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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Christmas Gifts | Jesus | catholic family life
Christine Hanus shares a touching story about the providence of God during a distressing time in her life. Luke's Gospel prepares us for the birth of Christ with the story of the angel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary. When Our Blessed Mother says her historic, momentous, earth-shattering “yes” to God, and agreed to be the mother of the Messiah, she had little idea that she would become the spiritual mother to all of God’s children. Whoever calls the Father “Abba,” becoming an adopted brother or sister of Christ, is taken into Mary’s maternal heart forever. As my own children were growing up, it seemed that materialism, immorality, and noise surrounded our family on every side. My husband and I tried to help my children navigate the world, but as our two oldest approached middle school, I worried for their happiness and safety.
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Angels | Living the Faith | power of prayer
When I consider how many messages the Lord sent me over the years, I see that my soul must have been like the thorny ground in the parable of the sower. Unlike Mary, who quickly heeded God’s messenger, I was deaf to His promptings. It took decades for a tiny seed of faith to take root in a heart overwhelmed by worldly cares and distractions. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky – a land of bleak hillsides bordering the roadways, the scarred rockface on either side giving a severe countenance to the land where plain white crosses adorned churches, and Jesus was largely invisible. In these churches, the pastors often shouted their sermons, and people rushed up the aisle during altar call to rededicate themselves. The raw emotion inside the church walls matched the rough landscape outside. I had very little exposure to the Catholic faith.
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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.
Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary | family prayer | pray the rosary
Karen Estep recaps her family’s experience of using the new book, The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, to pray the Rosary. As a newish Catholic, I wish The Family That Prays Together Stays Together had been published about two years sooner, because it would have made learning the Rosary a bit easier for my entire family! My husband and I were formally welcomed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 2022. Neither of us grew up Catholic, so we had to learn a lot. Then we found out that we now had to teach this to our children as well …
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Feast of St. Stephen | Virtues
Let's remember St. Stephen today, who he was, and how he became the first Christian martyr. Why is his feast celebrated on December 26 and not today or tomorrow when we have the readings about his martyrdom? And following Stephen's story, let's examine what it has to offer us.
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Christmas Season | Family Activities | Nativity
Michelle Nott reflects on how we can still find joy at Christmas despite the chaos. I am sure we can all agree that the weeks leading up to Christmas and even the weeks after Christmas are a busy time of year. The holidays can bring lots of emotions and make you feel lots of pressure to get things done and to do them the right way. I am guilty of this, but I am trying to learn to let go of things this year, as we are missing a core part of our family this season. In the past, I have held high expectations for myself to get Christmas cards mailed, shopping done, baking done, help with class parties, and still manage to teach the kids about the true meaning of Christmas.
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Christmas Season | Family Activities
Rosemary Bogdan imagines what those last few days before the birth of Jesus might have been like. Bethlehem rejoices, as the hymn goes. Might it not be rejoicing already as we come so close to Jesus’ birth? All of creation is awaiting the arrival of the God-man. Surely there is a strange anticipation in the air. Everyone coming to Bethlehem was journeying because they were of the House of David. David’s Line and the Birth of the Savior Perhaps most of them knew that the Messiah would come from David’s line and that He would be born in Bethlehem. How many, inspired by the Holy Spirit, may have been thinking that of all the bustle in the city, perhaps a pregnant woman would come to give birth to the Messiah at that very time?
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