Excerpted from "Leaflets" column

 

       Do something different this year. Commit to not going overboard for Christmas. Set a reasonable limit on gifts for others. Be sure that whatever
you spend is money you have, so you don’t have to borrow any. Vow to be financially responsible. 

       If you don’t have money to spend, be creative in your gift giving. Make up personal prayer books to give to others. Include your favorite prayers either handwritten or using a fancy typeface on your computer. Fold your paper and use needle and thread to hold the pages together at the fold.

 

In addition to your prayers, include some specific to the person receiving the prayer book. Add a prayer for taking tests for a teen or young adult student. There are prayers for married couples and parents. Specific prayers are fitting for those who are single or for the elderly. Try your hand at writing a personal prayer.

 

If you find yourself with an overabundance of things, ask your family and friends to forego giving you gifts. You might suggest that they make a donation instead to the Church or a favorite charity. A wonderful two-way gift is to ask for the gift of prayer instead of other gifts. Prayers benefit both the recipient and the giver.

 

Large families and groups might try a gift exchange. Instead of everyone buying gifts for everyone else, pick names and have each person buy only one gift. A good time to choose names is at Thanksgiving dinner. In addition to buying a gift for your chosen person, you could also spend Advent praying for that person.

 

Don't forget to celebrate Advent this year. This beautiful season that begins the Church year is one of great expectation. There should be a concentration of preparing ourselves spiritually for the Birth of Our Savior.

 

Advent should be a time of increased prayer and meditation. In addition, avail yourself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When you welcome the new Babe, do so with a newness of your soul. How much sweeter your Christmas when you properly prepare.

 

All of us at LEAVES offer our dear readers best wishes for a most blessed Christmas and New Year. May God grant you abundant blessings always - Father Thomas Heier, C.M.M.

 

 

Excerpted from "Our Family Album"

 

 

Teaching Faith to Others

 

When my children were young, they attended Catholic school. During their school years there, I knew they were taught religion as one of their subjects. I failed, however, at home. I did not take the time to oversee what and how they were learning about our great Faith in God and our love of Jesus, Mary and the saints. I just trusted that they would practice their religion as they left the Catholic school. I was wrong. One by one they gave up their religious practice. Afterwards I realized I should have taken the time to educate them in their religion.

 

Later in life I was asked if I would be an assistant to one of the religion teachers. I did this for a while, but did not find it easy. When the teacher moved away, I was asked to take the class. Without hesitation I said I would. Right from the beginning everything went so well, from teaching the class to setting up next week's lesson. I had had no previous teaching background, but I found the words just came out of my mouth and everything else in class came with great ease.

 

I had this class for 12 years. I had great enthusiasm over all those years. I believe God gave me this opportunity to make up for what I did not do for my own children-H. L.

 

 

St. Anthony Can

Even Find People!

 

Here is a story for LEAVES about St. Anthony. My sister was stationed in Germany (Army) with her husband. I was in Italy (Air Force) with my husband. I needed to take my daughter to the hospital in Germany, and my sister and I agreed to meet at the hospital. I waited and waited for her, and then I decided to ask St. Anthony's help to find her. I told him that I would walk out on the sidewalk one more time and, if she weren't there, I would assume that I missed her and would leave. She was there! Thank you, St. Anthony. Yes, he even finds people! (LEAVES, May-June 2007, p.3)

 

Sometimes when LEAVES arrives, it gets buried under other things, but sooner or later I find it, or it finds me, and I love to sit down and relax and read it. It is one big faith builder for me. Thank you-Mrs. L. B.

 

 

Graces Come from

Pain and Humiliations

 

Writing my article helped me because with ten children there come a lot of humiliations and hurts. I just want people to know what graces come from these pains and humiliations. They are like precious jewels. Without them we could not grow in our spiritual life. I have learned how after a great humiliation comes a great grace.

 

One time after I suffered a very great humiliation - one that makes you feel raw inside and as if you have been stripped - seven of my children went to confession! I was saying a novena for them to get to confession. After this great humiliation, one of my children said, "Mom, I think I will go to confession." Then another one said, "I will go too," then another. Six or seven of them went that night.

 

It took that pain for that great grace for this to happen. People need to recognize what is happening. Jesus has truly helped me learn how this happens - NO PAIN, NO GAIN in the spiritual life-A. S.

 

The Way to Pray

 

   My son listed his house for sale in February at the start of Lent. After many novenas to the saints were prayed, it still had not sold. I came across a little booklet I have kept all these years and it showed me the way to pray. I started saying this prayer at the beginning of Holy Week.

 

O my God, please grant me this petition (name it). Look not on my unworthiness, but look on the face of Christ. For the sake of the merits of Thy well-beloved Son, for the sake of His bitter Passion and Death, on account of His sacred wounds, hear me, O good Father.

 

Through someone else winning money on Wednesday, my son's house was sold by Saturday. What a great Easter gift! I have received answers to prayers many times in my life, but this was one of the greatest-H. L.

 

 

 

Excerpted from Father Engelmar Testimonies

 

A Novena to Father Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. is now available. We will send a copy of the novena free to whoever request it. Send your request with a stamped (postage for one ounce, currently 41 cents), self-addressed envelope to us at: