God's Rhythm: Family Reflection Video

Many parents are filled with hopes for and anxieties about their teenage children. One young mother who was realizing a hope for her teen age son was happy to share with me that her teenage son was joining her and the younger sibling to pray the Rosary as a family. He not only joined them but was volunteering to lead.

These are discerning years for both the teenagers and their parents. Teenagers struggle with discovering and maintaining their identity, developing healthy relationships, accepting, finding meaning and purpose, and deciding on a career path. Parents struggle between letting go and staying connected.   They try to mitigate the difficulties and guide in meeting the challenges. Some of the problems of their teenage children are new in the culture and new to them.

When the growing pains of the teenager previously mentioned had him struggling between independence and security, he returned to the security of praying with his family.   In his case he had experience praying the Rosary with his family and could return to it.   He had something to return to.

Leah Libresco, an atheist blogger who converted to the Catholic Church compared the Rosary to dancing and called it falling into God's rhythm. In an interview with American Magazine, she said that when dancing, she is a follower, so she doesn’t have to know the steps perfectly as long as she stays connected with her partner. The motion of her partner leads her to where she should be.

In today's Scripture, Paul is inviting us to fall into God's rhythm. He writes to the Corinthians that only the Spirit of God can kn0w what pertains to God. The Spirit of God can lead us to God's rhythm.

When praying the Rosary, parents and children can present to Jesus the challenges they face in making right decisions, developing and maintaining right relationships, and filtering the popular culture. He will help them to fall into the rhythm of the Spirit. Children who fall into this rhythm will always have it to fall back on even if they stray.

May God bless parents as they seek to develop a family routine for prayer and devotion in which their children can fall into the rhythm of the Spirit.

• Father Pinto's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)

• To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)