to know that we are all in this together, drawing closer to Our Lord through His Blessed Mother and interceding for these promises, from armor against hell to a flourishing of good works?! My Quick Tip... Before we dive into their wisdom, I’d love to share that simple trick that has worked for me: downloading a Rosary podcast (I use A Rosary Companion and like the Spoken + Ambient Music versions. But there are many options out there!). I’m in and out of the car often throughout the day and love listening to podcasts, which is why I think this has worked for me. I always queue up the Rosary when I get into the car, before listening to anything else. I’m a rule-follower to a fault, and making this particular rule has been so fruitful! Here are some more amazing tips and tricks for building the Rosary into your day. Pray a Little Bit at a Time “When we say the rosary, I like to imagine that we are safe inside the ‘New Ark’ (a title that was given to Our Lady since the earliest days of the Church), just like Noah and his family were safe and preserved from the floods by entering into the Ark. She has told us throughout all her apparitions about the importance of the Rosary and the graces we will receive to persevere through hard times. We have five kids (one in utero) of all different ages and attention spans. For many years, our nightly routine has been to say between 1-2 decades of the Rosary. It was only recently that our older kids suggested that instead of switching the mysteries each day, we commit to one mystery per week. This week, we have been saying the Sorrowful Mysteries, and next week will be the Glorious. It’s not perfect, but we have faith that it pleases Our Lady because we are trying our best.” - Kelli S. “The fifteen promises that Our Lady has made to those who are faithful to the Rosary are truly life-changing! Powerful, hell-fighting armor, vice destroyer, heresy dispeller--sign me up! Even though there are such amazing reasons to pray the Rosary, I still found so many excuses not to. But, God is persistent and He inspired the design of the Rosary bracelet we sell at ChewsLife that pretty much addressed all of my excuses. It's always on hand, so I don't lose it; it's sturdy, so my kids can never break it; and most importantly, the movable crucifix charm works like a bookmark to keep my place when I get interrupted. It has allowed me to use the quiet moments that are scattered throughout my day to get my Rosary in. God doesn't ask us to be perfect; He just asks us to begin!” - Shannon W. (of ChewsLife) “My husband and I do the first four decades on our own throughout the day, and then do the fifth decade together when we are both home. We think the reason this works is two-fold—it feels more manageable to pray a decade or so at a time, and we get to pray together!” - Lia M. Deepen Your Understanding “As a person currently in the process of converting to Catholicism, praying the Rosary daily is helping to form the bedrock of my life as a Catholic woman, wife, and mother. I pray two decades in the morning while nursing my son, two more decades at various points throughout the day (usually while nursing), and one more decade before bed. I keep engaged by doing scriptural meditations with each prayer—this has done WONDERS for helping me stay focused on the beauty of the Rosary, instead of letting it feel dull or repetitive.” - Courtney W. “I never really prayed the Rosary but I started doing a study by Take Up and Read called Ponder, which is all about the Rosary. It has helped me to meditate on the mysteries and create a daily habit. I started doing just one decade at a time and am working my way up to praying a full Rosary daily!” - Macy M. (Note: Blessed is She offers a wonderful Blessed Conversations series on the Mysteries of the Rosary!) Find Accountability “A group of friends and I got together and decided to pray the 54-day Rosary Novena. We set up a group message and texted each other every day, reminding and encouraging each other to pray. It was so powerful that we started a new novena two days after finishing the first!” - Meagan R. “Find someone who can hold you accountable. For me, it is my husband. Each morning, when we plan our day, we carve out a specific time to pray the Rosary, whether that be individually or together. If our days have been busy and we have failed, we try to give the other person 15 minutes at the end of the day “duty-free” (no kids, housework, etc.) when we can be alone in prayer. Find your person—whether that be your sister, friend, mom, or husband—and just start.” - Carrie G. “I joined a virtual Rosary community with @onehailmaryatatime. Following her helps keep me inspired because she shares so many glory stories from people who have prayed the Rosary! Now, I lead a virtual Rosary group where we video call once a week and pray together. The group holds me accountable and I love praying with women who are all over the country, yet are so similar to me, every week!” - Melissa T. Take Advantage of Mental Idle Time “Exercise is part of my daily morning routine, and I found that using my Rosary bracelet during my exercise allowed me the opportunity to slow down mentally, calm my heart, and cultivate a stronger relationship with God.” - Katlyn Rose I. “I live in NYC and usually spend my subway commute on my phone. Lately, I’ve tried to shut off my phone during my commute (signal is terrible in the subway anyway!) and pray the Rosary instead. Turning an otherwise idle time into prayer time has made me feel very productive and more spiritually fulfilled.” - Vicky W. “I have an hour-long commute to work, and every single day, as soon as I get into my car, I pull up the Risers Resided by Christen Peska on the Laudate app and get out my Rosary to pray along. The mystery traditionally recited that day is the one that plays, and each Rosary recitation is about 20 minutes long. I’ve been doing this for two straight years now—before that, I rarely prayed the rosary!” - Cynthia B. Focus on Intentions “Doing novenas for a reason bigger than myself has always helped me. For example, I did a 54-day Rosary Novena for my dad’s conversion...that was more than enough motivation to make myself pray a Rosary every day. I saw miracles happen. After that, I didn’t want to stop, so I did another 54-day novena for my future spouse. I met my husband a few months later.” - Melissa T. Embrace Imperfection and Keep Praying “We started praying the Rosary daily with our family almost seven years ago. We started the practice for Lent and it stuck because our kids wanted to delay bedtime. We were also going through a difficult time in our family, and after praying the Rosary daily for six months, we noticed all the peace and hope it brought to our lives. It had become a beautiful nightly ritual to bring our family together, screen-free, distraction-free. I encourage my Instagram followers to not focus on perfection and to just try. Mary sees your efforts and she will take your intentions to Jesus. Trust me.” - Kristin (of One Hail Mary at a Time) “Some of the best advice I’ve heard is ‘Just keep praying.’ Sometimes, stuff comes up. Maybe your kid starts crying or someone from work calls or you have to clean up a mess, or any number of things that need your attention—whenever you can, just keep praying through it.” - Trishey N. “Be okay with not always being perfect at it. Some days, you don’t want to, other days, you don’t have time...don’t allow those excuses to make you feel as though there’s no point. Your Mother loves you and meets you wherever you are. I love this quote from St. Bernadette: ‘In the evening, when you go to sleep, hold your beads. Doze off reciting them. Do like those babies who go to sleep mumbling ‘Mama, mama.’” - Carlin N. How do you cultivate the habit of a daily Rosary? We’d love to hear your tips and learn from what has worked for you!   Join us over in our app for a live weekday Rosary at 11am ET! Our new Blessed Is She Rosaries have arrived! Get yours here! [bctt tweet="How to Cultivate the Practice of Praying the Rosary Daily #BISblog //" username="lisajanelkirk"]

Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war. -Our Lady of Fatima For years, I was inspired to daily pray the Rosary. Yet, I often struggled with making it a habit to the point that I would go many months without praying it. I knew all the great things about the Rosary: how powerful the prayer is, how Our Lady is constantly asking us to pray it in her apparitions, how helpful it is to meditate on the Mysteries of Christ’s life, and how much Mary blesses us when we do pray the Rosary. To be sure, when I did pray the Rosary, I often felt a peace and consolation doing it. I deeply admired people who had a strong devotion to praying the Rosary. In fact, there was a time in my life, when I first was inflamed in my Faith, that I did have a strong habit of praying the Rosary. As the years went on, and I became more busy and less on fire, I couldn’t seem to get myself motivated enough to make it a habit once again. There’s Never Enough Time or Energy While I had the desire to pray it, it just wasn’t strong enough to overcome the difficulties and overwhelm that I had in my life. How was I to have the mental and emotional energy to focus on the Rosary at the end of the day? By the end of the day, I either wanted to zone out a little (or sometimes a lot) on television or social media, or crash into bed. I also tried to wake earlier in the morning. This didn’t seem to work out, either. Why is it that, when you finally motivate yourself enough to wake up early to pray before your children wake, they always seem to wake earlier, too? It’s almost like they have an internal sensor that tells them when I get up! In addition, over these past five years I have been consistently sleep deprived, either waking frequently due to pregnancy symptoms or by babies and toddlers who constantly wake all night. Every Stage is Busy In this season of life, I needed all the extra precious moments of sleep I could get. While it seemed to me that maybe I was just not in a season of life to be able to commit to praying the Rosary, the reality is, I have struggled with this long before I was a mother. When I was in college or when I was working full-time, I never seemed to have enough time or energy to commit to saying the Rosary daily. Not having it as a daily habit made it that much harder for me to be motivated enough to pray it when I did find myself with a little time or energy. WRITE + PRAY We invite you to sit with the Word and unpack it in a uniquely personal way, finding your own story. Discover your story within His. GET WRITE AND PRAY Perfectionism: The Enemy of Action I realized that I had fallen into a perfectionistic, all-or-nothing thinking that was halting any attempt to pray the Rosary. I had it in my mind that, if I was going to pray the Rosary, then I needed to pray the full five Mysteries, daily, at the same time of day, in complete silence, and at a time when I could give my full attention to it. That's how you create a habit after all, by setting aside a particular time every day and giving your full attention to it. While this is good advice to help get a regular habit going, it wasn't practical for my season of life. Instead of creating a solid habit, this mentality was keeping me from trying at all. Making the Rosary a Daily Habit In order for me to get in the habit of praying the Rosary, I just needed to try and fit in the Rosary in the everyday, nitty-gritty parts of my life. I needed to focus on saying a decade or two at a time, while doing the dishes or driving in the car, when rocking or nursing the baby at all hours of the day or night, or when putting the kids to bed. I needed to resist the discouragement that came when I failed and hadn’t prayed it in days or weeks, and thought, “What’s another day?” I needed to focus on small, realistic goals for myself, and have courage to get back up and keep at it. In this way, I was able to create a habit of praying the Rosary throughout my busy day and take the pressure off myself to do it the “right way.” I soon found that the more I prayed the Rosary, the more I experienced the fruits of peace, joy, faith, and patience. Experiencing these fruits strengthened my desire and will to make the Rosary a part of my everyday life. While I do still enjoy a good podcast or music when I drive or do the dishes, I have been able to create the habit of making this wonderful prayer a priority in my daily life and am so grateful for this gift. 📿 Make It a Daily Habit Find Your Perfect Rosary From the Blessed Mother to St. Therese, St. Joseph, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, our rosaries are made to pray for your intentions every day. Shop All Rosaries → In what ways can you creatively incorporate the Rosary into your daily life, and experience the blessings and graces that Jesus has in store for you through His Blessed Mother?   Join us over in our app for a live weekday Rosary at 11am ET! Anna Maria Sevilla is wife to a wonderful man and mother of three sweet, young boys. She is a homemaker and homeschool mom, and enjoys spending time in nature, reading, writing, crafting and dancing. Find out more about her here.

Long before the world knew him as Pope Saint John Paul II, his heart was being formed at home through the faith of his mother, Emilia.

Long before the world knew him as Pope Saint John Paul II, his heart was being formed at home through the faith of his mother, Emilia.

What do we do when someone disappoints our illusion of them? Here are three ideas to consider.

Many days in the liturgical calendar are rich with traditions. From having your pets blessed on Saint Francis of Assisi’s feast day to dressing up your oldest daughter for the feast of Saint Lucy, some liturgical living traditions date back centuries. But how to celebrate a more recent Saint—as recent, even, as our own lifetimes? The Legacy of Saint John Paul II October 22nd marks the feast day of Saint John Paul II, the beloved Pope from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was canonized less than a decade ago, in 2014. While many millennials remember at least glimpses of his papacy, his legacy only reverberated in the years that followed. His teachings on the theology of the body, the dignity of the human person, the feminine genius, and so much more have resonated deeply in the hearts of a generation that has, all too often, felt lost in our rapidly-changing world. Saint John Paul II saw us, knew us, and loved us. During his lifetime (and beyond, through his extensive writing and preaching), he pointed us to the Truth and adventure to be found in a life with Christ. Ways to Celebrate the Feast of Saint John Paul II I am a firm believer that the most profound and meaningful way to celebrate any feast day is to attend Mass, joining the Communion of Saints at the Eucharistic table. If you are unable to attend Mass, simply ask the Saint for his special intercession that day. Opting for an additional celebration outside of our normal routines, however, can be a powerful signifier—both in our own hearts and to our families—that this day is special and set apart. My husband and I named Saint John Paul II the patron Saint of our family when we were engaged. We have a deep desire to share his legacy with our children, and in these five-and-under little years, sometimes, the best way to start that conversation is with dessert! Below, find a few ideas for celebrating the feast of Saint John Paul II in unique ways. Celebrating Through Reflection Saint John Paul II left us with an astounding 11 books, 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, and 45 apostolic letters. That is in addition to the transcripts of the countless general audiences, lectures, and homilies he delivered during his 27-year papacy, his poetry, and his plays. On his feast day, pick up one of his writings that has been on your list, or browse his extensive work for a topic that captures your attention. Carve out some time during the day to cozy up with a favorite fall beverage, a journal, and your reading of choice. Take in his incredible wisdom, slowly and thoughtfully. Celebrating Through Beauty I find so much joy in curating beautiful, meaningful pieces for my home and my dinner table, especially to celebrate special days. I created a tablescape full of inspiration for celebrating Saint John Paul II here and would love to share a few of my favorite details. Whether you include just one on your own table or go all-out, I hope these ideas spark your own sense of creativity for creating visual representations of this feast day. Polish pottery A perfect nod to Saint John Paul II’s Polish nationality, Polish pottery comes in countless beautiful patterns and colorways to pop off of any tablescape. It originates in Southwestern Poland, just a few hours from where Saint John Paul II grew up. Find a fabulous selection on websites like Blue Rose Pottery or Polish Pottery Outlet, browse Etsy, or keep an eye on the china sections of your local HomeGoods (I have found gems there a handful of times!). White roses Did you know there is a Pope John Paul II rose? This fragrant, pure white hybrid tea rose is even part of the White House Rose Garden. While I love this idea of planting this exact rose variety in honor of Saint John Paul II, a simple bouquet of white roses from Trader Joe’s is an easy substitute for those of us who are less gardening-inclined. Wood details An avid hiker and skier from an early age, Saint John Paul II welcomed any opportunity to enjoy God’s creation in the mountains or woods throughout his life. Wooden details from chargers, to vases, to artfully arranged cutting boards evoke the idea of the outdoors and his favorite hobbies. White candles As an easy nod to the papacy, incorporate white candles into your tablescape to represent the white smoke released from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel when a new pope is chosen. Revisit this simple detail for any former pope’s feast day. Celebrating Through Community Saint John Paul II loved people. Over the course of his papacy, a half-billion people saw him in person through the 775,000 miles he traveled collectively. From the busiest cities to the smallest villages, he traversed the globe many times to spread the Gospel. Accounts of one-on-one interactions with him recall that he paid attention to individual people as if they were the only ones in the world, offering them his full attention at any given moment. In 1985, he founded World Youth Day, an opportunity for young Catholics from all over the world to gather in community and be called on in holiness. Especially after the last year-and-a-half, celebrating in community feels all the more significant and important. In honor of Saint John Paul II, consider inviting others to join you for one (or more) of the following: Attend Mass or Adoration together Go on a Rosary walk Do a reading of Saint John Paul II’s poems Host a Polish dinner If you live near a pilgrimage site, make a visit together Saint John Paul II, we love you! Pray for us! Read more about Saint John Paul II on the Blessed is She blog: What is the Feminine Genius? The Dignity of Human Work Finding Joy   [bctt tweet="Ways to Celebrate the Feast of John Paul II #BISblog //" via="no"]

Everyone works. Animals work, humans work. But freedom can only be found in the work of a human because through it we become who we are meant to be. Human Work As An Expression Of Man’s Dignity In Laborem Exercens Pope St. John Paul II wrote specifically on human work. From the beginning, as we read in Genesis, man was placed on earth to order and subdue it. It is in his very nature. John Paul even describes work as something worthy of man—it expresses man’s dignity. He tells us about the ethical meaning of work, writing that: Work is a good thing for man-a good thing for his humanity-because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes ‘more a human being.' When one works, they are thinking of others. First, one may be thinking of their own family. But they should also consider the society they belong to, their country of origin, as well as their entire human family both present and those to come in the future. For as John Paul said, “he is the heir to the work of generations and at the same time a sharer in building the future of those who will come after him in the succession of history.” John Paul’s Experience Of Work The definition of “labor” means “expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory.'' Labor Day is a much appreciated day of rest from this physical and mental exertion. I appreciate that, while recognizing the good of work, John Paul does not diminish the hardship it entails. He notes that the bread man produces he does by the work of his hands and by the sweat of his brow. As he writes in Laborem Exercens, man works "in the midst of many tensions, conflicts and crises, which, in relationship with the reality of work, disturb the life of individual societies and also of all humanity." John Paul has shared with us about his first hand experience of this. Poetry Within The Quarry During World War II, Wojtyla experienced forced labor in a limestone quarry. He wrote about this in his poem titled “The Quarry”. Here he speaks of a man who, although deeply engrossed in an environment which would easily trigger one to feel anger and resentment, does not fall prey to despair. While this worker observed the blood, sweat, and tears around him, he kept his sight on Christ. John Paul wrote that rather then let evil corrode his soul, “the man has taken with him the world’s inner structure, where the greater the anger, the higher the explosion of love.” This quarry worker viewed the constant smashing of the hammer against stone as a meditation for chiseling away at his own imperfections in order to become a more perfect reflection of Christ. To be an explosion of His love. The Fruitfulness of the Work of the Laity Though I doubt that many of us reading this have experienced the manual labor of work in a quarry, this poem can be a reminder to us as we labor in our own work day, be this in the home or out in the world. Pope Paul VI wrote in Lumen Gentium that: the laity, dedicated to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and wonderfully prepared so that ever more abundant fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers and apostolic endeavors, their ordinary married and family life, their daily occupations, their physical and mental relaxation, if carried out in the Spirit, and even the hardships of life, if patiently borne-all these become ‘spiritual sacrifices' acceptable to God through Jesus Christ...the laity consecrate the world itself to God. One tangible way we can dedicate our day to Christ is by praying a daily offering. Offer Him Your Everyday Work Bring your work, prayers, and ordinary moments to Jesus. Seasons: A Year with Blessed Is She offers Scripture, reflection, and a prayer question for each day, a gentle invitation to begin with Him and carry that encounter into your work and rest. Shop Seasons Though at times, we may find human work less of a joy and more of an invitation to embrace Jesus’ Cross, it is also a sign of hope, or as John Paul says, “a glimmer of new life,” for through it we participate in God’s divine plan. A Day Worthy of Rest Of course, the knowledge of the goodness of work should not keep us from enjoying the wonderful day of leisure that Labor Day offers us. After all, John Paul advises that we imitate God not only in working, but also in resting, especially on the Sabbath. He says that man’s work “cannot consist in the mere exercise of human strength in external action; it must leave room for man to prepare himself, by becoming more and more what in the will of God he ought to be.” Find rest today, in the confidence that by doing so you are preparing to be the person God has created you to be.