
The Family That Prays Together Stays TOGETHER
Fr. Peyton
Growing in Faith & Prayer
Articles
Spend a little dedicated time in prayer and reflection by participating in our seven-day virtual retreat (also available in PDF) focused on marriage. This year the retreat theme is “Marriage: Made for a Reason.”
Sex is good. It isn’t dirty or naughty or some kind of half-hearted concession to our fallen animalistic nature…it is good, just as it was good in the beginning. Be fruitful and multiply, He said. And so we are, and we do.
“Maternity is a natural eucharist...The mother says to her child: “As I live because of Christ, so you will live because of me.”
Motherhood, a natural eucharist. This, the reality of pregnancy, the reality of motherhood, the reality of bringing a baby into the world...a woman says to the life that comes from within her, “This is my body, given up for you.”
By Robert Royal
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2019
Today’s 46th March for Life in Washington is not a Catholic thing. It’s been gratifying over the years to see the growing numbers of Evangelicals, mainstream Protestants, Jews – you gotta love the blowing of the shofar from the stage just before marchers set out – Mormons, Muslims, and others. All of whom have come to realize that killing the smallest and most vulnerable of our human kind is not humane, and no favor to women,
Share this inspiring message from Fr. Matt Mason, Diocese of NH Vocation Director, with the young men in your lives. We need good, holy priests!
For Catholics, November is the month we remember the dead.
On November 1st, we celebrate all the saints in heaven, who are our hope and help and inspiration. The rest of the month, we focus on the holy souls in purgatory. (They are also called poor souls . . . same souls, they are "poor" because they are suffering, and "holy" because they will definitely get to heaven some day, it's just a matter of time.)
We’re angry because this is sin, and sin always hurts people.
Now maybe once again we can understand why God hates sin. He doesn’t hate sin because he’s big and nasty and judgmental. He hates sin because it breaks hearts, breaks lives, breaks families, breaks the church and breaks true love.
So bring on the righteous anger, and let’s think again about sin and why its wrong.
Family prayer can create an extra special bond between all the family members and teaches them to pray. The Bible says to, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). There is no better way to teach than through example. Children not only see the parents praying but it is a great support to them in their prayer life as well.
By repetition, to rosary helps children to learn their formal prayers like the Our Father and Hail Mary.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s deeply controversial encyclical letter “Humanae vitae.” But I would like to draw particular attention to a remarkable passage in this encyclical, namely section 17, in which Paul VI plays the prophet and lays out, clearly and succinctly, what he foresees as consequences of turning away from the Church’s classic teaching on sex.
Every vocation is born of sacrifice, is maintained by sacrifice, and is measured in the apostolate by the sacrifice of those whom God calls to the priesthood or the religious life. This should not be surprising, once we realize that it was by His sacrifice that Christ redeemed the world.
Whether it is a toddler who wants to carry his father's tools as he works around the house, or the six-year-old who insists on accompanying dad on his errands, early on, boys obtain their idea of masculine behavior from their father.
Recently, my five year old announced that he wanted a different haircut. The minimalist, efficient buzz-cut given to him by his mother was no longer sufficient. He instead wanted a longer, more shapely cut so he could wear his hair like mine.
Celebrating the month of Mary with food, prayer, crafts and books
....Christ came to earth and died on the cross, not so that we could avoid death and suffering, but so that he could transform the inevitability of death and suffering from the inside out. By communion with him, by participation in his cross, we could receive eternal life.
Fr. Mike Schmitz, in this 6 min. video, talks on suffering as sharing in a "sliver of the cross".
How many times as a parent have we wished that we could alleviate our child’s suffering? Our
God-given nature to love and protect our child kicks in to high gear when he or she faces trials.
The valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest's execution -- St. Valentine's Day. Valentine has also become the patron of engaged couples.
Pray without ceasing. . . what does this mean? Can we really pray constantly as St. Paul tells us to do in this verse? Most of us are not cloistered―we live in this very busy world―a world full of high expectations and productivity ―a world in which we run from activity to activity―a world in which we are bombarded with constant media. I know that I easily get caught up in filling my day to overflowing.
St. Francis de Sales once said, “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy – then we need an hour.” Sounds impossible but with a little thought this makes sense. The more responsibilities we have, the busier we are, the more we need our Heavenly Father’s assistance and guidance.
Before I was Catholic, there were three significant days in my week: Monday was the much dreaded day school or work began; Wednesday was the hopeful hump day when most of the week was over; and Friday was the glorious final day of the week that ushered us into the weekend.
Since becoming, Catholic, however, I have gained a new appreciation for the sacredness of time.
This post is reprinted with permission from The Catholic Education Resource Center
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ. In nature, a mother partridge will feign injury to lure predators away from her defenseless nestlings. In the same way, our Lord protects us, vulnerable human beings, from Satan. The pear tree symbolizes the salvation of mankind, just as the apple tree symbolizes Adam and Eve's Fall from Grace.
Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments.
Practical tips for Celebrating the Feast of All Saints and All Souls Day as a family.
Join the Family Rosary Pledge.
How exciting for children to hear the story of Fatima! Knowing that God used three young children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia to help Him to do His work on earth means that yes, He can use each one of us as well - even young children.
Share the story of Fatima with your children and watch this Video Blog of a young woman visiting Fatima today. You may also download a free coloring page on Holy Heroes.
Family- the people God gave us to travel to Heaven with! We all have a part to play and it is important for each family member to participate in prayer, work, play and family rules(see #10) . Expecting each family member to contribute through age appropriate chores, recreation and prayer gives them dignity knowing they are needed and cherished in their God-given family. “The true Christian home is an altar of sacrifice and a theater of comedies and drama; it is a place of work and a haven of rest." Rev. George A. Kelly
One year, Hal Urban put up a sign in his high school classroom: "No one ever went wrong by being polite." He had always enjoyed a good rapport with his students, who were college-bound and typically from affluent families. But he was troubled by what he saw as a decline of basic courtesy.
Most of us would do anything for our kids, right? We give birth after hours of labor, sometimes without pain medication just so those kids will have “the best” start. We struggle through those early, sleepless weeks, tending to our babies’ every need, checking on the them five times a night putting our fingers by their noses or our hands on their little chests just so see if they are breathing.
Resources on Faith and Prayer
Our Favorite Books & Articles
Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers – US Catholic Conference of Bishops
Little Oratory, A Beginners Guide to Praying in the Home - Clayton and Lawler
7 Secrets of the Eucharist - Vinny Flynn
7 Secrets of Confession - Vinny Flynn
Time for God – Jacques Philip
Practicing the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
The Examen Prayer – Timothy Gallagher, OMV
Praying Scripture for a Change, An introduction to Lectio Divina - Dr. Tim Gray
Meditations Before Mass - Fr. Guardini
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
The Word Among Us – Catholic Devotional magazine based on the Daily Mass Readings
The Magnificat – Daily Prayers of the Church - also have children's Sunday subscription
OUR FAVORITE WEBSITES
Fr. Jacque Philippe, A Guide for the Spiritual Life
The Word Among Us – Catholic Devotional magazine based on the Daily Mass Readings
The Magnificat – Daily Prayers of the Church
faith & Scripture Study RESOURCES
Formed - The Augustine Institute
Resources for Living the Liturgical Year
Rosary Resources
The Rosary Workout, A unique program combining Rosary prayer with aerobic exercise
Like Mother, Like Daughter Blog – Praying the Rosary as a Family -Leila Lawler
Dr. Taylor Marshall’s Blog - 12 Tips for Praying a Family Rosary
Catholic News & Events
Our Favorite Blogs and commentary
Resources for Catholic Gifts & Books
Video Library on Faith & Prayer
The Hardest Job and the Easiest Way by Kathy St. Pierre, mother of ten.
Young couples talk about their reasons for getting married in the Catholic Church.
Happy New Year! No, this greeting isn’t early for Catholics as the First Sunday of Advent begins our new year in the Church. Are you looking to live more peacefully and with greater purpose as a family? Look to the Church’s Liturgical Year in which we enter into Christ’s life from beginning to end. We do not need to ignore secular holidays or celebrations but placing more of our focus and efforts on the Church’s Year brings a natural, fruitful and more peaceful rhythm to our lives.