Christmas Gifts For Catholic Shoppers

I'm on a search to make Christmas shopping and gift-giving special, to never forget why we, as Catholics, celebrate December 25. As I come up with ideas I will blog about them.

A gift I will be giving this year is the gift of rosaries, though they are not just any rosary. I make them myself. In the process of making a rosary, I pray for the person who will be receiving it. Generally I pray twice on each bead. Then, when the rosary is finished, I say a complete rosary for the person.

It's hard to know who benefits the most. The person receiving it has been prayed for, and I benefit greatly from the additional prayer time.

There are two companies that I do most of my ordering from, though I am open to suggestions for other companies. For now, I often use The Rosary Shop. They have a site that is easy to navigate, and as you add parts you can see what the rosary will look like. They also offer other items for sale, such as prayer kneelers, books, and scapulars. You can, of course, buy pre-made rosaries from this site, too.

If it's your first time, this is one of the better sites for walking you through everything you need. The directions are easy to follow, and shipment is prompt.

Another site I order from is Lewis and Company. They have a couple of centerpieces and crucifixes that are just so beautiful I can't resist them. They also offer quality products, reasonably prices, and prompt shipment. The website offers a nice section for those who want to make a business out of making rosaries.

I highly recommend either site for rosary-making supplies and instruction.

Rosaries can be highly personalized because of the assortment of beads, crosses, and centerpieces. For example, when I made my dad's rosary (my first one!) I used blue beads because that was my Mom's favorite color, and he is still grieving. I used a centerpiece that depicted the Sorrowful Mother because Mom's name is Dolores. I used a triple crucifix as a symbol of his grief.

I pray that the rosary takes him from grief to acceptance.

For myself, I used a centerpiece of Jesus carrying the cross and a pardon crucifix. My priest has taught me just how special the crucifix is, so this was appropriate for me.

If any of you have other good sources of supplies, let me know. For myself, I find that making a rosary for others is one more way to spend more time in prayer.

Gratitude

Today my priest talked about the link between gratitude and happiness. Later today I found similar sentiments at Catholic.org.

This year I have a lot to be grateful for. On the top of my gratitude list (not counting God, of course) is the people in my life. Some are family and friends; some are people who don't really know me, but have been in some aspect of my life and have made a difference.

I am most grateful, though, for the ability to attend Mass each day. I started doing this during Lent. At first I was going to go one weekday per week, but then I remembered I had a similar plan in 2007. It didn't work because I kept forgetting to go. I knew that to make it a habit, I'd have to go every day.

I didn't stop after Lent. Mass is now an essential part of my life. The best part is that it's changed me. I have so much to improve in so many areas of my life, yet life is different now.

It's too difficult tonight to detail all the changes. If you've read other writings of mine you know I have had struggles with disbelief, and that is still a part of my life. Yet even with this, there have been numerous blessings. One of the side effects of daily Mass has been my ability to see the blessings that have come with my doubts.

Maybe one day I will discuss this more thoroughly. For now, it's late and I'm tired, and if I take much longer to finish this blog, it will no longer be Thanksgiving Day.

I hope that you know the delights of gratitude. For those who don't know the difference daily Mass can make, I encourage you to find out by your own personal experience. It's been life-changing for me.

Philip Johnson

I haven't posted for awhile for a variety of reasons. I hope that I'm back more regularly now.

Tonight I came across a blog that stays in my mind. It's written by a young man, Lt. Philip Gerard Johnson, who has recently been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

His faith humbles me. It's also something I strive for.

I found his blog through InsideCatholic.com. This is a man destined to inspire all of us and hopefully persuade us to more fully walk with Jesus. If you only have time for one blog, this is the one to follow.

You can read it at In Caritate Non Ficta.

I'll be cross-referencing this at my other blog, Can I Change A Life? because this is a man who will likely bring a lot of us closer to God.

I can't think of any greater way to live.