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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Family Rosary | pray the rosary
Emily Jaminet describes how her parents' tradition of a Sunday-night family Rosary inspired her to make the Rosary an integral part of her family prayer. And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus. (Acts 5:42) I have a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima in my family room. She watches over our family through every season and serves as a constant reminder of the maternal presence of Mary. A few years ago, I added a battery-operated candle with a timer. As the sun goes down, that gentle flicker draws our hearts to the Son of God and invites us to pray the Rosary.
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Whether you’ve prayed a few decades or simply held the beads on a hard day, you’ve already started retraining your mind toward peace one breath, one bead, one step at a time. Begin With Safety and Intentionality Before you even pick up your Rosary, pause. Notice your surroundings. Feel the floor under your feet, the weight of the beads in your hands. Signaling your brain: I am safe right now. Then take three deep, slow breaths - in through your nose, out through your mouth. Each exhale is an invitation for your body to release tension and your soul to receive grace.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today, the 13th of November, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was an Italian American nun whose life-long call was to care for Italian immigrants in the US at a time when they struggled with extreme poverty and discrimination. Mother Cabrini taught them the faith, provided for their needs, and she opened many schools and orphanages to take care of the needy. In a sense she was like the “Mother Teresa” of her time. She was the first US. Citizen to be canonized (1946), and she is the patroness of immigrants and migrants.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
The story before us today is one of the grateful Samaritan who was able to return and give thanks to Jesus while the other nine melted away. When we reflect on our lives, I am sure all of us have a place and moments in our lives where we have been graced by God, where we have received a great deal as a gift. It is possible, too, that just like the nine who never returned, we too fail to recognize and appreciate the gifts and graces we have received, that the ultimate source is God himself.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
It might not be common here, but at home in East Africa, priests find themselves in a position that require them to develop parishes, through construction of churches, schools, medical facilities. And some have been very successful at it, and eventually some lean into believing that without them nothing would have happened so to say they are indispensable. They demand respect and honor from others. “I built this,” “I made this”, becoming a slogan. It is ok to be proud of our work and achievements, but it is another thing to wear those accomplishments on your sleeves.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
We look out on the world, and we see it is very broken by sin. How can we respond? There are diverse ways, which actually have been lived out by various groups throughout the ages. You could withdraw from the world, with a small community of like-minded believers and try to form a new mini-society, uncorrupted by contact with the outside, your own little utopia. You could remain in the world as self-righteous folks, harsh judges and critics. You could just accept the world as it is, as a hardened cynic, an apathetic laxist, or even an enthusiastic joiner.
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