family prayer | New Year's Resolutions | pray the rosary | catholic family life
Something that has become more and more apparent as my kids one-by-one enter adulthood is that while my vocation as Mom never ends, it does change! I remember those days of mothering with littles running around the house. They needed me for the physical things; food, drink, shelter, safety, comfort, and clothing, and they were learning so much from basic skills and interests, and subjects at school, and picking up prayers, Bible stories and beliefs of our Catholic Faith.
As they got older, entering the teenage years, they still relied on us heavily (whether they cared to admit it or not). As they entered young adulthood, they'd talk to us about matters of the heart, of conscience, and questions in the Faith. While we might want to provide all the answers, we just don't have them! We can counsel or suggest to a certain point, but our best approach is to remind them to pray: to seek the Lord for His answers and to sincerely pursue His will.
But like everything, we need to set the groundwork early on.
Fostering a Prayer Life
Well, I'm still working on it, and I still need constant reminders to seek answers directly from the Lord in my own prayer life! This has been a passion since my thesis in architecture school!
How do we remain aware, moment-to-moment, of God's presence?
How do we attempt to pray unceasingly as Scripture and the saints recommend?
Plan for Consistent Family Prayer
Commit to a Daily Prayer Routine.
Choose a daily prayer, such as the Morning Offering, Grace before meals, family Rosary, Act of Contrition, or bedtime prayers. Start by adding one prayer at a time and be persistent to make it an integrated habit. Encourage quiet time for personal prayer.
Choose to add a classic prayer to memorize.
Print it out and recite it together at a specific time each day: before or after a particular meal, at bedtime or during the walk or drive to school or work. Leave a printed classic prayer on a bathroom mirror or kitchen cupboard.
Carve out a prayerful space in your house.
Decorate with Sacred Art, holy statues, a chair or kneeler, decent lighting, and candles (or battery-operated candles). Leave out easy-to-read prayer books or spiritual reading.
Intercede for others in two ways.
At the moment of news of someone needing prayer, ANY prayer request, discussion of difficult moments of the day or looming worries or concerns, STOP everything and PRAY together, preferably out loud. Weave in classic prayers that everyone can recite, but also pray in your own words to express the intention of the prayer.
Add a Prayer Intentions Board (chalkboard, dry erase, blank pages in a clipboard, prayer jar) for everyone to add their prayer requests.
Be grateful.
Add a Gratitude Board or Blessings Board for everyone to add their answered prayers, all the blessings received, and everything we're grateful for.
Let your Faith be visible in your home décor.
Display sacred art, holy statues, and books for spiritual reading in your home. Offer easy access to prayer tools: rosaries, prayerbooks, candles, liturgical season devotionals, artwork, calendars and décor. Build your stash of prayer tools: rosaries, prayer abacus, scriptural and saint coloring pages.
Encourage participation!
Let everyone take a turn leading a prayer (or part of a prayer), a Rosary decade or add personal intentions to family prayer.
Celebrate together!
Build a family tradition of marking first sacrament dates and saints' feast days, especially patron saints of the family.
Don't always pray in secret.
Let children experience family prayer (led by you), but also don't hide your own personal prayer time. Show them the importance of prayer by making it a priority in your life, both times of personal prayer and extra trips to Church for daily Mass or Adoration.
Encourage the habit of praying dart prayers.
Recommend short dart prayers, and again, lead by example. Share your own quick dart prayers out loud and help them cultivate the same habit in their lives.
- Jesus, I trust in You.
- Thank You, Jesus.
- Come, Holy Spirit.
- Mother Mary, lead me to Jesus.
- Jesus, help me.
- Mary, through your Immaculate Heart, I trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Share in the comments below how you help your children learn to pray.
Copyright 2024 Monica McConkey
Images: copyright 2024 Monica McConkey, all rights reserved.