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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Labor | Parenting | catholic family life | family prayer
In St. Benedict’s rule for living monastic life, Debra Black finds many pearls of wisdom for living in our domestic church. Whatever good work thou dost begin, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect. (Rule of St. Benedict, preface, p. 3, 5) How the Catholic Home Should Run I was in a Catholic bookstore several decades back when a man pointed to the book of St. Benedict’s Rule and said to me, “This is how every home should be run.” Intrigued, I bought the book. Back then we didn’t hear about our home being the domestic church, but the saints do teach us to turn our heart and mind to God as we go through the day. A life which melds prayer and work sounds inviting, even dreamy! Then the reality of the daily grind sets in, and it seems like everyone needs a piece of you, leaving little to nothing of your heart to give to God.
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Catholicism | Prayer Intentions | catholic family life
By tweaking her prayers, Kathie Scott-Avery uncovered a powerful way to improve each “Yes” to God. When a family member faced a difficult transition, my husband and I were asked to have her stay with us for about a month or maybe two. Without hesitation, we agreed, knowing it would undoubtedly alter the household dynamics. However, it was something we knew we were not only called to do but also blessed to be able to do. Good enough. And all that was true. Yet, there were moments during that stretch when misgivings would creep in. Frankly, I was caught off guard by them. What had started as a full-throttled “yes” was, at times, draining.
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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.
catholic family life | family devotions | family prayer
Monica McConkey details ten ways to help children of all ages learn to pray from the heart, encouraging parents to start early in building habits of prayer. Something that has become more and more apparent as my kids one-by-one enter adulthood, is that while my vocation as Mom never ends, it does change! I remember those days of mothering with littles running around the house. They needed me for the physical things; food, drink, shelter, safety, comfort, and clothing, and they were learning so much from basic skills and interests, and subjects at school, and picking up prayers, Bible stories and beliefs of our Catholic Faith.
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catholic family life | family prayer | work/life balance
It's been a couple of months since I last wrote an article. In those few months, it feels like my life took a backflip into our backyard pool. In some ways, the backflip feels graceful, and the cool water is refreshing; in other ways, it feels like I've hit my head on the edge of the pool and am struggling to stay afloat. In February, I wrote about my decision to continue working as a professional in special education and taking classes to become a certified teacher. It was a decision I made because, at that time, I needed to return to work to help support my family financially, and my husband had taken a significant pay cut. However, shortly after that article was published, my husband was offered a new job. A job that was wonderful for our family in many ways. He no longer had to travel for work; he'd be home every night. The pay was better than it had been before his pay cut. Changing My Mind About My New Direction
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Faith Communities | catholic family life | raising kids in the faith
There is always something more in our faith. As Catholics, we are blessed to have so many ways to pray and to worship. There are ways to pray alone and at home with your family, but there are many beautiful ways to worship and pray in community with others. Parish-facilitated events which include a time of prayer can be a great starting point for building communities of faith. Your parish may offer Eucharistic processions, guided holy hours, praise and worship nights, Stations of the Cross, or evening Vespers. Life is already full, so finding time for attending these things can be a challenge. Parish community events take extra effort to attend, but are vital to sustaining our faith as they provide organic opportunities to meet other Catholic families.
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Both my husband and I were blessed to have grown up praying the Rosary with our families. Rain or shine, no matter what was happening, when it was time for the Rosary, all activities ceased, and we gathered to pray. My parents waited until we kids were older to have us join them in praying, so there were no toddlers present causing mayhem, and it was actually a peaceful rendition of a family Rosary. I’m not saying we would be on the front page of the Faith & Family magazine, but maybe somewhere near the back. Carrying On the Family Rosary with our Toddler With our upbringing, it was an easy habit for me and my husband to continue praying the Rosary when we started our journey as a young married couple. Now with a very active 18-month-old, the tranquility of our Rosary is — how shall we say — lessened. I have a feeling that Our Lord and the Blessed Mother share an amused glance when we begin our Rosary because it’s such a comedy routine these days. After dinner, one of us cleans the kitchen from all the gunk that has accumulated in the past 12 hours. The other one entertains our toddler with dominoes so she doesn’t run through the dirt piles that are being swept together in the kitchen. Both my husband and I are brain-dead at the end of our respective long days.
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