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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
May | Pentecost | family prayer
Pentecost, arriving in one of the busiest times of year, brings relief and perspective to Kathryn Pasker Ineck. Ah, June. June is a balm after the craziness of May, a month that can be a wild ride, whether you have schoolchildren or not, because there is always such a flurry of activities to attend. Years ago, my friends and I referred to it as “Maycember” because, like Advent, May arrives with an overfilled calendar of good things: dance recitals, class parties, tournaments, graduations (for all the stages — kindergarten, eighth grade, high school, college), and [insert excuse to celebrate]. With better weather and theoretically free-er weekdays, suddenly weddings, barbeques, park days, and hikes are on the docket. “Quick! Let’s get together before all the swim lessons start and the vacations separate us!”
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Catholic YouTube | family prayer
Venerable Patrick Peyton, founder of Family Theater Productions, famously said, "The family that prays together stays together." But is that really true in practice? Staying Together: Families Praying Together, a new YouTube series, seeks to answer that question. Staying Together: Families Praying Together Brings the Saying Into Real Life Starting Tuesday, April 21, with six episodes premiering weekly on Family Theater Productions' YouTube channel, Staying Together: Families Praying Together talks to families on both coasts about how prayer has helped keep them whole, despite all the things in the world that can tear families apart. Says series creator Jay Cooney, "I wanted to find families who could exemplify this saying, and to share with audiences the fruits of praying to God and having those prayers answered." Click here for the official website.
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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.
Divine Mercy Sunday | catholic family life | family prayer
Silvia Patalano-Ross reflects on how busy moms can practice Divine Mercy at home through patience, forgiveness, and small daily choices. Divine Mercy Sunday has always sounded beautiful to me. I would see the image of Jesus with rays pouring from His Heart. I have loved the simple prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You.” It is a reminder that God’s mercy is endless, something I find myself relying on more and more each day. But most years, Divine Mercy Sunday meets me in a much less peaceful place. There is always someone arguing about whose turn it is to take the dog out. There’s a child who suddenly remembers a project that is due tomorrow. It’s time to eat, but the dinner table is full of papers and half-finished art projects. I can’t tell you the number of socks I’ve dug out of the couch. These are usually the moments when I remember mercy isn’t just something we talk about in church. It’s something we practice in our homes — and for me, it’s about five minutes after I’ve already lost my patience.
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Blessed Virgin Mary | Rosary Stories | family prayer
A story of how a gathering with my closest friends budded into a love for our Heavenly Mother.
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Praying with images | Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary | family prayer | pray the rosary
As we enter the quiet holiness of Holy Saturday, families are invited to gather together for a time of profound prayer and reflection. Artful depictions of Christ’s life—especially His Passion and Death—open a gentle and accessible doorway into conversations about faith that might otherwise feel difficult to begin as a family. From the youngest child to the eldest family member, generations are invited to come together and behold the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary through these sacred images. As they pray and reflect on the images together, families can share what they notice and how they are moved in their hearts and spirits. This prayerful practice, known as Visio Divina or “sacred seeing,” is an ancient Christian tradition that invites us to encounter God through attentive looking and holy imagination. Especially well-suited for family prayer, Visio Divina creates a shared space where faith is seen, felt, and spoken aloud together. As you begin, we invite your family to call upon the Holy Spirit, asking for guidance and openness as you spend time with these images and allow them to draw you more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s love. Your prayer can be as simple as, "Come, Holy Spirit," or you may wish to recite or write a longer one, such as: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. The images below of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary include short reflections for each picture to illustrate the variety of ways sacred art can be viewed and discussed. We pray your family is truly blessed by your time together, immersed in the beauty of the art, these words, and your precious time together.
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Good Friday | Holy Week | family prayer
Sarah Pedrozo offers a short meditation on a few words to pray on Good Friday. Behold, behold, the wood of the cross, on which is hung our salvation. O come, let us adore. These familiar words are often intoned each year at the Good Friday service. On this somber day that we yet call "good,” what further words can be said? Perhaps just a few. Looking at the cross of Christ, we can say, “Thank you.”
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