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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
As Catholics around the world continue to celebrate Mass virtually during this unusual health crisis, many families are seeking ways to bring the sacred into the home. For parents, the challenge of gathering everyone in one room on their best behavior to participate in Mass is real.
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Days have slipped into weeks, which has slipped into months. Mid-March, our chapel stopped hosting live services. A couple of days ago, I realized that we had gone a full month, and are close to closing out a full second month of not having access to the sacraments. My oldest had prepared, and is prepared, for his First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion – which will occur at an undecided future date. Our religious education program switched from mainly face-to-face classes to entirely virtual, closing out the end of the program year in mid-May. This is face of life these days – these are the cards we have been dealt, and I know my family is facing the same set of circumstances all throughout the country. To be honest, it helps to know I am not alone in these unique experiences. I know there is solidarity to be found, even in these oddest of times. Before we know it, the “Month of Mary” will have come and gone. It will be filed away as one of the longest months to date of 2020. Mary Crownings have either been suspended in churches, or families are opting to try their hand at doing them in private at home. Day dawns every morning, and we slip into our regular routines, which may or may not include thoughts of the Blessed Mother. But May is not over yet! In Luke 2:19, we are reminded, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” And, in today’s weird world, there are few other words which resonate so deeply.
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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.
We usually associate the word “routine” with something monotonous that we often want to “get away from.” However, a well-structured routine helps us to organize our lives and not waste time. Time is the most precious gift we receive from God (after the gift of our life). After it passes, we cannot go back and the only time we really have is now. Yesterday is gone and we don’t know if tomorrow will come.
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I will be the first to admit to you, I have never felt a strong connection to the Rosary in the past. I knew I should pray it more often; I knew that people had experienced great comfort and a closeness to God by praying it. Growing up, I heard of many popes, saints, and laypeople declaring how powerful it can be. To be completely honest with you, I didn’t get it. Sure, I love and have a devotion to Mary. She is our spiritual mother. But the idea of taking twenty to thirty minutes to repeat fifty Hail Marys made my head spin. Why repeat prayers over and over? What benefit could this bring to an ordinary person, like me? I’m not a theologian. What exactly am I supposed to focus on? The mysteries, the gifts of the spirit, the prayers themselves? Can’t I benefit from simply talking to God using my own words, versus an organized prayer? I’m not sure what led me, then, to praying the Rosary every day for two weeks.
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The scent of roses when no flowers are present is thought to be a sign that God’s presence is with us or a blessing from God is imminent. This same occurrence with the smell of roses has often been associated with miracles and encounters with Marian apparitions.
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75 years ago, on May 12, 1945, 36-year-old Father Patrick Peyton arrived in New York City to rehearse for a radio program to be carried the next day on 300 Mutual Network affiliate radio stations. The Broadway theater that was to host the show was to be filled by a live audience of 900 guests. As Father Peyton and his assistant Father Woods inspected the stage, Father Woods said, “It looks rather bare.” The two went down to Barclay Street to Benziger’s religious-goods store, where they saw in the window exactly what they were looking for — a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Providence, perfect as the centerpiece for the stage.
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