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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Spiritual Works of Mercy | catholic family life | corporal works of mercy | family Lenten activities
I'm not a pro when it comes to liturgical living, especially as it's viewed today. I grew up in a home that was solidly Catholic, but celebrating feast days throughout the year wasn't something we regularly did. We had an Advent wreath. A Christmas tree. We went to Stations of the Cross and gave things up for Lent. But there were no sweet buns for St. Lucia, no shoes for old St. Nick. We didn't dress as saints on All Saints Day; our evening meals didn't reflect the feasts of the Church. We were a solid, loving, traditional Catholic family. Our faith was simply yet devoutly lived. But a decade ago, when I had my first toddler, the idea of living liturgically — doing more than my family did — was pretty intimidating. The dawn of Pinterest and Instagram made me even more shell-shocked. Three active kids, a work-from-home, homeschooling schedule, and I'm supposed to make a crown of thorns centerpiece from scratch? Truthfully, I was ready to throw in the towel, especially when it came to Lent. Advent was easy — there was a baby, and there were farm animals — but 40 days in the desert? Our Lord's scourging?! His gruesome death?! Guiding my family through this season eluded me, and it brought me a whole lot of guilt. That is until I figured out how to approach it, and it's gone well for us ever since.
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Holy Week | family Lenten activities | family prayer
As we enter into the Most Holy Week on the worldwide Christian calendar, I cannot help but be drawn to one of the most dramatic scenes in the suffering of Jesus for our cause. The powerfully emotive scene that has been offered to us for centuries as the Second Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary is the Scourging at the Pillar. The Prophet Isaiah wrote many years before the arrival of Christ on earth about the “faithful servant” whose “wounds heal us.” In the Scourging at the Pillar, we see an innocent man get physically and emotionally abused for no crime he committed. Underlying his abuse was a desire to save the guilty, so that they may have life and have it to the fullest.
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family Lenten activities | family prayer | pray the rosary
Prayer, especially the Rosary, strengthens families to come to know and believe God brings us through every challenge. Coming together as a family to pray during Lent—offering thanksgiving, petition, and intercession for ourselves and others gives new meaning to the season and fosters hope.
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