Spiritual Bouquets
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A "Spiritual
Bouquet" is a gift of prayer or some other devotional sacrifice for
another's intentions. This gift is given to another usually by giving
them a card describing the sacrifices the giver will be making on the
recipient's behalf, and then, of course, following through and making
those sacrifices.
The sorts of sacrifices that can be offered to God for another are
endless -- from performing specific good deeds and services; praying
certain prayers, Novenas,
the Rosary, or Litanies;
making certain votive offerings,
such as the lighting of candles; offering
Masses; making the First Saturdays or First Fridays devotions; fasting;
the offering of alms and corporal acts of mercy;
time spent in Eucharistic
Adoration, etc.
Spiritual Bouquets are given at special times, such as at Baptisms,
First Communions, Confirmations, weddings, anniversaries, graduations,
birthdays, Name Days, St. Valentine's Day, other
feast days special
to the recipient, etc., or when the recipient is going through trouble,
such as sickness, depression, or mourning; or for no special reason at
all.
They can be made by or offered to individuals or groups -- for ex., the
siblings of a family might make a spiritual bouquet for their sick
Aunt, or
an individual might make a spiritual bouquet for the women of her
parish who are starting a new pro-life group. When a spiritual bouquet
is made by a group, the individuals of that group might make their own,
different sacrifices for the recipient, which makes for a very colorful
bouquet indeed.
Special Spiritual Bouquet cards can be bought at Catholic stationers or
downloaded from the
internet, but Catholics who are crafty have a lot of fun making their
own, getting as creative with glue, glitter, tissue paper, fabric,
thread, beads, charms, stickers, scrapbooking doodads, and what not, as
they like. The text of such
a card might read, for example,
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I, Joan, will be
praying
the Novena to
St. Therese of Lisieux
and lighting a
candle
for your
intentions.
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or
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We, the women of
Holy Rosary Parish's Altar Guild,
will be offering
the following for your intentions:
Seven Rosaries
Seven hours of
Eucharistic Adoration
We hope you'll
feel better soon!
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or
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I want you to
know
how much you
mean to me.
Please accept
this Spiritual Bouquet
in which I
commit to pray for your intentions.
May God watch
over you
and bless
all that you do.
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or
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A Spiritual Bouquet for you
The offering of
_____________________
is being made by
_____________________
for your intentions.
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See also the pages on Mass Intentions,
Votive Offerings,
and, more generally, Redemptive Suffering.
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