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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Almsgiving | Christmas Season | Feast of St. Stephen | rosary
If you are someone who lends your favorite books to family members or friends only to find that the loan has become permanent, or sends thank you notes and birthday cards only to realize with a heart that sits somewhere between resignation and a slight ache that not everyone remembers your birthday or sends you messages of thanks, then the Church’s teaching on almsgiving and charity will be a source of much consolation—for in essence it is that only what is given away will be ours to keep. St Augustine places this teaching in the mouth of Christ as Augustine speaks of this to his congregation: “…on earth, my members were suffering, my members were in need. If you gave anything to my members, what you gave would reach their Head….I placed them on earth for you and appointed them your stewards to bring your good works into my treasury.” Then Christ laments to those who have not given to the poor and suffering, “But you have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my presence” (Sermon 18, 4.).
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Celebrating family life | Christmas Season | family prayer | memories
Looking back at childhood Christmases, Elena LaVictoire focuses not on what she lacked, but on the love of her family.
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Christmas Season | catholic family life | holiday plans | imperfection
As a wife, mother, and hostess, there is so much to do to prepare for Christmas. I want everything to be just perfect at Christmas time—Christmas lights, Christmas cookies, Christmas cards, Christmas tree, Christmas clothes for the kids, Christmas presents—I feel this pressure sometimes to make everything the best that it can be, to create a “magical” kind of Christmas day. Much of this comes from my own struggle with pride, but our surrounding culture plays its own role, too. After all, aren’t we told that this is supposed to be the “most wonderful time of the year?” There are a lot of expectations to meet! There have been a number of Christmas days in the past, filled with all kinds of festivities, when, at the end of the day, I faced a strange realization: amidst all the celebrating, I didn’t really pray. The busyness of my Christmas day consumed my normal times of prayer.
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Catholic Motherhood | Celebrating family life
'Tis the night before Christmas, and throughout the domain, while the children are sleeping, Mom’s going insane. The stockings, still empty, are strewn on the floor; Her husband, still absent, has gone to the store. Dreaming of presents, kids sprawl on their beds; Mom hopes their good fortune won't go to their heads. As she decorates cookies, Mom hears the clock chime, She gulps down cold coffee and frowns at the time.
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Glorious Mysteries | Praying with images | family prayer | pray the rosary
Do you know the origins of stained glass windows in Catholic churches? Colored glass in windows has been used in churches since the early days of the Faith, but it wasn’t until the monumental Gothic works of the 11th and 12th centuries that the art form became a staple. These cathedrals were enormous works of stone and required a substantial amount of light to keep them from being gloomy caves of gray inside. To brighten things up further, they decorated them richly with beautiful stained glass rather than using simple translucent glass. These splendid works of art not only brought light to the cathedrals but bathed them in brilliant color; most importantly, they instructed the faithful in a simple, engaging, and, yes, beautiful way. These masterpieces, then and now, lift the soul to God.
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