catholic family faith

Check Out GodTube.com

More than YouTube, GodTube offers music, videos, prayer postings, a virtual Bible, and social networking for Christians.  Check out GodTube today:  http://www.GodTube.com

Catholics: People Who Pray Together

How often does your family pray together?  At meals?  At bedtime?  At Mass?  As Catholics, we are communal pray-ers.  We have a rich tradition of shared prayer:

• The Angelus - A prayer that is traditionally repeated three times daily, morning, noon, and evening, at the sound of the bell.  (This is the reason that many Catholic churches ring their bells at noon and 6pm.)

• Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office - Prayed daily by ordained clergy and lay faithful throughout the world.

• Stations of the Cross - A journey of remembering Jesus' passion and death.

• The Rosary - Meditations on the mysteries of Christ's life.

• The Mass - The source and summit of our Catholic faith.

We have our children learn and memorize prayers such as the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, the Glory Be, so that they can participate in our community prayers.

Catholic prayer is an important tradition that parents have the responsibility for passing on to their children.  Whether the prayer is a thanksgiving before or after meals, bedtime prayers, shared Scripture readings, or simple blessings when leaving the house, praying together as a family can be a powerful experience of bonding, support, and encouragement. 

How will your family pray together today?

Lord's Day Faith Chat - Baptism of the Lord - January 11, 2009

When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, "a voice came from the heavens, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'"  When we were baptized in the waters of the Church's baptismal font, God proclaimed that we, too, are God's beloved children.  We have been filled with the Holy Spirit and so are empowered to live in God's ways.  In our families, we learn what it means to be beloved and how to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our every day lives.

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord this weekend, chat with your family about your faith:

Faith Chat Question:  What does your baptism mean to you?  How do you live your baptism in your every day life?

Family Activity:  Celebrate the baptisms of your family this week.  Bring a container to church to take home some water from the baptismal font.  When you get home, put it in a bowl on your table.  Also decorate your table with your family's baptismal candles, or a white candle, baptismal gowns, and pictures from family baptisms.  Sign one another with the water and the Sign of the Cross on the forehead.  Remember and share stories of your experiences of baptism.

Prayer:  Jesus, beloved Son of God, we have been baptized in your name.  Help us to live our Christian faith in all that we do.  Amen.

From Christmas to Lent

This evening, I attended a Lent planning meeting at my parish.  Yes, Lent!  There are only six Sundays between the Baptism of the Lord and the official end of the Christmas season and Ash Wednesday. 

So as I sat listening to the conversation and offering my thoughts, I began to wonder:  What would best help families prepare for and participate in the season of Lent?  So this is what I will think about in my dreams tonight.

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Check out http://homefaith.com/ for weekly wisdom, tips on handing on the faith, family spirituality, and more.

Lord's Day Faith Chat - Epiphany - January 4, 2009

Epiphany...Realization of God in our midst.  Herod told the magi, "Go and search diligently for the child.  When you have found him, bring me word, that I, too, may go and do him homage."  Good words.  Bad intention.

What is our intention as we seek the Christ?  Do we seek Christ for our own good, wanting him to give us what we need, which he will do because of his great love for us?  Or do we seek Christ for the simple pleasure of wanting to know him better?

As we celebrate the Epiphany this weekend, chat with your family about your faith:

Faith Chat Question:  God chose to be among us in the person of Jesus.  How does having a God who knows what it means to be human effect the way you pray or think about God?

Family Activity:  After a family meal this week, discuss what your faith means to you.  Invite each family member to recall a time that was difficult and share how faith in God eased the pain and worry and helped them through the situation.

Prayer:  Christ, our Light, thank you for loving us and being with us in both fun and difficult times.  Help us to simply trust in your presence with us.  Amen.

For access to daily readings, go to www.usccb.org/nab/

Mary, Mother of God

Today on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, we recognize Mary's gift of selflessness and her willingness to give herself wholly and completely to God.  We ask Mary, as the Mother of God, to pray for us and for our world.

 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

 

Happy New Year...Again!

 We Catholics are rather lucky...We get to celebrate two New Year's in the course of 30 or so days.  Our first New Year was celebrated on the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Liturgical/Church Year.  Today, January 1st, we celebrate the beginning of the secular calendar year of 2009.  Both New Year's offer us the opportunity to begin anew.

Many people make New Year's Resolutions at the beginning of the new year.  These resolutions typically revolve around three areas:  Mind, Body, and Spirit/Soul.  "I'm going to get that degree this year."  "I'm going to read some good books this year."  "I'm going to exercise more this year."  "I'm going to lose weight this year."  "I'm going to pray more this year."  "I'm going to read more of the Bible this year."

The problem with New Year's Resolutions is that we have a difficult time following through, and by the end of January, or even earlier, we've lost our focus on our resolutions.  The beauty of our faith, though, is that we can resolve to improve ourselves, to become the person God created us to be, any time throughout the year.  Each day offers us a new beginning.  Whenever we ask for forgiveness and work toward reconciliation we have the opportunity to improve and become the person God created us to be.

I would propose that you do make New Year's Resolutions, goals to improve your Mind, Body, and Spirit/Soul and become the person God created you to be.  Write them down and post them somewhere that you will see them each day.  You could even keep a daily or weekly journal to help you track your progress.  Then, at the end of January, review those goals to determine how you're doing and if they are still realistic.  At the end of January, continue with your original goals, revise them, or create new goals for February.  Continue this process throughout the year, all the time keeping in mind that God wants you to be the person God created you to be.

Whatever you resolve to do this year, remember that God loves you unconditionally and wants you to fully become the person God created you to be.  Ask God to help you through your journey.