World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholic books | Celtic Spirituality | catholic mom | inspiration
You don't need to be reading along to be blessed by this inspiring conversation with author Julianne Stanz, author of Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace. What a blessing to be joined for three weeks with author Julianne Stanz as we delve into the Catholic Mom Book Club selection for Fall 2024: Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace, published by Loyola Press. Listen in (and share your thoughts in the comments) as we discuss the concept of a "thin place" and how that relates to our spiritual life. We unpack our spiritual "junk drawers" and contemplate what the "potato masher" in our lives may exist that keeps us from letting go of our stubborn habits and behaviors.
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Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
Friends, in the next few days, we will close another year of grace. With the Solemnity of Christ the King and Thanksgiving, families and individuals look forward to summarizing our lives before the Lord. In Jesus’ Gospel parable, He reminds us of God's grace entrusted to us in faith and challenges us to risk multiplying that grace in the time allotted to us on earth.
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Brief and contemporary inspiration focused on hope and family prayer will be delivered to your inbox! Articles include live video, written word, and links to resources that will lead you and your family deeper into faith.
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Yesterday, I was shocked to learn that a week from Thursday is Thanksgiving Day! One clue that we are well into November is the readings for the Mass. Once you get to the Book of Revelation it’s a sure sign we’re heading toward the end of Ordinary Time.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Shouting is one of the most instinctive ways we express ourselves—to get someone's attention, share our excitement, or demand action. We shout warnings like, "Watch out!" or cheer joyfully when our team scores, "Yes!" It's natural, spontaneous, and often uncontrollable. Think about those moments when you're at a wedding and hear, "I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jones!" The joy bubbles over, and you can't help but clap and cheer. Or the bittersweet tension of holding back a shout when your child's name is called at a graduation ceremony, and everyone has been asked to keep silent until the end.
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Celebrations | Family Time | Thanksgiving | prayer
Do you want to trade in the cultural stressed-out, food frenzy and instead experience Thanksgiving (and the surrounding days) as God intended? If so, I invite you to try out the two steps I use to create a simple yet celebratory Thanksgiving! Below, I’ve outlined my own Thanksgiving plan (which includes a three-day stay at my parents' home with my husband and two teenage sons) that you can use to create the kind of holiday you actually look forward to.
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Thanksgiving | The Sacraments | catholic family life | family prayer
My elementary and preschool-aged children have enjoyed making a construction paper chain full of things we are thankful for this month as we approach Thanksgiving. We have discussed the pilgrims and Native Americans in our homeschool lessons, and they look forward to traveling to visit relatives later this week. It's fun to cultivate holiday traditions with young children and to teach them to count their blessings at Thanksgiving. But how do we teach them gratitude beyond Thanksgiving day? How do we shape their hearts to cultivate gratitude for what they have when the stores are bursting with Christmas gifts they think they "need"? Here are four ways to help your families make thankfulness a habit when the pumpkin pie is long gone! When you're finished reading, we'd love to hear some of your own ideas in the comments!
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