World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Advent prep | Blessed Virgin Mary | true meaning of Christmas
Today the Catholic Church celebrates the fourth Sunday of Advent, and, beginning with this evening's Vigil Mass, Christmas Eve. We hope you have found many ways to share The Gift of Prayer with your family this Advent season.
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Advent prep | Christmas Season | family prayer
In this month of December, we have the Advent and Christmas seasons. In this same month, the Board of Holy Cross Family Ministries will sit to reflect on the work that we do, and plan. At every Board sitting we have a theme that sets the tone for the Board meeting. As the President of the organization, I am given the privilege of choosing the theme and offering a reflection about it. I chose the theme “Emmanuel: God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14,8:8; Matthew 1:23) that speaks to the Advent and Christmas seasons yet is deeply rooted in the Third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary about The Nativity of the Lord.
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Advent prep | Reason for the Season | celebrating Christmas | family life
What I only aim at is this: that we see Him, and remain with Him, to whom we are speaking, without turning our backs on Him. For I think that is what we do when we keep talking to God while thinking about a thousand trifles at the same time. --Teresa of Avila The above quote from Saint Teresa of Avila just about sums up my Advent season on an annual basis. I rush around thinking about a thousand trifles at the same time and talking to God in urgent snippets which usually consist of complaints and pleas.
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Advent prep | Catholic Faith | Jesus
Today we will reflect on an excerpt from a sermon offered by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The excerpt, known as “The Three Comings of the Lord” and taken from a series of homilies authored by St. Bernard concerning Advent and Christmas, is offered as the Second Reading on Wednesday during the first week of Advent in the Office of Readings. In his sermon, St. Bernard begins by identifying three “comings” of the Lord.
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Advent prep | family prayer | pray the rosary
In 2021, a Filipino-American family, the Asidors, produced a song that came to be known globally as the “Family Prayer Song.” The song has so far garnered 5.2 million views on YouTube. The Asidors family comprised of the Dad-Winner Asidors, the Mom-Shen Asidors, and their four children Zian, Ashia, Westin, and Elle combine the message of Venerable Patrick Peyton, The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, and the words of Joshua in the Bible “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15), to drive home the importance of families committing themselves to the Lord through the practice of family prayer.
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Advent prep | Advent series | Catholic Family Fun
A wonderful program to include in your family's Advent journey this year, along with the many resources Family Rosary provides throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. Ave Maria Press, an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States, brings us this video series with Father Agustino Torres, CFR. Father Torres introduces us to the season of Advent—the Franciscan way—with the Prepare Your Heart Advent journal. Torres encourages us to enter into the story of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph as we prepare our hearts through prayer and meditation this Advent.
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