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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Christmas Season | catholic family life | holiday plans | imperfection
As a wife, mother, and hostess, there is so much to do to prepare for Christmas. I want everything to be just perfect at Christmas time—Christmas lights, Christmas cookies, Christmas cards, Christmas tree, Christmas clothes for the kids, Christmas presents—I feel this pressure sometimes to make everything the best that it can be, to create a “magical” kind of Christmas day. Much of this comes from my own struggle with pride, but our surrounding culture plays its own role, too. After all, aren’t we told that this is supposed to be the “most wonderful time of the year?” There are a lot of expectations to meet! There have been a number of Christmas days in the past, filled with all kinds of festivities, when, at the end of the day, I faced a strange realization: amidst all the celebrating, I didn’t really pray. The busyness of my Christmas day consumed my normal times of prayer.
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Blessed Virgin Mary | Christmas Season | family prayer
Today in addition to welcoming another year, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. If unfamiliar with the phrase, ‘Mother of God,’ it would seem to imply some supernatural or divine being. It seems a little daunting to imagine ‘Mother of God.’ Perhaps the title brings to mind some supremely far away, celestial, or an unreachable person. However, in truth, the ‘Mother of God,’ refers to the Mary, the young girl from Nazareth, who by her Fiat, brought to the world the Incarnation of God, Jesus...
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Catholic Faith | Christmas Season | holy-family
My daughter has nicknames for the Holy Family. I’m overstating it. She’s one and a half. She thinks she’s saying their names when she calls them Jeejee (Jesus—not to be confused with Gigi, her grandmother), Mon (Mary), and Fofef (Joseph). But I like to think of them as nicknames she uses as she gets to know the people I hope will be even more important to her than her parents.
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Blessed Virgin Mary | Catholic | Christmas Season
Alleluia! Jesus is born! The Emmanuel is here! Christmas has always been an important date on my calendar. Growing up, I used to celebrate it surrounded by family and friends, prayers, and good food. Christmas novenas were a tradition in my family as well. We used to gather with our neighbors for novenas in preparation for Christmas. At church, I loved all the happy songs of praise and the bright decorations. The lights at night made me think of how Jesus brought light to the world when He was born. Ultimately it has always been a magical season for me.
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