Introduction



ASimpleRule of Lifefor theHomeboundTheCatholicOptimizer.April 7, 2019Copyright ?2019 TheCatholicOptimizer.This text is free for non-commercial use. You may modify, change, add, or remove anything contained within. You may also copy and share it with others as long as you retain this copyright notice.The latest version of this document can always be found at: TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc5560531 \h 4Required Materials PAGEREF _Toc5560532 \h 4Scheduling Important Dates PAGEREF _Toc5560533 \h 5Last Things PAGEREF _Toc5560534 \h 7Morning Prayers PAGEREF _Toc5560535 \h 7Your Morning Prayers PAGEREF _Toc5560536 \h 7Consecration Renewal PAGEREF _Toc5560537 \h 7Conditional Prayers PAGEREF _Toc5560538 \h 7Daily Intention PAGEREF _Toc5560539 \h 8Prayer List PAGEREF _Toc5560540 \h 8Extra Indulgences PAGEREF _Toc5560541 \h 9Prayer List PAGEREF _Toc5560542 \h 9Evening Prayers PAGEREF _Toc5560543 \h 13Confession PAGEREF _Toc5560544 \h 13Thanksgiving PAGEREF _Toc5560545 \h 13Prayers for the Dead PAGEREF _Toc5560546 \h 14Your Evening Prayers PAGEREF _Toc5560547 \h 14IntroductionWhen a person has to stay home all the time, the days can run into each other. It can become boring and depressing. However, Catholics that find themselves homebound can adopt a contemplative life offering to Jesus and Mary prayer and fasting for the salvation of the world. This is a way to have purpose at home while also developing a great relationship with Jesus and Mary.A rule of life is a framework for holiness. Taking into account your limitations as well as your strengths, it gives you the best practices to become a saint and serve God. It’s not the same for everyone because no person is the same. Each person needs to do slightly different things to become holy, but for the homebound praying for others might be the only way you can serve others. That is what this rule of life is about.The idea behind this rule of life is to make every moment of your life a prayerful offering to Jesus through Mary. You present the offerings in your life to Mary, who makes them perfect and either gives them to Jesus or uses them for his purposes. Each morning you say a prayer to get focused on giving everything to Jesus through Mary. Then throughout the day, you recite a shorter version of this prayer (the intention prayer) before every offering, whether it be prayer, chores, work, or any other good activity.Following the rule of life is pretty simple. You get up each morning and say the Morning Prayers. When you have free time during the day, you say any prayer in the Prayer List. Before bed you say the Evening Prayers. There is a lot of flexibility in the prayer list because you decide when, which, and how many prayers to say. The rest is just building a habit of reciting the intention prayer before all prayers during the day and other good works or activities you do.Required MaterialsThis rule of life is designed to have few requirements. All you need are a few books which can be found for no more than $40 total. If you want to print out the rule of life, you will need a computer printer or you can get someone to take the file to a printing or copying store to have it printed for you.Marian Consecration Retreat Book - The two most popular ones are 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC and True Devotion to Mary with preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. You only need one of these books, but it is nice to have both for variety. You can get them in physical or ebook formats.Manual of Indulgences, 4th Edition - This book has all the indulgence prayers. You can order a physical copy online from the US Bishops website. It is also available in ebook format from Amazon.Internet access – Unfortunately, many prayers are copyrighted, so I can’t include text for any of the prayers that aren’t my own. Many of them are in the Manuel of Indulgences. The rest can easily be found online. I suggest copying them to form your own prayer book to use with the rule of life.A computer printer - If you want a physical copy of your rule of life.Scheduling Important DatesThere are three sets of important dates to follow this rule of life. You should have a calendar of some sort to write these dates on. I use a calendar I created in a spreadsheet for easy editing, but a paper calendar is completely fine. Number one is the date for the Marian feast of your Marian Consecration Retreat. If you have already completed your Marian Consecration, you probably already have a date for this. Otherwise, do the retreat from the book that you have. By the time you finish, you will have picked a date.Assuming you are homebound, the only thing you will need to do out of the house is receive the Sacraments of Confession and Eucharist before the end. If this is too much, you can call a local parish to make an appointment for a priest to stop by and offer these sacraments for you. Every year repeat your Marian Consecration Retreat on that date and the 33 days prior to it. You don’t have to receive the sacraments again after the first consecration. Many people do, but it’s just a remembrance. Once you are consecrated to Jesus through Mary the first time, it remains unless you deliberately tell Mary you are ending it.As an example date, I picked Immaculate Heart of Mary for my consecration date. In 2019 it is on June 29, 2019, so my Consecration Retreat this year starts on May 27, 2019 (Day 1) and ends on June 28, 2019 (Day 33) with June 29 as the Consecration Day.The second set of important dates are the Marian feasts for the year. Write or mark down these dates on your calendar for the Marian feast days. On these days you can do something special for Mary. I like to read about the feast and say only Marian prayers on these days, but it’s up to you. These are the dates for 2019, but some of them change each year (in parentheses). Suppressed dates are not celebrated by the Church as a whole that year because they fall on a Sunday or the same day as a higher rank feast, but I celebrate them anyways.1st: January 1 – Mary, Mother of God2nd: February 11 – Our Lady of Lourdes3rd: March 25 – Annunciation4th: May 13 – Our Lady of Fatima5th: May 31 – Visitation of Mary6th: June 10, 2019 (Monday after Pentecost) – Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church7th: (Consecration Day) June 29, 2019 (3rd Saturday after Pentecost) (Suppressed in 2019) – Immaculate Heart of Mary8th: July 16 – Our Lady of Mount Carmel9th: August 5 – Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome10th: August 15 – Assumption of Mary into Heaven11th: August 22 – Queenship of Mary12th: September 8 (Suppressed in 2019) – Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary13th: September 12 – Most Holy Name of Mary14th: September 15 (Suppressed in 2019) – Our Lady of Sorrows15th: October 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary16th: November 21 – Presentation of Mary17th: December 9, 2019 (usually December 8) (Transferred in 2019) – Immaculate Conception18th: December 12 – Our Lady of GuadalupeThe last set of dates to add to your calendar are the dates for special indulgences. On these days you can say either a prescribed prayer by the Church or your own prayer for the Church’s intentions that day for an extra partial indulgence to help the souls in purgatory. You don’t have to do this, but it’s a really easy way to do more for others with your prayers. Here are the dates for 2019. Some of them are the same day every year, while others can change (shown in parentheses).January 1 - World Day of Prayer for PeaceJanuary 18-25 - Week of Christian UnityJanuary 24 - World Day of Social CommunicationsJanuary 27, 2019 (Last Sunday of January) - World Youth DayFebruary 2 - World Day of Consecrated LifeFebruary 8 - World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human TraffickingFebruary 11 - World Day of the SickMay 12, 2019 (3rd Sunday after Easter) - World Day of Prayer for VocationsJune 2, 2019 (Sunday before Pentecost) - World Communications DayJune 28, 2019 (19 days after Pentecost) - World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of PriestsSeptember 1 - World Day of Prayer for the Care of CreationSeptember 27 - World Tourism DaySeptember 29, 2019 (Last Sunday in September) - World Day of Prayer for Migrants and RefugeesOctober 16 - World Food DayOctober 20, 2019 (2nd to last Sunday in October) - World Mission SundayNovember 17, 2019 (3rd Sunday in November or 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) - World Day of Prayer for the PoorLast ThingsNothing in this rule of life is set in stone. Feel free to edit anything however you want. A few sections are left open for you to fill in with your own prayers. Everything can be added to or removed. You can even include non-prayer things that you know are good for you. For example, I have a little section in my rule of life to take a break for some exercise.For the prayers below, anytime you see a number in parentheses like (#25), it’s a prayer you can say for a partial indulgence. The instructions and prayers for each indulgence are found in the Manual of Indulgences under that section number.Morning PrayersSay these prayers after waking or after breakfast at the latest.Your Morning PrayersYou probably already have prayers you say in the morning. You can copy them here. I say my petitions here, but you can add any other prayers you like.[Insert your morning prayers here]Consecration RenewalRepeat your consecration prayer daily to reaffirm your commitment to Jesus through Mary. The 33 Days book has a short form and normal form for the prayer. I say the short form daily and the normal form at the end of my yearly retreat. It’s okay if you only have one prayer. Just say it every day in the morning.Conditional PrayersThese are prayers to say on certain days of the year. Check the calendar where you marked the dates for the rule of life. Then say the prayers indicated below.On Marian Feast Days, read about the Marian feast for the day.During Marian Consecration Retreats, read the retreat materials and say the prayers for the day.On the last day of a retreat (Consecration Day), say the long form Consecration Prayer (if available). - if you only have one prayer just say that one, skip if you already said it above.(#5) On Universally Designated Days, say a prayer for that day’s intention.(#11) During the Week of Christian Unity, say the approved prayer: Omnipotens et misericors Deus.Daily IntentionThe below prayer sets the tone for the day. It begins with a prayer to get you humble and contrite, so your offerings will be free of selfishness. Then there is an extension of the consecration with some details of the things you will give to Mary. There is an optional prayer here to fast from something that day for an extra partial indulgence. You don’t have to do this, but it is an opportunity for another indulgence if you want to make that sacrifice. Replace [X] with the thing you are giving up. The last paragraph is the intention you will offer everything for during the day. Feel free to modify or change this prayer however you want according to your needs.“My Mother Mary, the moment you withhold God’s grace from me, sin takes hold of me. I am so very weak to sin and totally lost without your help. I can do nothing without you. There is no doubt without your aid I will fall into sin, causing you and your Son Jesus more terrible, sorrowful suffering. Therefore, I beg you to always share your Immaculate Heart with me, especially your sorrow caused by my sins and your nothingness before the infinite God. Let my heart always be like yours, perfectly humble and contrite, so the sacrifices you receive from me are pure and untainted.Because I can do nothing without your help, my will is yours today as your holy servant. I accept every moment as your time, fulfilling your will in my duties and good works. All my prayers are yours. Please repeat them to Jesus as needed. I give you my general intention today to draw all indulgences from the Church's treasury from my actions, whether I am aware or not. (Optional Indulgence: General Grant #3 - I also make an extra sacrifice to fast from [X] for the duration of the day for another indulgence.)All my sacrifices today are for the intentions you gave the children at Fatima. Therefore, everything I do is for love of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against your Immaculate Heart. Allow me to make some small repayment for the blasphemy, rejection, dishonor and neglect your heart endures with my sacrifices today so that, together with the other intentions, world peace may become reality. Amen.”Prayer ListThere are two parts to this: extra indulgences and the prayer list. Extra indulgences are partial indulgences you can get during common activities of the day. Just say one or two prayers and you can get more out of the things you already do. The prayer list is a long list of potential prayers you can say. You get to pick which prayers you pray.Extra IndulgencesIn the beginning, you will probably forget about these often. Don’t worry. They will become habits in time.After each Rosary, Chaplet, or Litany, pray for the Church and the Pope:(#20) Sancti Apostoli Petre et Paule – For the Church(#25) Oremus pro Pontifice – For the Pope(#26) Before and after Meals, say the approved prayers: Benedic, Domine (before meals) and Agimus Tibi gratias (after meals).(#26) Before and after starting Work, say the approved prayers: Actiones nostra (before work) and Agimus Tibi gratias (after work).(General Grant #1) During Chores or Errands, say this prayer:“I am totally yours.” (included in intention prayers below)Try to be aware of these indulgence prayers embedded in larger prayers:(#9) The Confiteor – during Mass(#17) Salve Regina – Rosary(#28) Sign of the Cross – throughout the day(#28) Apostles’ Creed – Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy(#28) Nicene Creed – during MassPrayer ListWhenever you have free time during the day, pick a prayer from the list to pray. Say the intention prayer below to offer it to Jesus through Mary. Then say the prayer. Repeat whenever you have time.Unfortunately, I can’t include the text of these prayers since many of them are copyrighted. I recommend you create a prayer book. You can find most of these prayers online. The rest are in the Manual of Indulgences. After finding one of the prayers online, you can either copy the text into this document to print out with the rest of the rule of life or write the prayer text on paper by hand. Feel free to add or remove prayers you don’t like from this list.Intention PrayersThe intention prayer is where you make it clear to Mary that you are offering the next prayer for those intentions. The more you repeat this prayer throughout the days and weeks, the better your prayer offerings will be for Jesus and the closer you will become to Jesus and Mary. So, it’s to your benefit but also to Jesus’s benefit. There is nothing magical about this prayer, but words have power. By thinking about the words as you say them, more and more of your heart will be in your prayers, so that you are completely focused on serving Jesus through Mary in your prayers.The intention prayer is not just for prayer offerings. You can offer any good work to Jesus through Mary. A good work (or activity) is anything that is not sinful. For example, doing a chore is a good work. Spending time with family is good work. Taking care of your health is good work, so things like taking a shower or brushing your teeth are good works. Mary always requests that we do our duties, the basic responsibilities we are called and able to do. You might keep a little time for family or hobbies each day. Then the rest of your time you can offer prayers.There are two intention prayers below. The short form is best for very short offerings like getting a glass of water. It’s so quick, it might be hard to say the long form prayer before you have already finishing the activity. Basically, use the long form by default and the short form only as needed. The word “sacrifice” in the below prayers can be changed to the name of the good work or activity. This just personalizes the prayer to what’s going on in your life. At first, memorize the prayers just saying “sacrifice” every time. After reciting them become second nature, you can start changing the word. Change sacrifice to prayer, chore, work, etc. depending on the activity.Long Form: “O Mary, I offer this [sacrifice], with humility and contrition, for love of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against your Immaculate Heart. Every moment is your time because I am totally yours!”Short Form: “O Mary, this [sacrifice] is for Jesus because I am totally yours!”Optional Prayer IdeasHere are some ways to make certain days of the year more special. For example, you might want to do something special for Mary on a Marian feast day. You can choose to pray only Marian prayers, the prayers with (Mary) before them. These are just ideas. You can say whatever prayers you want each day.On Immaculate Anniversary, you might spend as long as you can thinking of every blessing in your life past and present, and thank Jesus for all of them.On Marian Feast Days, you can limit yourself only to Marian prayers that day.On All Soul’s Day or a large group of people passes away (natural disaster, terrorist attack), you can limit yourself only to prayers that are approved for indulgences that day.On Divine Mercy Sunday, you can pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy all day.On Our Lady of the Rosary feast day, you can pray the rosary all.Suggested Minimum PrayersThese prayers are just a suggestion for daily prayer. A daily rosary is a good way to live out your Marian consecration. I also think it’s good to read the Bible and Catechism daily. You can decide for yourself which prayers to say though.(Mary)(#17) Rosary with 1st set of mysteries(#30) Slowly read the Bible, praying to Mary as you go. – It’s up to you which books to read and how much to read per day.(#6) Read and study the Catechism of the Catholic Church slowly, talking to Mary about it in prayer as you go. – You can use any other official catechism, such as United States Catholic Catechism for Adults or Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YOUCAT).Other PrayersHere is the prayer list. Never feel like you have to finish them all. Just pick and choose throughout the day. If a prayer doesn’t really move your heart, you can say it anyways as an additional sacrifice for Jesus through Mary or say another prayer that does move you. It’s all up to you. I have sorted them into Marian prayers (prayers to Mary), Indulgence prayers (prayers approved for an indulgence by the Church), Bible prayers (mostly Psalms), and Miscellaneous prayers (everything else). Again, you have the flexibility to decide what prayer offerings you will offer to Jesus. Pick whatever you believe is best.Marian Prayers(Mary)(#17) Rosary with 2nd, 3rd, or 4th set of mysteries(Mary)(#17) Canticle of the Magnificat(Mary)(#17) Maria, Mater gratiae(Mary)(#17) Memorare(Mary)(#17) Sancta Maria, succurre miseris(Mary)(#17) Sub tuum praesidium(Mary)(#22) Litany of Loreto (Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary)(Mary)(#23) Singing the Praises of Mary(Mary) Ave Maris Stella (Hail, Star of the Sea)(Mary) Chaplet of the 10 Evangelical Virtues of Mary(Mary) Chaplet of the 7 Joys of Mary(Mary) Chaplet of the 7 Sorrows of Mary(Mary) Little Crown Chaplet(Mary) Little Psalter of the Holy Virgin(Mary) O Jesus Living in Mary(Mary) Peace Chaplet(Mary) St. Louis de Montfort's Prayer to Jesus(Mary) St. Louis de Montfort's Prayer to MaryIndulgence Prayers(#2) Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ (Iesu dulcissime, Redemptor)(#3) Act of Reparation (Iesu dulcissime)(#8) Act of Spiritual Communion(#9) Examine your conscience and (#9) say an Act of Contrition – this is two partial indulgences(#13) Way of the Cross – also called Stations of the Cross(#15) Mental prayer – have a conversation (meditation) with Mary or Jesus for at least 15 minutes.(#18) Prayer to your Guardian Angel: Angele Dei(#19) Prayer for St. Joseph’s Protection: Ad te, beate Ioseph(#22) Litany of St. Joseph(#22) Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus(#22) Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ(#22) Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus(#22) Litany of the Saints(#23) A Prayer for the Church(#23) A Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Church(#23) A Prayer to Be a Disciple of Christ(#23) Evening Prayer(#23) Intercession for the Deceased from Liturgy of St. James(#23) Prayer for the Forgiveness of Sins(#23) Prayer for the Deceased(#23) “Lakhu Mara” (To You, O Lord)(#28) Renewal of Baptismal Vows(#28) Act of Faith, Hope, and Charity(#29) Prayer for the dead: Eternal Rest / Requiem aeternamBible PrayersPsalms of Praise: *8, 19, 29, 33, 46, 47, 48, 65, 67, 68, 76, 84, 87, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104, 105, 111, 113, 114, 117, 122, 135, 136, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150Psalms of Lament: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 16, 17, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 35, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 69, 70, 71, 74, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 86, 88, 102, 106, 109, 120, 125, 130, 131, 140, 141, 142, 143Psalms of Ascent: *120, *121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134Psalms of Penitence: 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143Psalms of Thanksgiving: 18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 41, 66, 67, 92, 100, 107, 116, 118, 124, 129, 138Psalms of Wisdom: 1, 37, 49, 73, 91, 112, 127, 128, 133Psalms of Liturgy: 14, 15, 20, 24, 53, 66, 81, 82, 85, 95, 107, 115, 118, 121, 126, 132, 134Psalms of Royalty: 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, 144Other Psalms: 9, 10, 12, 36, 50, 52, 75, 77, 82, 90, 94, 108, 119, 123, 137Prayerful recitation, chanting, or singing of anything in the BibleMiscellaneous PrayersChaplet of the Divine MercyLitany of the Holy SpiritLiturgy of the Hours for the appropriate hour (see iBreviary or Universalis)Veni Creator Spiritus (Come Creator Spirit)The Gloria – said during MassEvening PrayersSay the Evening Prayers before you go to bed each night. You have even more choice in this section than in the morning, but here are a few suggestions.ConfessionA nightly confession is a great practice before bed. No one knows which day will be their last. Comfort your mind and soul by preparing to meet Jesus tonight with a confession. Personal confession is enough to forgive venial sins. You only need the Sacrament of Confession to be forgiven of mortal sins. There are four basic parts in confession and you can also get a couple partial indulgences for Jesus here.(#9) Examine your conscience – Think about the past day and any times your actions were less than perfect. Think about sins only, not honest mistakes.Confess your sins to Jesus – Now that you recall your sins this day, name each of them to Jesus. Put everything on the table.(#9) Act of Contrition – Say an Act of Contrition telling Jesus how sorry you are for your sins against him.Trust in Jesus’s mercy – Say a short prayer like, “Jesus, I trust in your mercy,” and pause a moment to let the reality sink in that your soul has been cleansed.ThanksgivingIf you confessed your sins, Jesus just forgave you and cleansed your soul. Now you get to thank him for it. Then go over the day’s events and thank him for any other blessings you received today. A blessing is any good thing that happened to you today both small (the sun came out) and large (a dear friend visited today).Prayers for the DeadThis is an optional prayer, but a good one if you suffer regularly. Suffering is reminder of future death. Praying for those that have died can help you prepare yourself for your own passing one day. It can help you lose any fear of death and begin to trust Jesus and Mary to guide you to heaven when it’s your time. Though your physical pain may be just as great after saying these prayers, the positivity brought by this trust can make your suffering bearable. To pray for the dead, just name a loved one that has passed to Jesus and ask him to:Give them a chance to confess their sins.Have mercy on them.Forgive them of their sins.Purify their soul.Guide them to heaven.Repeat this for as many loved ones as you want. At the end you can say the (#29) Eternal Rest prayer for all of them and another partial indulgence for Jesus through Mary.Your Evening PrayersJust like the Morning Prayers, here is a place for you to add your own favorite prayers in the evening. You might include petitions for any special needs you or others have, especially for tomorrow.[Insert your own prayers here] ................
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