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Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Yesterday, while grocery shopping with my Dad, I made a new friend. As I stood making a big decision between blueberry and cinnamon pound cake, I heard a voice say, “Hi!” in the enthusiasm of a soon-to-be four-year-old. Looking down, I saw this little guy with a half-eaten cookie in one hand looking up at me with curiosity and his mother, slightly embarrassed, beside him. I returned his greeting and asked him about the cookie and other important things, like how old he was and his name. He proudly told me he was turning four tomorrow, that his name was Teddy Joseph, and that his cookie was good! He told me about these things with the certainty that we adults sometimes lose through life’s challenges and setbacks.
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Today we begin the month of May, a month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Today also happens to be the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, a day designated by Mother Church as Religious Brother Day. If you know of a religious brother, please wish them a good feast day!
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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.
A wife ordered a tombstone for her late husband’s grave with the inscription, “Rest in Peace.” A few days later, she discovered that her husband had left a part of his will to another woman. Furious, she called the tomb engraver and asked if he could change the inscription. The man replied that “Rest in Peace” had already been inscribed and could not be changed. “Well then,” the wife snorted, “just add to it, ‘Until We Meet Again.’”
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Saints connect us to God. Saints are people like you and me who’ve transcended ordinary life’s temptations, challenges, and setbacks to live in union with God in heroic virtue and sanctity of life. I often thought of saints as being priests, nuns, brothers, and, of course, popes. It seemed that it was a requirement; that is, until I dug a little deeper into the lives of people like St. Catherine of Siena.
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Blessed Virgin Mary | Catholic Family Fun | Family Activities | May
May begins next week, a perfect time to plan a May Crowning with your littles. My two-year-old daughter Ellen and I put together a super simple and quick May Crowning activity. We did most of it during my son's nap time while I was still unshowered and in my PJs. What is it that G.K. Chesterton famously said (and I use it as a crutch far too often)? “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.”
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Gospel Reflection | Parenting | family life
Families with school-age children probably more than once have had the experience of not being able to find something important — at a particularly awkward moment. When getting ready for school, an athletic event, or church service, we’ve likely all had to look for “my other shoe,” missing homework, field trip form, clean socks, and the list goes on. I remember searching under a child’s bed for the matching sock, thinking—I don’t have time for this. Anticipating what we need is a valuable skill. Do You Have Everything You Need?
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