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Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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A few years ago, a hospice nurse shared a story about a patient named Margaret. Margaret had no family, no accolades, no social media presence. But in her final days, she handed the nurse a worn-out journal. Inside were close to a thousand names—people she had prayed for daily, strangers she had read about in news clippings, neighbors she had silently helped. “I wanted my life to be a quiet, silent song,” she wrote, “not a noisy performance.” When she died, the nurse said the room felt holy, as if “the walls had absorbed decades of whispers to God.” Margaret’s journal is what Ash Wednesday looks like when it bleeds into real life: secret and sacred but surprisingly alive. Today, Jesus warns us not to turn faith into a theater act. “When you pray, go into your room. When you fast, wash your face. When you give, don’t let your left hand know what your right is doing.” In other words—Hide your holiness. Not because God is stingy with His grace but because love grows best in the dark, like seeds in the soil.
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Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
Have you ever in your life been subjected to public shaming? Ridicule? I experienced being “cancelled” long before it entered the mainstream. My crime? Taking an unpopular stand as an elected official in our town. I remember it like yesterday, praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary over and over, and feeling the Lord calling me to walk with the person at the center of the controversy — and not abandon him. And guess who else entered the picture? Saint Joan of Arc. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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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.
In today’s gospel, Peter’s statement to Jesus comes right after Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich--to enter the Kingdom of God.” We hear how the disciples were astonished and spoke among themselves asking “Then who can be saved?” Peter and the others have left behind their families, work, boats, and tools and everything else that was part of their lives before meeting Jesus. This is why Peter can tell Jesus that they have left everything to follow Him.
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Catholic Momcast | Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | women's history month
Saint Monica is a treasure to me. Some saints are hard to connect with. As much as I love and admire Saint Joan of Arc, it’s hard to connect her life with mine. Same with Saint Catherine of Siena. I was just starting my conversion path to Catholicism when we moved into our home only a few blocks from Saint Monica’s Catholic Church. It has been our parish home for more than 20 years. Our youngest son went to the parish school from kindergarten through eighth grade. I have dozens of friends I’ve met over the years through the school or the parish, and whether it’s issues with husbands or our children, we’ve all offered it up to Saint Monica’s intercession. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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In an old film named Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we follow the adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones as he embarks on a quest to find his father, Henry Jones Sr., who has disappeared while searching for the Holy Grail. This journey is fraught with peril, including encounters with Nazis and treacherous traps. Ultimately, Indiana reaches the Grail's chamber, where he faces a critical choice: select the true Grail from a collection of ornate golden cups. Choosing incorrectly means death; choosing wisely grants life. Indiana selects a humble, unadorned wooden cup—the cup of a carpenter—and is rewarded with the true Grail. This cinematic narrative mirrors a profound spiritual truth found in the Gospel of today.
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CatholicMom | Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | women's history month
Little is known about the life of Saint Dymphna, but author Lawrence G. Lovasik was able to procure enough information in his 1953 book, Saint for the Afflicted, that offers insight into her path to sainthood. Before becoming a saint, Dymphna lost her mother when she was only 14 years old, and her father was so distraught after the loss of his wife that he seemingly fell into a deep depression and almost became manic in trying to fill the void left by his deceased wife. It is because of him that Dymphna became known as the “Patron Saint of Nervous and Mental Ill Patients,” as she was forced to flee her home when he tried to marry her. Ultimately, after refusing his proposal, she was killed by her own father. I first learned about Saint Dymphna over two decades ago while pursuing my bachelor's degree in psychology. I had been experiencing some personal challenges and somehow stumbled upon this Irish saint, who I would later learn is the patron saint for mental illness. As I’ve often heard from others, the saints often find us rather than us seeking them first — and Dymphna definitely found me when she knew I would need her most. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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