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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
As a child (well, who am I kidding? This still happens), I cringed when we would read the parable of the Prodigal Son. It used to make me so irritated because what does a BOY have to do with me, a GIRL? I remember feeling stubborn angst towards this parable because the man had sons, and I was a daughter. I’d roll my eyes (still do) and listen in without really caring. You see, I understand this parable, even more so as an adult; however, it has just never resonated with me. As a girl child, I wanted to have my femininity seen by Jesus, just as so many boys saw themselves as the prodigal son. Side note: I do now understand this parable a bit more and actually identify as the eldest son most days. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
I hadn’t heard of Saint Gianna Molla back in 1993. At the time, I was a young mother of three small boys. I had suffered a life-threatening internal hemorrhage after the remains of an ectopic pregnancy ruptured one of my fallopian tubes. Because I had experienced two previous ectopic (tubal) pregnancies, and because I nearly died with this one, my doctors and many of our relatives told my husband and me that we “had no business having more children,” and “you have to think of your other children now.” In those first few months after surgery, we believed that we ought to listen to the “doctors’ orders.” We continued using NFP (Natural Family Planning) in the most conservative way to avoid pregnancy. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
While growing up, I didn’t give much thought to my last name, Perpetua, other than it was hard for telemarketers to pronounce (they always put the emphasis on the wrong syllable, if they could say it at all) and when the priest chose the long form of the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, Perpetua was named as part of the Roman Canon, along with Felicity and some others. I knew that Perpetua and Felicity were women saints, and that is where my knowledge began and ended, for many years. It wasn’t until I was an adult and, eventually, a mother that I embraced these heroic Christian martyrs and shared the story of my (and their) eponym with my children. Only then did I begin to fully appreciate their sacrifice. Saints Perpetua and Felicity were young mothers martyred in the early 3rd century. Perpetua was a noblewoman with a young nursing child. Felicity, a slave, was eight months pregnant at the time she, Perpetua, and others were imprisoned. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
I first encountered the Focolare Movement (an ecclesial movement within the Church) and its founder, Servant of God Chiara Lubich, through my then-boyfriend, now husband. His family had been a part of the movement his entire life. Over the summers, members of the movement gathered for a family conference, and I was invited to attend. Little did I know that this would begin a new spiritual journey with Chiara, which our family still travels on today. It’s hard to pick just one thing that I have learned from Chiara over these last 17 years of slowly learning the spirituality of the Focolare. While I was introduced to the movement in college, it wasn’t until a few years later, as a young mom, that I started to consciously learn more of the theology found in Chiara’s spirituality. I did this with my mother-in-law, who is deeply invested in the movement. Together, we shared many conversations about the movement’s history, its founding principles, and way of life. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | catholic mom | women's history month
Have you ever in your life been subjected to public shaming? Ridicule? I experienced being “cancelled” long before it entered the mainstream. My crime? Taking an unpopular stand as an elected official in our town. I remember it like yesterday, praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary over and over, and feeling the Lord calling me to walk with the person at the center of the controversy — and not abandon him. And guess who else entered the picture? Saint Joan of Arc. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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Catholic Momcast | Holy Women's History Month | Lenten Reflections | women's history month
Saint Monica is a treasure to me. Some saints are hard to connect with. As much as I love and admire Saint Joan of Arc, it’s hard to connect her life with mine. Same with Saint Catherine of Siena. I was just starting my conversion path to Catholicism when we moved into our home only a few blocks from Saint Monica’s Catholic Church. It has been our parish home for more than 20 years. Our youngest son went to the parish school from kindergarten through eighth grade. I have dozens of friends I’ve met over the years through the school or the parish, and whether it’s issues with husbands or our children, we’ve all offered it up to Saint Monica’s intercession. Prefer to Listen—Audio version available!
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