x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
I stopped by Padre Pio’s statue recently, pausing to kneel and ask the venerable saint to help me to “Pray, hope, and don’t worry,” as he advised many of his spiritual children to do. One could easily observe a deep joy, even laughter, depicted on the face and in the eyes of the statue, giving a glimpse into the heavenly bliss and beatitude that the blessed ones must enjoy with the Creator in heaven, even as we, the militant, continue our daily uphill trudge toward that promising destination. My spirits were instantly lifted as I considered Padre Pio was smiling – even laughing – with me! The saint, in fact, has been quoted as saying, “Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter.”
Share
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.
Watch that woman standing on the farmer’s porch. She pulls on her work jeans that still show patches of garden dirt. She sprays insect repellent on her work boots, arms, and neck. Next comes a mesh insect protection net that loops under her armpits and covers her entire head. With great precision, she dons her work gloves and picks up a garden fork. She is ready for war. Not just any war. She is ready for jungle warfare. Now comes an all-out attack on tangles of weeds that threaten to take over the garden.
Share
If you ask my children, “What is your mommy’s favorite thing that God created?” they will tell you color. “She makes us color everything!” It’s true. Even my middle school age children will affirm that not only do their pictures need to be colored, but also all maps, charts, and graphs. Everything looks so much better with color.
Share
Even though the Easter season ended with the Feast of Pentecost just a few days ago, I struggle to call the season we’re entering “ordinary.” Nothing these days seems to be what we expect. Every day, we seem to have a new executive order or new information that changes the way we live our life. Far from ordinary, if you ask me. And now, after months of sheltering in place, many of us are starting to venture out into the world outside our homes. For some, this season could be the Finally-I’ve-Been-Waiting-For-This Time. For others, it may be the Leaving-My-House-Gives-Me-A-Panic-Attack Time. Neither of those are particularly ordinary. But, either way, this time is the beginning of a new and potentially scary way to live our lives.
Share
Days have slipped into weeks, which has slipped into months. Mid-March, our chapel stopped hosting live services. A couple of days ago, I realized that we had gone a full month, and are close to closing out a full second month of not having access to the sacraments. My oldest had prepared, and is prepared, for his First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion – which will occur at an undecided future date. Our religious education program switched from mainly face-to-face classes to entirely virtual, closing out the end of the program year in mid-May. This is face of life these days – these are the cards we have been dealt, and I know my family is facing the same set of circumstances all throughout the country. To be honest, it helps to know I am not alone in these unique experiences. I know there is solidarity to be found, even in these oddest of times. Before we know it, the “Month of Mary” will have come and gone. It will be filed away as one of the longest months to date of 2020. Mary Crownings have either been suspended in churches, or families are opting to try their hand at doing them in private at home. Day dawns every morning, and we slip into our regular routines, which may or may not include thoughts of the Blessed Mother. But May is not over yet! In Luke 2:19, we are reminded, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” And, in today’s weird world, there are few other words which resonate so deeply.
Share
