World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholic Family Fun | Catholic Mass | catholic parenting
I hear a lot from families about how they struggle with getting their kids to Mass. If this is you or someone you know, I want to share with you what has worked for my family over the past decade of attending Mass with many little kids. Commit to Weekly Mass Attendance The big key to regular Mass attendance with kids (or without, honestly) is making the commitment. I grew up with only one Catholic parent, my late dad, and I was so blessed to have a wonderfully devout father who made Mass attendance the center of our week. Whenever we made weekend plans, the first question we always addressed was where and when we would attend Mass.
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Catholicism | Prayer Intentions | catholic family life
By tweaking her prayers, Kathie Scott-Avery uncovered a powerful way to improve each “Yes” to God. When a family member faced a difficult transition, my husband and I were asked to have her stay with us for about a month or maybe two. Without hesitation, we agreed, knowing it would undoubtedly alter the household dynamics. However, it was something we knew we were not only called to do but also blessed to be able to do. Good enough. And all that was true. Yet, there were moments during that stretch when misgivings would creep in. Frankly, I was caught off guard by them. What had started as a full-throttled “yes” was, at times, draining.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this memorial of the Queenship of Mary, the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has asked us to pray and fast for global peace. One of the titles of Mary is “Queen of Peace.”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
A friend once told me about his cousin’s wedding. Everything was perfect, flowers, music, the bride glowing with joy, until the best man fainted halfway down the aisle. He had been out partying late the previous night and hadn’t eaten breakfast, figured he’d be fine, but toppled in front of the altar like a tree in slow motion. The photographer caught the bride’s gasp, the priest’s outstretched arms, and the groom trying to decide whether to help or keep smiling for the pictures. Everyone laughed later, but the lesson was simple: you don’t show up to a big event unprepared.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
“Are you envious because I am generous? (Matthew 21:16) Today’s gospel parable from Jesus definitely elicits a strong reaction not just from those who had worked hard all day in the vineyard but also from most of us. Anyone who has either worked or even volunteered in service of others can relate to a sense of “fairness” in how we look at being rewarded for our labors in relation to others. And it happens at home too…just think back to when you had to clean the house or weed the garden or paint the porch and one of your family members showed up conveniently late!
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Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor
There is a notion in chemistry called activation energy. The idea being that, even for reactions that are going to give off a lot of energy, you have to supply a little energy up front to get them going. Think about lighting a match in order to start a big campfire. Tons of energy given off, but without the match, the kindling and the wood just sit there. An analogous idea can be found in the very colloquial business saying, “It takes money to make money.” Imagine if you had been able to invest $1000 in Nike or Apple or Tesla when the company first went public.
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