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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
As we come closer to the heart of Holy Week, the tone shifts. It gets heavier. We feel the weight of what’s coming. The Gospel of Matthew brings us face to face with something uncomfortable: betrayal. And not just any betrayal—Judas, one of the Twelve. Someone who walked with Jesus, ate with Him, listened to Him preach, saw Him heal, witnessed His love … and still chose to walk away.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
As we journey through this Holy Week, we’re invited in a special way to reflect on the profound love and sacrifice that define our faith. It’s a privileged and sacred time to turn our hearts towards the events that changed the course of history through the suffering, death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear the voice of God calling his servant: "The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me...I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Have you ever walked into a kitchen hungry, and just after someone’s baked fresh bread or simmered a pot of soup on a cold day? The aroma hits you before a word is spoken. You feel warmth, welcome, love. In our homes, smells, scent and aroma carry meaning. They speak when words fail. In his article, The Fragrance of the Ointment, J.R. Miller says that the fragrance of Mary of Bethany's ointment that filled the house is a beautiful symbol of Mary's life. "She was not an active follower of Christ, except in her home and quiet daily life. She did not leave all and go with Him, as some other women and men did. Her name is not connected, even in tradition, with anything startling or great. Our first glimpse of her is her sitting at the Master's feet as a learner. Into her heart, she received the words of the Master, which were life to her. Like a handful of spices, they fell into her heart and transformed her life into radiant beauty."
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Family Activities | Holy Week | catholic family life
As moms, we are always looking ahead to prepare for the next thing, so it’s not too soon to start thinking about Holy Week! Every day during Holy Week has its own special focus, and in my family, we try to join in with the prayer of the Church by doing something special each day. Below are some concrete ideas to celebrate the week, especially with young children. Most of these things can be done around dinnertime or bedtime, so you don’t have to take a lot of time to be intentional.
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Holy Week | Living the Faith | catholic family life
Lent is quickly coming to a close, and Easter is around the corner, but there is something in between that sometimes gets overlooked in the midst of egg dyeing and last-minute Easter basket shopping. These three days, known as the Paschal Triduum, build a bridge from Lent to Easter and include some of the most richly symbolic and sensory liturgies of the whole year. They are often celebrated late in the evening and are sometimes lengthy, but if your family can make it to at least one of these a year, it is absolutely worth your while.
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Family Activities | Holy Week | catholic family life
If you’re like me, you’re finding yourself almost all the way through Lent with not a whole lot to show for it. This penitential season hasn’t been a total loss — sure, I’ve mostly ungrudgingly observed my small fast and I’ve checked the box of daily prayer, but life keeps coming at us a mile a minute. In typical “me” fashion, my guard is up, my heart is restless, and my soul hasn’t been transformed. The good news is that until that final perseverance when death calls us home, there is no deadline when it comes to transformation. We know that God gives countless opportunities to choose Him, even until our final hour. Like the good thief crucified next to Jesus, there is still time to change our hearts.
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