x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Good Friday | Holy Thursday | Seasonal Reflections | pray the rosary
St. John the Evangelist bravely stood vigil at the foot of the Cross alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the most incredible act of love, Jesus strains to fill His lungs so He may speak, and with just a few words, He gifts Mary to the world as Our Mother and institutes her spiritual motherhood as He proclaims from the Cross, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He says to the beloved disciple, "Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27a). This incredible gift of Mary as a mother is not only a blessing for John but for every disciple—incredibly, that includes you and me. At that moment, each disciple becomes a beloved son or daughter of the Woman, who epitomizes every virtue and is full of God's grace. Mary, chosen by God to be the Mother of His only Begotten Son, is then beautifully given in the act of sheer love to be the Mother of every one of us. Mary’s life of faith, marked by her profound trust in God’s promises, exemplifies His goodness and fidelity. She embraced the divine word with unwavering obedience: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” She then lives this out in every moment of her life, most profoundly in the moments of her Son’s Passion and death.
Share
Family Rosary | family prayer | how to pray the rosary
During Pope Leo XIV's September 24, 2025, General Audience, he said, “I invite everyone, each day of the coming month, to pray the Rosary for peace—personally, in the family, and in the community.” As they say, great minds think alike! Family Rosary had the same idea when we created the October Rosary Challenge free download. As we prepare for our October 22 Global Rosary for Peace, we invite families to come together each day in prayer. While an entire Rosary is a beautiful goal, it is important to remember that any prayer shared with your family is a grace-filled gift! Join Family Rosary in Prayer
Share
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.
Catholic books | catholic mom | inspiration
Author Allison Gingras introduces Jesus Heals: Finding Hope, Wholeness, and Peace in this first week of our Catholic Mom Virtual Book Club. She starts by discussing the purpose of Jesus' miraculous healings and how each brings a different kind of hope in this Jubilee of Hope. Jesus longs to heal our hearts and strengthen our spiritual well-being. Allison looks at the life of the Woman and the Well, asking us to consider what we need to leave behind in order to give Jesus room in our lives to heal us! Learn more about Jesus' remarkable healings in this short video:
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
Christian hope, to me, means placing all my trust for my future in God’s promises, even when my answered prayers come with a side of thorns. I learned this the hard way one summer afternoon in a friend’s backyard, chasing a birdie with all the enthusiasm of an Olympic athlete—minus the grace. My foot slipped, and I crashed spectacularly into her mother’s prized rosebush. While my friend stifled laughter, I looked toward heaven with a sigh and a sarcastic, “Seriously, God?” Five days before, I began a prayer to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux for three special intentions. Three things I thought at the age of fifteen would make my life complete: a boyfriend, a job, and a car. The holy trifecta of early adulthood. It all started a few weeks earlier. During a conversation with my mother, I was lamenting my lack of all three. Her advice was surprisingly simple: “Why don’t you pray for them? It couldn’t hurt.” This was coming from a woman I had never seen pray. We were, at best, Christmas-and-Easter Catholics. My memory of prayer with my family when I was growing up was an occasional, “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep,” or a Rosary during thunderstorms. But desperate times call for divine interventions, so I decided to try.
Share
Book Club | Catholic books | Scripture Study | summer activities
CatholicMom.com announces our first-ever Summer Virtual (Zoom) Book Club featuring Jesus Heals: Finding Hope, Wholeness, and Peace with author Allison Gingras. Our Catholic Mom team felt the summer was the perfect time to try something exciting, interactive, and, well, downright fun! I have hosted virtual book clubs for years as part of my spiritual development. Initially drawn in by the convenience, since I had small children at home at the time, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by the unexpected intimacy and vulnerability experienced through connecting with faces on my computer. I am blessed that the team chose my new book, Jesus Heals: Finding Hope, Wholeness, and Peace from Our Sunday Visitor for this new adventure. During my time in women's ministry, I have observed that everyone needs healing. For some, that healing is physical, but for most of us, it is emotional, mental, or spiritual. Jesus healed many people during His earthly ministry. Yet those healings weren't fancy magic tricks to show off His divinity. Every miracle healing reveals something about Jesus and teaches us about who He is and who we are in Him.
Share
Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
Saint Gemma Galgani was an Italian mystic born in 1878; she suffered greatly, having lost her parents at a young age and contracting meningitis that affected her hearing and spine. Saint Gemma’s profound spirituality and deep devotion to Christ were strengthened by extraordinary mystical experiences, including visions of Jesus and her guardian angel. My family became aware of this extraordinary holy woman of faith when searching for a saint to seek intercession for my daughter’s advanced scoliosis. After receiving a miraculous intercession, I dove deeper into Gemma’s life and faith, adding her permanently to my personal #SaintPosse. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
Share
