My Catholic Gift Store

An Introduction to Lectio Divina

The Roman Catholic Chuch teaches us that we should pray by singing songs during the mass, saying a prayer and being silent so that we can prepare ourselves to listen to God’s words. Praying to God is essentially forming a wonderful relationship with God that is full of trust, faith and love. There are a variety of Catholic Books to learn how to pray.

In the book Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina the “Catholic theologian and biblical scholar Dr. Tim Gray walks the reader through the Bible and the wisdom of the saints to reveal the practical steps of this great treasure of our Tradition. Learning the simple steps of lectio divina will provide a practical and effective way for you to enhance your prayer life through the power of God’s Word.”

Party planning is my life. Seriously, I live for the moments I can send out my carefully crafted, handwritten invitations to request the presence of my closest friends and family. Then I prepare for the spectacular by decorating my living room and kitchen with bright pink and soft yellow streamers, balloons and centerpieces. And as I wait for the first guest to arrive I anxiously pace about the house, straightening picture frames and dusting bookcases.

Ding dong! As the party members file into my home I greet them all with tiny presents. I couldn’t decide between Catholic gifts and books, so I went with hand-embroidered towels. Providing each guest with a party favor is an important tradition in my family. We feel it’s necessary to honor a friendship with a token of lasting love and appreciation. And handing out gifts is always a crowd pleaser.

If you are close to a devout Catholic, you never have to be short on gift ideas. At one point in time, these religious gifts were limited to simple rosaries and wooden images of Christ and the cross. But that’s no longer the case. The array of Catholic gifts has expanded greatly, so no matter the style you prefer, there’s sure to be something that you will be proud wearing or displaying in your home. Take, for instance, the greatly expanded line of religious jewelry available.

There are many different kinds of bracelets available depicting the faces and images of various saints. Whether you are interested in an Italian charm bracelet depicting Jesus, Mary, and the Saints or a standard charm bracelet with hanging medallions, there’s something to match your particular aesthetic. Don’t forget that rosaries have also been beautified, and they are even available in pink beads to promote breast cancer awareness.

Even though Easter has already come and gone, that doesn’t mean that the opportunity to give religiously significant gifts has passed as well. Rather, think of giving special Christian gifts all year round. For all the devoutly religious people in your life, everything from an inscribed Bible to a cross will be greatly appreciated. The important part of any gift is that it is given with love and that it has some kind of deeper meaning than the superficial level.

And that is exactly what you’re giving when you look into religious gifts. There is a misconception held by some people, however, that a Christian gift has to be dour or serious. This simply isn’t true. Some of the rosaries, crosses, and jewelry items are extremely beautiful and finely crafted. They can be displayed or worn simply for their beauty, but they’re made all the better for their deep and significant meaning. So don’t forget the wide and varied array of Christian gifts that are available to you and your loved ones.

I meet many people in church who prefer to raise their children with a Christian world view. That means exposing them only to parts of life that support their religious beliefs. This is an admirable way to raise kids, protecting them from the evils of the world and instilling them with strong beliefs.

Those who choose this lifestyle must usually home school their kids. The home schooling materials that they use for their children are unlike traditional home schooling materials because they are created to reinforce Christian beliefs. These parents also prefer that their kids are given Christian gifts on birthdays and holidays.

For Catholics, baptism is a new birth.  The child is consecrated to Catholicism using the symbols of water and Spirit.  Baptism is a happy occasion that is typically celebrated with food for the guests and gifts for the baby. Common Catholic baby christening gifts are keepsakes featuring inspirational sentiments. These are personalized and are meant to be kept and given to the baby when he is older.

Just because this is a Catholic rite and the baby is being baptized doesn’t mean that the baby gets baptism gifts catholic. It is common practice to give the baby toys and clothes and books that would be given just like in any other occasion. Great baby gifts are baby clothes, booties and mittens.  Babies grow so fast, mommy will appreciate a sure supply all the time.

Looking for a nice present to give to a Christian brother or sister in faith? There are huge array of unique Christian gifts that are now available in the market. Below are some of the suggested items you can choose from:

*Christian jewelry

*angel figurine

*Christian movie and documentary

*Christian music

*Christian book

*pillar candles

*book of prayers

*and many more!

Most families have some sort of mementos that are passed down from generation to generation. Since my Dad’s side of the family is Catholic rosaries are an important part of our family’s legacy. When my grandmother died a family member gave me one of her old rosaries. The metal chain was tarnished and the beads were worn, but I appreciated it more than any new rosary.
 
Old rosaries are such special gifts because they symbolize the hopes, dreams and prayers of someone close to you. Each time I hold my grandmother’s rosary I imagine all the times her fingers grasped the beads, and I think about how she truly believed that each Hail Mary she said would better her life or the lives of others in some way. My Dad also has a rosary that I will someday receive. It was issued to him when he served in Vietnam and it’s made from simple green hemp rope. Despite its simplicity, it will be more important to me than any of my other jewelry.

For many parents their baby’s baptism is the most important day in their lives. In the Catholic Church the baptism signifies the purification of the infant’s soul by removing both the guilt and punishment of Original sin. Catholic parents believe that delaying an infant’s baptism can put the child’s soul into jeopardy should he die unbaptized.

This is such a special day that most Catholic parents invite all their friends and family to the church to celebrate the event. Many people bring religious baptismal gifts to these occasions. One good gift idea is a baptism book. These books include prayers that a child can say at bedtime along with simply expressed statements of Catholic Christian belief that are young-children appropriate. These books are sentimental keepsakes that can help kids better understand the importance of their baptisms, since most were too young to remember the event.

We use Swarovski crystal exclusively in all our sterling silver crystal rosaries. Each Swarovski rosary is assembled by hand with each bead joined with a jump ring and not simply bead to bead.

Each Masterpiece created by Creed carries with it “THE CREED LIFETIME GUARANTEE”. At Creed Rosary, they are committed to upholding a tradition of quality that began over 75 years ago. We look forward to providing you with unmatched quality and service for years to come.

- CREEDROSARY.COM - Nov. 11, 2008