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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Parenting | family life | prayer
What subjects does your school of love do well, and where can your school of love improve? “The family is a school of love,” Saint John Paul II once said. I wish I had seen this phrase early enough to have taped it to my fridge when our five young adult children were little. It might have empowered me to see more clearly the sublime dignity in my role as a mother in the most intense hands-on years. As I meditate on this phrase now, and on the section of The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) where the virtues of the family are laid out, it’s clear my chances have not vanished entirely: not in my role as a mother nor as a daughter. Not yet, anyway.
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Catholic Faith | family prayer | pray the rosary
The first time the Rosary crashed into my life, I was helping with an event at my parish. One night, I felt God telling me to pray a Rosary every day until the event. I’d never prayed a daily Rosary, so it seemed like a big ask. I did a quick count of the number of days remaining: a Biblical 40 days. My response was not the immediate fiat of Mary. Are you sure? I asked God. I attributed this to an overactive imagination. The next day, the request returned. I decided to go for it. I launched in and quickly learned that a daily Rosary is work. I wasn’t great at managing the prayers and meditations and hadn’t memorized which Mysteries went with which days. There were even a few Mysteries I needed to look up because I wasn’t sure what they were. I got through it, and we had a successful event. Then I stopped...
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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.
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Father Wilson Thoppilan, C.S.C., a priest of The Congregation of Holy Cross and Executive Director of Family Rosary Crusade Philippines, provides today's Homily Video Reflection. In addition to the homily video, we've included questions to encourage family discussion on this thought-provoking topic.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Father Aji Paul, C.S.C., a priest of The Congregation of Holy Cross from India, provides today's Homily Video Reflection.
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Expressions like wow and whoa convey feelings of surprise, wonder, and great acclaim, and are articulated particularly when we come across a fascinating building, a great piece of art, architecture, scenery, or a grand monument. When we scan through some of the fine buildings, monuments, or structures around the globe, we find that many of these majestic edifices and constructions are tombs or burial places.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Monica was unhappily married to Patrick, a pagan who only converted on his deathbed. Her son Augustine abandoned the Catholic faith for a cult, engaged in a life of promiscuity, fathered a son out of wedlock, and resisted the pull of her tearful prayers and relentless entreaties to abandon his dissolute life and return to the Church. Monica herself became addicted to wine and only recovered by God’s grace. The great Saint Ambrose of Milan’s preaching proved irresistible to Augustine, and he reverted to the Church, proving that a mother’s persistent prayers can overcome all resistance by God’s grace.
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