Dad-Approved Science Resource! {A Science for Every Teacher Review}

Novare Science & Math (which is now being used by the well-known Memoria Press) has done something with their Science for Every Teacher that I never expected: caused my husband to abscond with a homeschool resource before I had time to dive into it thoroughly myself. 

Indeed, not long after Science for Every Teacher came into our house, my husband picked it up, thumbed through it, and asked if I'd mind if he read it.  Of course, I said I wouldn't mind, and, then, quipped, "Would you write our review for it, too?"  My husband, then, surprised me by saying he would.  So, now, I am handing the keyboard over to him, so you can glean what the more science-minded parent in our home thought about this helpful science aid.

What Makes Dad Look Like Einstein?

As a homeschooling parent, one of my biggest concerns is that as my children advance in their studies, I will not able to teach them more complex subjects. Teaching a seven-year old that “2+2=4” isn’t quite as daunting a task as explaining physics to a teenager.

I took physics in college, but even then, it wasn’t my strongest subject. Now add a 25-year dormancy to the mix, and the topic becomes exponentially more difficult.

Fortunately,  Science for Every Teacher, Volume 1:Physics by John D. Mays is here to help. Mays has created a resource guide to help every educator and parent understand basic principles of physics in an easy to follow format. (Well, as easy as physics can be.)

In the first chapter, “The Nature of Scientific Knowledge,” Mays lays the foundation for what science is, and just as importantly, what science isn’t. He tackles some misconceptions about the nature of scientific inquiry and discusses the difference between “truth” and “scientific claims”, which aren’t interchangeable terms as many laypeople (and some scientists) seem to think. Personally, I think that this is a much needed explanation of science for modern times, particularly as everything science is treated as gospel and terms like “settled science” get bandied around in the media and among politicians. As Mays explains, science is never “settled.”

The remaining chapters go into the following: 

• motion
• energy
• simple machines
• momentum
• atoms
• heat and temperature
• substances
• electricity
• waves, sound, light
• pressure
• fields and magnetism
• geometric optics 

My two favorite chapters were Chapter 6: Simple Machines and Chapter 13: Electricity.

The simple machines chapter shows you how simple, everyday machines like a car jack and pulley work and the basic physics behind them. This chapter is perfect for any educator wanting to create “labs” for their students, including homeschool parents and their children.

The chapter on electricity addresses a personal fascination that I’ve always had. For years, I have found the whole concept of electricity amazing and Mays’ explanation about the phenomenon left me wanting to learn even more. As well as discussing principles of electricity, Mays also gives a brief history of the people and events involved in advancing the field. Einstein’s theories of relativity may already be familiar to you, but Maxwell’s Equations may not be, but that doesn’t make them any less important. In fact, Mays believes that Maxwell’s Equations are one of the most influential ideas in the history of human technology.

Speaking of equations, there are several of them in the book. It’s unavoidable. After all, it is physics. However, Mays limits the math to only what is necessary and doesn’t go any further than basic algebra in explaining them. While doing so, he does good job of unpacking each equations in a step-by-step manner with actual examples.

Overall, I found  Science for Every Teacher to be an excellent resource. And it didn’t take long for it to pay dividends. The other day, my daughter asked me how telescopes work. I just turned to Chapter 15: Geometric Optics, and read to her the section about telescopes. She quickly understood, and it made me look like, well, Einstein.

Now, It's Mom's Turn
 So, there you have it. Science for Every Teacher took my a-little-rusty-on-his-science husband and made him feel like Einstein with his daughter.  That, to me, speaks volumes about how easy, useful, and satisfying this 294 page paperback can be for homeschool parents.

As I have been reading the book myself, I have been impressed with how helpful it is. Each topic in it is explained in a concise, easy to understand way that makes physics accessible even for me (the parent with a BFA in acting!).  High-quality images, graphics,  charts, and illustrations help explain concepts.  Shaded text boxes easily call attention to key points, laws of science, goals for chapters, ideas for teaching, questions kids commonly ask, etc.  A complete index makes looking up answers to kids' questions quick and easy, too.

• Why is the sky blue? Turn to page 182.
• How do black lights work?  Page 187 has you covered.
• Can electricity hurt a person inside a car?  Let's see on page 230.
• Can ray guns, light sabers, and photon torpedoes really be made?  I don't know.  Let's read about that on page 124.

I just love that this concise, well-written book offers expert answers that are relatively easy to understand and equally easy to access (even when the internet is down, for no search engine needed!) 
Science for Every Teacher is a trusty guide for parents who wish to understand scientific principles and better equip themselves to teach science lessons. 


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Novare Science & Math offers high school level science courses, too!

 

Forty-one Homeschool Review Crew families reviewed Earth Science: God’s World, Our Home  , Introductory Physics,   General Chemistry, or Science for Every Teacher.  See what each had to say.

 

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An Invitation to Pray for Vocations

"Mom, can we do it?" my children begged when they heard our parish collaborative would be partaking in an ongoing Vocations Cross program.

"Yes," I replied, "when our front rooms are tidy enough to host the cross." 

I know: I am bad.  The cluttered state of my home should not preclude extra family prayer - and, typically, does not.  However, I truly felt that the honor of hosting the Vocations Cross merited carving out a beautiful space in our home to place the cross and gather for family prayer.  Thus, I was hoping that we might all be motivated to buckle down and get to better decluttering, deep cleaning, and, then, maintaining the front rooms, after which, we could "celebrate" by requesting to host the cross.

Of course, that was my plan, not His. 

That became obvious when, one recent day, our phone rang and, on the other end, the Vocation Cross Coordinator for our parish said hello and asked if my family might be willing to host our collaborative's cross soon.  I laughed and told her that I was aware of the need for families to host the cross, wanted my family to do so, but had been holding out on it until our home was in a better physical state.  That being said, spiritual states are far more important than physical ones, so, mess or not, we'd be happy to accept her invitation.

So it was that - with total excitement - my children accepted our collaborative's Vocation Cross on Father's Day, which, this year, coincided with the Feast of Corpus Christi -- a perfect day to begin an extra focus on praying for vocations. 

My family received the cross at Mass, and after Mass, the presiding visiting priest, Father Soper, came to thank us for promising to pray for vocations, and especially for anyone in our parish who might be called to serve as a priest or religious to hear the call clearly and respond to it.  While saying all of this to us, Father Soper looked right at my children and suggested that they might even find themselves praying for their own future vocations as priests or religious. 

It was truly wonderful of Father Soper to take the time to thank my children for their commitment to pray and to comment to them about their possible future call to religious life.  In fact, that brief exchange made for quite a conversation on my family's way home from Mass, and, I believe, heightened my children's desire to pray in earnest for vocations.

Another thing that increased their focus on taking our commitment to praying for vocations seriously was the request of a fellow parishioner to pray for her son by name.  After Mass, she had stopped us to ask that, since we would be hosting the cross, might we include her son's discernment in our prayers.  We said we would, and my children remembered their promise! 

Every time my children and I prayed, the children offered extra prayers  with me for the discernment of the young man as requested.  This touched my heart. I smiled, wondering how God might answer our prayers and what decisions for discernment the young man might make.  I also marveled at how in saying "yes", we are blessed.  There my children were, never having met the young man they prayed for, but nonetheless holding him in such heartfelt and specific prayer. 

Through prayer, we were connected with another member of the Church we've never even met.  Through prayer, graces flow.  Through prayer, calls are heard and lives are changed.  God is so amazingly good and merciful!
 
I am glad He overrode my human delay about not wanting to host the Vocations Cross until our front rooms were cleaned by using our Vocations Cross Coordinator to invite us to just look toward the cross in a special way each day and to pray.  I am grateful for how our prayers may be answered and for how the experience of praying them may have spoken to my children's heart even as they spoke to mine.

Indeed, the Vocations Cross - though simple - is powerful, I believe.  I truly encourage you to suggest bringing one to your parish if your parish does not already have one or to request to host your parish's cross if one is already in rotation.


In our home, doing so was such a blessing - mess about the cross or not.  More than once during the week, the idea that "a child should lead them" came to my mind, since it was often one of my children - not I - that first prompted us to remember to add praying specifically for vocations to our bedtime routine.  Then, prayer card our parish gave us - courtesy of the Archdiocese of Boston  - in hand, we prayed:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for giving your life for us. Please help more young people to follow your example by giving their lives in service as priests and religious . If you are calling someone in our family to the priesthood or the religious life please help them to say yes.

Amen

Plus 3 Hail Marys.

Each time we prayed this prayer, I thought of all the young people who might respond and also prayed that, whatever God's call is for my own children, that He enable my husband and I to help prepare and support them well.  I also recalled the Prayer for Vocations by the Knights of Columbus that our family and parish collaborative regularly pray:

Heavenly Father, bless Your Church with an abundance of holy and zealous priests, deacons, brothers and sisters.
Give those You have called to the married state and those You have chosen to live as single persons in the world the special graces that their lives require.
Form us all in the likeness of Your Son so that in Him, with Him and through Him we may love You more deeply and serve You more faithfully, always and everywhere. With Mary we ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Heavenly Father, bless Your Church with an abundance of holy and zealous priests, deacons, brothers and sisters.

Give those You have called to the married state and those You have chosen to live as single persons in the world the special graces that their lives require.

Form us all in the likeness of Your Son so that in Him, with Him and through Him we may love You more deeply and serve You more faithfully, always and everywhere. With Mary we ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I love how this prayer touches specifically on so many different types of vocations.  Praying for calls to the priesthood and religious life is important.  Praying for other vocations is, too.  We are each called to live and serve in a special way meant just for us.  May we hear our calls and live our vocations well!

Whatever your vocation is, may you be strengthened in your resolve to live it and showered with graces as you do so.  Further, may you consider adding prayers for vocations to your existing prayer habits. 

If you'd like some ideas for beautiful vocation prayers, please take a peak at:

• Vocation Prayers.
• Vocation Prayers for Families.
• Discernment Prayers.
• Prayers for Vocations.

 Lord, please inspire each of us to know You better and to open our hearts to clearly hear and respond to Your call.

Heavenly Father, bless Your Church with an abundance of holy and zealous priests, deacons, brothers and sisters.
Give those You have called to the married state and those You have chosen to live as single persons in the world the special graces that their lives require.
Form us all in the likeness of Your Son so that in Him, with Him and through Him we may love You more deeply and serve You more faithfully, always and everywhere. With Mary we ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

We Hit the Jackpot for American History Living Books! {An Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series Review}

If you enjoy living books and want to dive into American history, then the Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh might be for you! 

 

This series of five living history books certainly has proven a fantastically fun and educational choice for my family.

When I asked my children if they would like to read the entire Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series, they did not hesitate to shout, "Yes!"  Through prior experience reading Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims and listening to a library audiobook copy of Rush Revere and the American Revolution, my children had already become familiar with the main characters of the Adventures of Rush Revere series as well as with the way these books weave humor and facts together, creating entertaining (and educational!) reads.  They could not wait to own the whole series and to finish reading about the adventures of Rush, Liberty, Tommy Freedom, and Cam (plus, later, a homeschooler named Maddie):

• Rush Revere and the Pilgrims, in which Rush, his horse Liberty, and his middle school crew visit the Pilgrims and celebrate the First Thanksgiving with them.

• Rush Revere and the First Patriots, in which Rush Revere and company travel both to Boston and to Great Britain, discovering the people and events just before the American Revolution.

 

•  Rush Revere and the American Revolution, in which current issues such as parent deployment and bullying layer into learning about the people, battles, and events of the American Revolution, shining light on true American heroism.

• Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner, in which the U.S Constitution, flag, and national anthem - along with other American symbols, founding documents, and system of government, are explored.

• Rush Revere and the Presidency, in which Rush and crew time travel to meet the first three American presidents and first ladies while teaching about leadership and elections.

As soon as the books came in, I asked them which they would like to begin with as a read aloud with me.  They chose Rush Revere and the First Patriots.  Then, when I was busy with other things one day, they asked Daddy to begin reading them Rush Revere and the Presidency, too.  And, as if that were not enough concurrent Rush Revere adventures, my oldest also chose to reread Rush Revere and the American Revolution during his independent reading time.

Then, when a bout of sickness passed though our home, because my children also wanted to dive into Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner and revisit Rush Revere and the Pilgrims but I had neither the time nor energy to read these books as well to them, I ordered copies of the audiobooks from interlibrary loan, so that my two younger children, who are still developing readers, could enjoy following along with their print books while Rush Limbaugh read to them on the CD's.  (What a delight it was to hear them giggling through sickness as they enjoyed the pairing of the author's narration with the illustrated books!)

Thus, between the five of us in our home, we've read (or listened to) each book in the Adventures of Rush Revere series since mid-May and have enjoyed every bit of it! 

What the Children Have to Say About the Adventures of Rush Revere

When I sat down to write this review, I asked my children what they would like me to be sure to include in it.  My newly-ten year old said, "Are you ready, Mom?  it's going to be long.  I really like these books!"  Then, she proceeded to narrate:

I like all of the Rush Revere series.  In this series, Rush Revere is a substitute history teacher at Manchester Middle School.  He has a time-traveling talking horse that can turn invisible (say that five times fast!) and he takes some students back in time and brings his fancy phone back, so he can use the videos to teach other students.

One of my favorite books is the presidency one. The basic story of it is that Rush has a student friend named Cam who is running for school president and needs some help, so Rush takes him back in time to meet different presidents, beginning with George Washington.  I like the balance in this book between going back in time and being in present time.  It showed me how learning about history helped Cam become a better person to elect.  History is rich with virtues, vice, courage, adventure, war, and peace, surviving...  The past teaches people in the present.  It is true that if you don't learn the past, the same mistakes will happen again.

In another book, Rush has two other student friends called Freedom and Tommy that go on his first adventure with students to meet the pilgrims.  In this book, one of the funny parts was that Liberty got seasick.  Before we read this book, I knew a lot about the pilgrims because we have studied about them before and have visited Plimoth Plantation and a replica of the Mayflower.  So, the book was a good review.  I also learned that Myles Standish's wife died.

The other books were good, too, but I don't want to bore you with too much. I love history and I like these books.  They should make MORE!!!!

My eleven-year-old said:

These books are really good.

I love the horse Liberty, because he's super funny!  One time, he ordered pizza and said, "Your phone is very easy to navigate with my lips."  Another time, he went on, "Does the flag have 13 stripes which represent the 13 colonies, which represent the 13 United States, which represent the 13 bagels that you will buy for me?" (or something like that.)  That was really funny.  Liberty always hungry and silly, which make the books hysterical.

The books are also very educational.  In them, I learned or reviewed that:

• modern schools have elections.

• other people wanted George Washington to continue with his presidency, but he did not want to because he did not want to be like a king.

• Paul Revere made the Boston Massacre engraving.

• Some of the crew on the Mayflower did not like the Pilgrims.

• Paul Revere was not the only one to make the midnight ride.  

• That people fought over how our government should be when our country was first formed.

and more.

I really like how they deal with "Elizabrat" and dunk her in a pond by Windsor Castle.  It's funny and teaches her a lesson.  In the books, the characters deal with people they know being sick, bullying, parents being off with the military, and lots of other troubles.  So, while we learn about history, we learn about how to deal with troubles, too.

The books are great for everyone!

My youngest, at six, said that he especially likes the talking, time traveling horse in the series - Liberty, because, "He's funny.  He always wants to eat, he talks to caterpillars in the president book, and he does other funny things."

My youngest also enjoyed how Rush travels back and forth between the present day and the olden days and sometimes brings modern or old things with him.  He said  he really likes "Rush Revere and the American Revolution because the pepper spray in it was funny."  Basically, "Rush was helping Paul Revere," he says, and "had to distract the British, so he sprayed them."

Without question, the Adventures of Rush Revere series is a hit here for its humor and its imaginative, yet accurate, portrayal of history.  

Not Just Great Living Books...

One thing the children did not mention when I was having them narrate for this review, but which I know they appreciated, was the actual physical presentation of the books.  Each o the 200-240 page books in the series is a hardcover with a full color dust jacket and thick, glossy pages that look "aged".  Chapters are a bit on the longer side for a modern books geared for 8-12 year olds, but they are broken up with illustrations, maps, sketches of famous people, and photographs of historical places, artifacts, and documents.   Each book also contains questions for review at the end.

Plus there's more online at the Rush Revere website! 

Shhhh!  Don't tell my children yet, but the website is chock full of activities, homeschool resources, educator's resources, and more that go along with the Adventure series.  I have purposefully kept this from them, because I know we do no have time to get lost in the many, many resources there.  However, when slower schedules and colder weather return, I plan to strew our Adventures of Rush Revere Books around and to introduce them to the downloadable and online materials at the Rush Revere website, so they can continue to have fun-fun-fun (and, also be learning-learning-learning) with Rush Revere!
 
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Obviously, we are big Rush Revere fans here and would recommend the Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series to others who want to dive into American History with well-written, humorous books that weave true facts, patriotism, and lessons in virtue into a fanciful premise that has modern folk rush, rush, rushing into history atop a talking, time traveling horse.


One hundred Review Crew families learned about Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series. Enjoy reading what each of us thought.

Find the Adventures of Rush Revere on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.  

Celebrate Corpus Christi with Art, Music, and a Poet-Tea

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi!  

This floating feast day was instituted in 1264 and is currently celebrated either on the Thursday or Sunday after Trinity Sunday, depending on your location.  This day, also called the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, was inspired by a Eucharistic miracle and a vision of an Augustinian nun from Belgium named St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon and honors the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Corpus Christi procession, BL Harley 7026, f. 13 (England, c.1400-c.1410

Traditionally, Eucharistic processions are held on this day, with rose petals strewn in the path of the Sacrament. Some people also decorate their homes with candles in windows, as well as with floral wreaths, greenery, and banners. 

At our home, this year, Corpus Christi Thursday also was celebrated with a Poet-Tea.

A Feast of Corpus Christi Setting and Menu

{Disclosure: Some links which follow are affiliate ones.}

Since our final AMP It Up club meeting of the year fell on Corpus Christi Thursday, I suggested to the other family that would be coming that focus our Art, Music, and Poetry explorations on the liturgical celebration of Corpus Christi with a simple Poet-Tea.  Thus, for Corpus Christi, our simple poet-tea table was decorated with:
 

• a white tablecloth (for purity)

• two white pillar candles (to represent altar candles)

• a mini chalice and paten from our miniature Mass kit (to represent the Body and Blood of Christ.  You could also use a simple stemmed glass and small plate, parts of a life-size Mass Kit, or a Father Leopold Celebrated Mass custom Lego Kit.)

Had I had time to go out and get roses, I might have also strewn our table with petals and, for fun, even set up a peg doll or Lego procession.  Perhaps next year...

Since the morning before our AMP club gathering was busy, however, I kept things super simple, including the symbolic drinks and foods that were minimal, meaningful, yet tasty:

• grape juice (representing wine which transforms into the Blood of Christ. Any red or purple juice, or even real wine, could, of course, also work)

• gluten-free Glutino crackers (representing the bread which transforms into the Body of Christ. Any round cracker, wafer candy, bread loaf, or even unconsecrated communion wafers - sometimes used by parents whose children need to practice for First Holy Communion - could work.)

• grapes (again, reminding us of wine)

• So Delicious casein-free vanilla "ice cream" cut into rounds with crosses pressed into them (to cool us off and remind us of the host and my children's First Holy Communion celebration desserts)

Our Outdoor Poet-Tea for Corpus Christi

Once our friends arrived for our Corpus Christi poet-tea, we gathered at our celebratory table set under the shade of a tree, and I asked the children what the foods laid out on it might remind them of.  They answered, "The Last Supper!", "the Eucharist," "First Holy Communion," "the Fruit of the Spirit," and "the Holy Trinity".  With this, I bridged into asking the children if they knew what solemnity is celebrated by the Church either 10 days after Pentecost or on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday - Corpus Christi!

I, then, asked the children to guess what the words "Corpus Christi" might mean, whereupon they suggested "the Body of Christ".

Using an infrographic downloaded from CBCPNews, we, then, chatted about the history and significance of the Corpus Christi, before gathering around my laptop to watch a brief video about Corpus Christi from Britannica Kids.

After sharing a few more thoughts about the day - and about Eucharistic miracles, which the children were quite interested in, we prayed grace and enjoyed our tea fare.While the children enjoyed some time to play and chat, we cleared the food and drink and placed paper and art supplies on the table.  Then, when we called the children back from their break, I explained that while I was preparing for our gathering, I had looked poetry written especially for Corpus Christi or about the Body and Blood of Christ. In doing so, I had found fun, medieval riddle poems at a Clerk of Oxford which were originally from BL Royal 17 A XVI:

It seems white and is red;
It is alive, and seems dead;
It is flesh, and seems bread;
It is one, and seems two; [i.e. to be composed of many parts]
It is God's body, and no mo. [nothing else]

 and DIMEV:

It seemeth white and it is red;
It is alive and seemeth dead;
It is flesh and seemeth bread;
And is true God in his Godhead.

The children got a kick out of looking at these poems written in old-style language and also enjoyed hearing me read their modern translations aloud.  We chatted about what each line of the riddles might refer to based on the children's understanding of the Mystery go the Blessed Eucharist.

BL Royal 2 B XIII, f.22 (London, c.1508)

We also talked about how old Bibles and books were often illuminated.

I, then, explained that Corpus Christi inspires more modern poetry, too.  As examples, I shared two sonnets from Malcom Guilte: Love's Choice (about the Sacrament itself) and This Table (about the communion table).  In these poems, we noted rich words and phrases that brought sensations to mind and emotions to heart.

After that, I reminded the children that portions of Bible itself are considered poetry and shared how I had found an interesting concrete-poem style image of a Bible verse online at My Catholic Faith Ministries:

My Catholic Faith Ministries

The children thought this image was "so cool", and I agreed! 

I, then, recalled our past discussion about how hymns and songs are often simply poetry set to music.  I explained that there are a number of such musical poems related to the Body and Blood of Christ, some of which they might know from Mass, Adoration, and other experiences. 






I had considered sharing musical excerpts of such songs or reading their lyrics as poetry using the article Corpus Christi: Our Debt to St. Thomas Aquinas from Catholic Exhange and Catholic Culture's Corpus Christi Hymn section, but I could tell the children were getting antsy.  Thus, I decided to simply play the Corpus Christi Sequence Hymn of St. Thomas Aquinas from YouTube as background while the children worked on their own poetic and artistic creations.

I suggested to the children that they use the simple supplies set on the table -- paper, pencils, colored pencils, Color Sticks, and Thin Stix -- to meet one of three challenges:

(1)  Design a concrete poem inspired by Corpus Christi using your own words or words from the Bible.  Then, decorate the border of it.

(2)  Write any style poem you wish about Corpus Christi and, then, illuminate a portion of it.

(3) Write any style of poem you wish inspired by the Eucharist, and, then, make a separate illustration - perhaps a still-life using our candles, chalice, and paten.

Before turning on the Youtube music and having the children get down to creating, I offered them one last bit of inspiration by quickly chatting about the symbolism, using this excerpt from Catholic Culture as a resource:

"The usual symbol for the Holy Eucharist is a chalice, with a host rising out of it.

The chalice is shown with a hexagonal base, as a rule, symbolizing the Six Attributes of the Deity (power, wisdom, majesty, mercy, justice and love), and with a richly wrought stem of gold, studded with precious stones. The host is shown as the typical circular wafer, upon which may be imprinted the letters I. N. R. I., from which proceed rays of light, symbolical of the Real Presence, the substantial presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine.

An altar, upon which is set a cross, two or more candles in their tall candlesticks, a chalice and a ciborium, is another symbol often seen."

The children then set to work creating while listening to the music from my laptop.  (Of course, YouTube has plenty of other Corpus Christi hymns, talks, etc. some of which contain beautiful art images, that we might have enjoyed if we were not outside enjoying the beautiful weather!)

Finally, the children shared their creations with one another...

and went off to play again.

Our Corpus Christi Poet-Tea proved a lovely closing gathering for our AMP It Up club year, allowing us to celebrate three things we value: faith, friendship, and the arts.  We do hope to enjoy more such gathering next fall through spring and, that by sharing about this one, we inspire you with your own celebrations and learning.

Happy Corpus Christi!
 

O Lord Jesus Christ, You who have given us Your precious Body and Blood to be our meat and drink, grant that through frequent reception of You in the Holy Eucharist, I may be strengthened in mind and body to do Your holy will. Amen.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us.


{Short Novena prayer from Catholicism.About.Com}

Please do share your own Corpus Christi traditions, prayers, recipes, resources, and ideas with us!  We love discovering new ways to live the liturgical year in our domestic church.