Seton Magazine Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources
The months pass by quickly, don’t they? We are always busy with our school. Christmas keeps us busy, then we fast and pray for Lent; Easter comes bringing with it the joy of the risen Lord; summer comes and we take a break from school.
However, amidst the rush of the changing months, we should always try to stay focused on God. An easy way to do this is to remember the Church’s dedications for each month.
January: The Holy Name of Jesus
There is no name more powerful than the name of Jesus. In the Catholic Catechism, it states that “The name ‘Jesus’ contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray ‘Jesus’ is to invoke him and to call him within us.” (CCC #2666)
Just a simple prayer to Jesus brings us that much closer to Him!
February: The Holy Family
By contemplating the Holy Family and their example, we can remember to practice the virtues of love, obedience, respect for our parents, and charity. We remember that Jesus did just as his parents told Him with absolute love and respect.
Did Mom tell you to help with dishes? Let’s do it!
Did Dad tell you to finish that math homework? Let’s do it!
Jesus is our shining example of love and obedience.
March: St. Joseph
The Church constantly invokes the protection of St. Joseph, admonishing us to ite ad Joseph, “go to Joseph.”
Let’s pray for our good and holy fathers this month. Our fathers who help us with homework, take us out, and play with us in the yard.
We should pray for our priests, too!
April: The Blessed Sacrament
We can never be too devoted to the Blessed Sacrament or show it too much honor. We are receiving our Lord!
Find a special prayer to pray after Communion, and make it your resolution to pray it all month long and think of Jesus.
May: The Blessed Virgin Mary
How fitting that May should be dedicated to the Blessed Mother, since she is often associated with flowers and the beauty of spring. She is crowned with roses; the purity and innocence of the lily is compared to her; and she appeared to Juan Diego and told him go and find roses at the top of a hill.
Let us pick some flowers for Mary this month and make a May altar!
June: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Sacred Heart reminds us of Jesus here on earth, for His heart is not just a symbol, but a reality. The Heart of Jesus continues to love us in heaven. He helps us become holy through the Sacraments.
In honoring the Sacred Heart, we honor the immense love that Christ shows us at all times.
July: The Precious Blood
Christ’s blood saves us from sin. St. Paul says in Colossians 1:20 that “Jesus reconciled to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” This is a good month to pray for our priests.
“I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests… for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields… for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests; for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in Purgatory.”
August: The Immaculate Heart of Mary
The heart of Mary is a motherly heart, a heart full of love and mercy for her children. The heart of Mary is also the channel through which all the graces of God flow down to us.
She is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.”
September: The Seven Sorrows of Mary
After Jesus, no one suffered more than the Blessed Mother. She watched her son be tortured and humiliated, suffer, die, and be buried in submission to God’s Will.
When we’re in pain this month, let’s try to offer it with the Blessed Mother who knows and understands all our sorrow.
October: The Holy Rosary
The Rosary is one of the most powerful prayers we have! And there is so much beauty in this Rosary—and so much on which to meditate. Christ’s childhood, His early age, His adult years. Plus, the Blessed Virgin gave us the 15 promises of the Rosary.
Let’s try and say a Rosary every day this month!
November: The Souls in Purgatory
These souls are suffering in Purgatory and cannot pray for themselves. We must always remember to pray for them—especially our loved ones and family members. My favorite prayer is from St. Gertrude. Jesus told her every time it is said, 1000 souls are released from Purgatory!
“Eternal Father, I offer you the most precious blood of your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered throughout the world this day, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, for sinners in my home and my family, and for sinners throughout the whole world.”
December: The Immaculate Conception
Mary was without sin from the first moment of her conception. Pope Pius IX declared on December 8, 1854, that
“God gave Mary a pure soul incapable of sinning when she was received. It prepared her to be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.”
(Mary Anslinger is a 22-year-old girl who was educated from Kindergarten with Seton Home Study School. She enjoys being with her family, caring for her autistic sister, and helping others. She hopes to move through college and earn a degree in Elementary Teaching/Education. She loves music – especially playing organ and piano. She tries daily to live out the will of God and help others.)
Astronomical Clock CC George M. Groutas
