“A prayer jar is a simple object that can serve as a daily reminder to pray. It can be filled with special prayer requests and can be used by an individual or an entire family.”
This is our Jansa family prayer jar! <3 More like MY prayer jar since the kiddos are too young to write and Paul doesn’t do much praying. I came across this personalized option on Etsy – never used a prayer jar before and it offered a short little “reason” that might help me to remember that my main goal behind prayer was to begin fostering a deeper relationship with the Lord.
When your head starts to worry
and your mind just can’t rest,
put your thoughts down on paper
and let God do the rest.
I suppose it’s like a prayer journal but a bit more public in the sense that guests and other family members can physically see the amount of prayers/hope inside, ultimately showing our faith in the Lord and ability to lean on Him in good times as well as the not-so-good times.
Our jar was recently moved to its current resting spot seen above. I found the small cross and Mary statue laying around the house so those joined the jar up on the shelf. The Mary statue came from an estate sale LONG AGO and the cross came from Amazon – it’s a St. Gerard cross that I purchased after my miscarriage as he is the saint of mothers, mothers-to-be and those wanting to become mothers.
Here’s a small tidbit about him:
Gerard Majella (1726-1755) is known popularly today as “The Mothers’ Saint.” It may seem odd that a male religious should be the saint for mothers, mothers-to-be and those wanting to become mothers. The origin comes from an incident that happened in the last months of his short life.
Once, as St. Gerard was leaving the home of his friends, the Pirofalo family, one of the daughters called after him because he had forgotten his handkerchief. In a moment of prophetic insight Gerard said: “Keep it. It will be useful to you some day.” The handkerchief was treasured as a precious souvenir of Gerard. Years later the girl to whom he had given it was in danger of death during childbirth. She remembered the words of Gerard, and called for the handkerchief. Almost immediately the danger passed and she delivered a healthy child.
This wonderful story was the beginning of devotion to and belief in the miraculous powers of St. Gerard in favor of women who are soon to become mothers, who long to be mothers or who already are mothers.
The Redemptorists were not the first to encourage devotion to St. Gerard. The popularity of this devotion is due, first of all, to all the Italian women and mothers who believed and promoted their confidence and trust in the intercession of St. Gerard. It was Italian mothers who spread this devotion throughout Italy and Italian immigrant women who took the devotion with them to many parts of the world.
Gerard Majella was born on April 6, 1726 in Muro, Italy. He was the son of a tailor who died when Gerard was 12, leaving the family in poverty. Gerard tried to join the Capuchin order but was denied because of his ill health. He was later accepted as a Redemptorist brother serving the Redemptorist congregation as gardener, tailor, fundraiser, peacemaker and spiritual adviser.
His intercession is requested for children (and unborn children in particular), childbirth, mothers (and expectant mothers in particular), motherhood, people falsely accused, good confessions and religious brothers.
He was a man of great depth and insight, prayer and kindness. He was a mystic and a reader of hearts, ever seeking to be perfectly obedient to the will of God. Unfortunately his health was never good. He died from tuberculosis on October 16, 1755 at 29 years of age. Gerard was beatified on January 29, 1893 by Pope Leo XIII, and canonized on December 11, 1904 by Pope Saint Pius X. His feast day is October 16th.
Who Is Saint Gerard – The Mother Saint (themotherssaint.org)
Placing my prayer jar in a highly trafficked space helps to remember a couple things daily:
1) The Lord yearns to hear from His children – do not hesitate to bring your thoughts to Him in prayer. He’s waiting for you!
2) Being mindful of God’s love for you and your family – it is endless. Through hard times and tragedy, we are meant to lean even more into Him and deepen our faith. WHEN “bad” things happen, God’s love for us still remains. Continue to be steadfast in your faith in Him.
3) Notice all the thoughts you trusted the Lord to handle! Don’t you feel lighter knowing all those prayers & petitions have been OR will be worked out by the Lord??
Do not worry about the things you cannot control.
I believe there’s a SERENITY prayer for that very reason. Here’s a refresher:
O God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I’ve seen home-made prayer jars for kids meant to hold specifically prepared prayers that kiddos can grab out to help them pray – like at bedtime, before meals, or as a good start to each morning. These are very simple and if your kiddo is anything like mine, they’ll soak in every “Amen!”. All you need is a jar or bowl to put the prayers in either popsicle sticks or small pieces of paper to write the prayers/prayer prompts on.
While we don’t have a Kids Prayer Jar to help them remember prayers or give them prayer prompts YET, the jar we do have continues to be a daily reminder of the importance (and necessity!) of going to God in prayer.
If you feel far from God right now, simply start talking to Him. Whether it’s through prayers that are hand-written in a favorite journal, typed up and edited in a Word document, spoken out loud or just recited in your head… show up for the Lord. And as you work, little by little, to be near to the Lord, the Lord will be near to you. <3
