x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Family Vacation | Summer | family prayer
I share many check-in phone calls with my elderly father, and his typical send-off is, “Keep the faith, MaryB.” I smile as I recall this because it is Summer and as we plan family vacation time, the phrase "keep the faith" came to mind. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Jesus. Vacations are typically taken as a time of rest. We are a green light, just keep swimming culture and rest can be challenging to come by, especially with children along. I recently shared a conversation with some friends who are in various stages of parenting about how to cultivate family rest time, find your own rest time, keep the faith alive and perhaps grow it while on a family vacation.
Share
Family Dinner | Family Time | Parenthood | family prayer
The New Evangelization is all the buzz. Savvy evangelizers pick the hippest of the ever-multiplying array of platforms, target their demographics, and employ slick production values. Well, I’m jumping in the game. Actually, the game jumped me, whether I willed it or not, about fifteen years ago when my first child was born. As a parent, I am responsible for teaching the faith to my kids. And as all parents are only too keenly aware these days, I can’t count on anyone else to do it, not in any school (private or public, religious or secular), church, sports program, youth group, or YouTube channel. So it falls to us.
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.
Grandpa's Garden | Grandparenting | family prayer
It is summer in this region, and the natural world calls us to recreation out of doors. Years ago, I tried running for exercise. When I began, I could barely jog around the block. Over time, I slowly added distance and found solitude and consolation amid my limitations and aspirations. I ran several 5k races to see if I could complete the course. I felt solidarity with other runners, most of whom ran faster than me. The only “running” I do now is hurrying at crosswalks. I enjoy walking.
Share
Mass with Children | family prayer | parenting advice
My dad passed away in 2018, but not a Sunday Mass goes by where I don’t think of him. My childhood is replete with memories of filing into the pew, Dad between us two girls to keep us from talking (or more likely, fighting), and attending Mass together. Even now, at the age of 41, I find myself replaying various hints and admonitions he used to give us as we learned to behave at Mass. Here are six of the lessons that have stayed with me all these years.
Share
Catholic Faith | family prayer | prayer life
One of the phrases I had to tell myself over and over in the months following the birth of my last baby was, “This is just a phase. I will not be nursing forever; I will sleep again.” I have a tendency to have tunnel vision about whatever difficult moment I am in and feel it will last forever. Stepping back and looking at the big picture has helped me to see that the moment I am in is just a small blip on the radar of my life.
Share
Catholic Family Fun | family life | family prayer
Now that the long, slower days of summer are finally here, they bring with them the invitation to slow down a little. Hopefully, the lengthy twilights and break from school brings a sense of less urgency and more playtime to your home. Of course, the flip side of no school and more flexibility can also mean that the house seems to perpetually be half a step away from descending into complete chaos. When my kids were growing up, summer meant sleeping in and a lot of time for bedtime stories. On the other hand, it was also the season when one or another of my boys would get mad and inform us he was going to run away and we’d be sorry! So summer brings both sides of the coin. (By the way, they only ran away to the stop sign a block away. I would wander over a while later with some snacks in case they had run out of food. They usually had. One time, their dad dropped off a pillow, so they “would sleep better.” They all eventually decided home wasn’t so bad after all.) That is the great thing about summer: there’s even time for some mini-adventures.
Share
