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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands | family prayer
I grew up on a Lakota reservation in northeast Montana, worshipping at a mission church in the 1970s and 80s when the Catholic Church was in flux. Our family didn’t recite the Rosary, and I’d never seen this practiced by any of my peers. The Rosary, with its many mysteries, was itself a mystery to me. But I did have a love for Mary, and as I pondered that she shared a name with my paternal grandmother, Mary Beauclair, who died before I was born, I felt a connection to Grandma through Our Blessed Mother. Being asked one May, as a child, to crown Mary on the grounds outside our parish further pulled me in. And when we watched The Song of Bernadette together one afternoon, I began to yearn to seek a life of holiness through Mary’s help. I only once recall my mother bringing out her Rosary beads, however. I’d experienced my first heartbreak as a teenager — and seeing my sadness, Mom led me through the Rosary on the living-room couch. I realized the Rosary can be a comfort when words fail.
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Healing the family | Why pray?
I recently read an article (Washington Examiner) about the Governor of Virginia issuing guidance that would have students drop off their cell phones at the beginning of the school day and pick them up after their final class concluded. The catalyst for this plan is the link between student’s cell phone use during and between classes and negative consequences such as inattention to instruction and anxiety and depression. Research shows that students receive more than two hundred notifications on their cell phones a day and two thirds report being distracted by them.
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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.
The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands | family prayer
One of the beautiful things about the Rosary is that once you learn the simple prayers, you can pray it anytime and anywhere. My mother taught me how to pray the Rosary as a young girl. It has been one of my go-to prayers ever since, a prayer I have turned to daily to help me navigate life. I wear a Rosary bracelet that features a cross, a Miraculous Medal, an Our Father bead, and ten Hail Mary beads. It serves as a reminder of my faith throughout the day, and I often do use it to keep track of the prayers as I pray the Rosary. However, I’m just as likely to count the prayers on my fingers as I pray while going about my daily work.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Catherine Booth, co-founder with her husband, William Booth, of the Salvation Army, was an electrifying preacher. Wherever she went, crowds of people came to hear her message of hope: princes and nobles, beggars, and homeless people. One night, after preaching in a certain city, a certain well-placed lady invited Mrs. Booth to dinner. The lady's words of welcome as she arrived were: "My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was so dreadful." "What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Booth. "Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible that many of them were homeless. I do not think I shall sleep tonight!" "Why, dear, don't you know them?" Mrs. Booth asked. "Certainly not!" the host replied. "Well, that is interesting," Mrs. Booth said. "I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!" The lady who had invited Mrs. Booth to dinner understood her "neighbor" was not to be limited only to those on her social and economic level.
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The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands | family prayer
Many years ago, when I began trying to pray the Rosary every day (I say trying because there are still days I miss), it began as a tedious chore that I would relegate fifteen of my final minutes of the day to accomplish. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even finish; I’d fall fast asleep first. I had to change my attitude towards the whole thing. It couldn’t be just something I did because a bunch of other Catholics did it and told me I should, too. I decided to modify how and when I prayed the Rosary and started praying in my car on my way to work. It’s a 30-minute drive, and I would use a Rosary app to pray at first, but then I switched to praying aloud by memory. After doing it for a while, I noticed that my driving behavior had changed. I was kinder, more likely to let the guy with his blinker on into my lane, less likely to tailgate the guy who just cut me off. It was having unseen effects already! I started to realize that the Rosary is more than just a rote prayer but a tool to use daily!
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The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands | family prayer
I start every day with a Rosary before I do anything else and ask the Blessed Mother to "right order" my day. She never fails in this task. I started this as a young adult by invitation. At 32 years of age, I had it all. Daily prayer was not part of my routine, let alone the Rosary. I had a flourishing career and had just married the love of my life and moved to his hometown in Massachusetts. Our newlywed world quickly turned upside down. My sweet 21-year-old nephew Joe died tragically in a car accident. My father was given a terminal diagnosis and entered hospice six months later — 900 miles away in Michigan. I volunteered at our parish for a program they were launching for teens. I had never done youth ministry before but wanted to honor my nephew's memory somehow. He was such a beautiful soul.
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