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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Celebrating family life | seasonal reflection
Some days in the Liturgical season, by their cultural and religious nature, lend themselves better to celebrating as a family than others—such as Christmas and Easter. Yet, every Solemnity, Memorial, or Feast in the Catholic Church is worthy of acknowledging in some special way. For families, additional feast days can offer beautiful teachable moments and the creation of lifetime memories. This month, the Church will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15, commemorating the entry of Mary into heaven—body and soul. The Assumption falls into the category of “Solemnity,” which means it is among the highest rank feast days celebrating a mystery of faith.
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When we are in the company of younger family members, we often pose questions about school, interests, and summer activities. Favorite subject? College major? What are they reading for fun? What are they doing for the summer? There are so many things about which to ask.
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The first morning glory blossom recently appeared in our garden. The plant climbs and clings to the fence in the background. Each year, we await the invisible seeds to sprout, and we watch as the plant begins to trail and bring forth flowers. We marvel at the depth of color and the vitality of the growing vine. The background is an important part of the picture.
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Celebrating family life | Why pray?
Today’s gospel is one that gets a reaction. For some, it’s a justification to say God is unreasonable. For others, it’s a reason to look more deeply into our relationships with God, our families, and our friends.
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I have found that seeking God’s will in our everyday experience takes time – to trust and reflect. Sometimes this approach stretches our patience and our willingness to wait and learn. It is a grace for which to pray.
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My grandpa, whom we call Big G, got me into gardening at a young age. He used to grow fruits, flowers, and vegetables in pots and plots that would take up our entire backyard. Once I was old enough to assist him, he took me under his wing as his gardening apprentice. He was a seasoned gardener who had grown every plant you could imagine, and in his years had gotten pretty good at what he did. We would start the season by growing our plants from seeds in the basement. After a few weeks they began to germinate and sprout, and we let them grow until it was time to bring them outside. I would help Big G move the plants to our plots and raised beds so that they had more room to grow, and eventually produce fruits and vegetables that we were able to enjoy with our family and neighbors. Although Big G called the shots in our garden, my whole family would always take part and enjoy gardening together.
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