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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholic Dad | catholic family life | family prayer
The hectic schedule of his older kids leads CatholicMom.com contributor Jake Frost to consider the power of choice and how to teach them to decide between competing good things. One of the hardest things in life is choosing among many competing good things. As my kids are getting older and starting into high school, lots of new opportunities are opening up for them. There are sports and speech competitions and Science Olympiads and Future Farmers of America and all sorts of things. Good things. And winning in these competitions and moving on to state, or even nationals, means trips with the team across the state and even across the country, staying in hotels, meeting new people, having new experiences. All great stuff.
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Celebrating Marian feasts | Our Lady of Sorrows | Seven Sorrows | family prayer
Catholic Mom contributor, Sherry Hayes-Peirce, shares a modern look at the Seven Sorrows of Mary, a devotion the Church promotes each September.
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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.
Life Lessons | catholic family life | family prayer | sacrament of matrimony
Catholic Mom contributor Kathryn Swegart explores a surprising truth about fidelity in marriage.
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catholic family life | family prayer | sacrament of marriage
Hillary Ibarra shares how prayer helped to keep her marriage and family together.
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Catholic Motherhood | family prayer | pray the rosary
Carmen Lappe considers how certain Mysteries of the Rosary are more applicable to certain seasons of life, and creates her own meditations on these Mysteries. The Rosary has been part of my daily prayer routine for quite some time now. I still struggle to quiet my mind and fully enter into the Mysteries, and yet I would be lost without these rhythmic prayers to start my day. Recently, I’ve noticed certain Mysteries pulling me in, inviting me into a deeper focus and reflection. For example, whenever I get to the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Presentation in the Temple, my heart aches. I wonder how Mary must have felt as she received Simeon’s prophecy that her Son would be the rise and fall of many. Then I wonder how I would have felt if, during our son’s Baptism, someone told me Damien would be diagnosed with a brain tumor and vision challenges in just a few short years.
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Praying with images | Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary | family prayer | pray the rosary
Artful depictions of Christ's life, especially His Passion and Death, offer families a unique opportunity to engage in discussions of faith that can often be difficult to begin. From the youngest member of one's family to the oldest, everyone can look upon the beauty of art and share what they see and how it makes them feel. Visio Divina, or "sacred seeing," is an ancient form of Christian prayer that utilizes the imagination to enter into prayer. Visio Divina is an effective method of praying for families looking to begin or deepen a practice of family prayer in their homes. We recommend starting your time with these images, calling upon the Holy Spirit to guide your discussion. 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. This collection of images of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary includes short reflections with 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 with each other.
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