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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholicism | New Evangelization | Parenting | raising kids in the faith
A Special Invitation My son loves to altar serve. He started doing it as soon as he received his first Communion, and now that he’s been doing it for almost two years, he’s begun training some of his younger friends. He started off by serving just daily Masses, where a kindly teenage server taught him a new task each week until he had learned to do everything from holding the hand towel to ringing the bells. Now, he’s begun doing the same for his friends as they’ve all reached the age to begin altar server training. Back when he first started his training, he loved it when he could see his friends sitting in the pews. He was always excited when his friends attended the Masses that he was serving, and after one of his first Sunday Masses, one of his friends approached him afterward to tell him what a good job he had done. When asked how he had learned to serve, my son told his friend that he had someone teaching him during daily Masses, which are generally shorter and have less pomp and circumstance than Sunday liturgies. And then, without missing a beat, my son invited his friend to attend daily Mass with him.
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Catholicism | family prayer | pray the rosary
If there were a show of hands of those who get distracted while they pray the Rosary, mine would be the first to go up. I often need to stop to refocus because I’ve lost my place or have gotten distracted. Even with the challenge to stay focused, I don’t plan to give up the Rosary because it has been a life preserver of grace.
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Catholicism | Daily Family Prayer | Lenten practices
Isaiah 55:6, "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near," presents to the faithful an urgency to unite ourselves with God. As a teenager, I considered anything religious, especially attending Mass or praying the Rosary, as something older adults engaged in. Seeking time with God was something for retirement when you were winding down living your life—where could you find the time with school, work, family, and leisure activities engulfing every time slot on your calendar? Then, my first friend died unexpectedly, never reaching adulthood, never mind retirement; suddenly, I realized tomorrow is not promised, and my priorities were misaligned.
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