World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Family Vacation | Summer | family prayer
I share many check-in phone calls with my elderly father, and his typical send-off is, “Keep the faith, MaryB.” I smile as I recall this because it is Summer and as we plan family vacation time, the phrase "keep the faith" came to mind. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Jesus. Vacations are typically taken as a time of rest. We are a green light, just keep swimming culture and rest can be challenging to come by, especially with children along. I recently shared a conversation with some friends who are in various stages of parenting about how to cultivate family rest time, find your own rest time, keep the faith alive and perhaps grow it while on a family vacation.
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Family Dinner | Family Time | Parenthood | family prayer
The New Evangelization is all the buzz. Savvy evangelizers pick the hippest of the ever-multiplying array of platforms, target their demographics, and employ slick production values. Well, I’m jumping in the game. Actually, the game jumped me, whether I willed it or not, about fifteen years ago when my first child was born. As a parent, I am responsible for teaching the faith to my kids. And as all parents are only too keenly aware these days, I can’t count on anyone else to do it, not in any school (private or public, religious or secular), church, sports program, youth group, or YouTube channel. So it falls to us.
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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.
Hope | catholic family life | prayer
Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you great things beyond the reach of your knowledge. (Jeremiah 33:3) Tasting, touching, hearing, seeing, smelling … I learned of the five senses as a small child but could never have imagined how integral these are in our life. Our senses play an active part in the creation of memories and can trigger those memories too. The lyrics and mood created by songs often reflect our emotions, attitude, and perspective at a certain stage of our life. Scents of certain foods might remind us of special meals or celebrations—for me, rainy days always remind me of my mom’s baking. Family photos evoke visual memories that also bring forth with them sensations and emotions.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, a man whose journey of faith mirrors our own. Thomas, known for his initial skepticism, teaches us invaluable lessons about trust, doubt, and the transformative power of encountering Christ.
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If you’ve ever spent time on the water, whether in a rowboat or something bigger, you know there are moments when suddenly everything gets serious and maybe uncertain. That’s when either people turn to you, or you turn to someone else, to get you safely back to shore.
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When I was growing up, we had a pet cat and a few chickens at home. They always loved my mom the best and followed her everywhere. They would walk behind her, back and forth, whenever she went in and out of the house. We kids did the same. We mostly followed Mom wherever she was; whichever room she was in, we were there, too. Even when she left the house, the pets and us kids followed her, feeling we belonged to her. We knew that she loved us and that by being with her, we were safe. She was our protector and shelter, and we felt no harm would come to us if we were by her side.
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