I have never fasted in my life. After marriage, even though my husband fasted, I did not bother to even abstain from anything during Lent. In my mom’s house, we would eat rice kanji with some spicy pickle during these days. But, though I cannot recall if I liked it or not, I knew it wasn’t that bad.
This year, in March, when I observed that my Muslim friends were fasting due to Ramadan and my Hindu friends were abstaining from meat due to Ramnavmi, I was inspired by them to at least try and abstain from meat and fish, as a Christian, during the last week of Lent. Yes, coincidently, all the religious seasons came together this year. Perhaps for realization to strike me.
I must admit that it wasn’t as hard as I had imagined it to be. After successfully staying away from non-vegetarian food items all week, I patted myself on the back and enjoyed Easter Sunday to the fullest. I was proud of my willpower all through that week!
Thoughts that made me want to write this blog:
1 A question in my mind – My Non-Catholic friends were following their respective religions, faithfully. I should, too!
2 My blogger friends wrote elaborately on shlokas and bhajans, thereby educating the rest of their clan. Maybe, I should do the same for my clan, too!
3 The month of May is devoted to Mother Mary. To honour her, we are to recite the rosary every day. Perhaps, I could help my Catholic friends with how to say the Rosary.
4 I get on a video call with my mom (who lives out of India) every evening and pray with her and my children and it does make me feel peaceful. I should help people to find peace in their lives, too.
5 Some of my Catholic friends have forgotten how to pray. I have to remind them!
Therefore, I decided to create a whole document with the various prayers and other information you would want while praying the Catholic way.
I’ll start with the ROSARY which we recite from Thursday to Sunday. We recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet from Monday to Wednesday. You can choose when you want to say which prayer.
If you feel that this blog would help someone, do forward it to the Catholics you know. Stay blessed!
Do email us if you want us to send you any other prayers or join a Bible Study Whatsapp group.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge
‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
33 Comments
That’s such a sweet thought even for non-Catholics like me – you have helped to educate us!
I am glad you wrote this 🙂 I want to share something along the same lines. Back in my childhood, maa use to play bhajans every morning and it use to annoy me so much. Cut to thirty years later, throughout my second pregnancy one of the major things that helped me keep the anxiety attacks away were these bhajans. I think. we all must be connected to that divine power by some ritual or the other for sure.
Yes, I totally agree with you, Kavita! It helps a lot!
How beautiful that these significant festivals coincided to lead you to a realisation. I’d call it serendipity. The Universe does work in mysterious ways!
So, true, Kashish!
This is a beautiful post, I too believe in doing atleast what I can for my religion, I can’t and don’t do much though be it prayer or fasting. I like your idea of putting up a post and helping your readers remind about things they might have forgotten knowingly or unknowingly. 🙂
Thanks, Pooja!
We all want to get connected with Supreme Power with same destination, we have chosen different paths. Just be happy with path and walk on it with full dedication and enjoy the beauty and calmness of it
Wow this is a great effort to help people out with this guide. Will share this.
This was informative- as someone spiritual and not religious I do appreciate the beauty in every faith
I loved how charity works in different levels here. It is not mere paying money for anyone. But it is also a novel gesture of valuing talent and hard-work.
Spirituality brings peace in mind! Your blog just affirmed the belief. Be it Hindu, Christian, Muslim more than religious following spiritual following is important. Your spiritual awakening must have been so soothing for you.
Yes it was, Shail!
I have been a pseudo atheist all my life. But I often fast and follow some traditions. I take them as ways to challenge my body. For example once I realised my non veg consumption is too much, I quit it on Tuesdays. That way, I challenge myself, somehow please my parents and in a way confine by the religious boundaries. So it’s a great way to push yourself to follow!
I completed my education in a Convent and still didn’t know the significance of anything. Understood Rosary, thanks to you. Hope you are going to keep enlightening us, Cindy.
Happy to, Harjeet!
This was something new for me. Thank you for sharing.
That is a beautiful thought, Cindy. We all sometimes need that reminder. And was indeed very informative.
I have friends from every religion, so I understand where you are coming from. It’s nice that you achieved your goal during lent. When we reach a goal it is truly food for the soul.
You have well-documented the prayers. I will share the doc with my Catholic friends. Kudos to you Cindy.
Thanks, Brinda!
A very informative post. You have compiled it really well. I knew about Lent since I have studied in a convent and some of the prayers also. God bless you.
Thank you, Madhu!
Quite an informative blog post.
Neither am I a theist nor am I an atheist, I believe in every religion and when you said that all the religious festivals came together and it was a realization for you I guess it should be a realization to everyone.
Going forward, I must appreciate how beautifully you have documented the ways of praying.
I didn’t knew anything about this.wonderful information.
I agree with you that praying really bring a peace in our life. It is our Indian rituals, whether you are Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist. I do forgot to pray. Your post reminds me to have daily prayer with our child so that we have a harmony and peace in our home.
hmmm… I will be honest Cindy n admit that i do not pray as i am more or less a non believer😛. but, i was tempted to open the doc to see if i remember any prayers and some reminded me of school and I became nostalgic for a while
Glad it did, Kaveri!
This is a very unique post in itself, when people think what to write about you come up with a topic totally not expected.
Haha! Hope it helped, Flavia!
This was a very informative post. Thank you 😍
Beautiful !! 😘😘😘
Thank you, mamma!