The sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation gets a bad rap, with many people steering clear because they think it’s all about guilt and punishment, when actually the emphasis is on mercy, forgiveness, and healing. Here’s how to help your family enjoy the benefits of this sacrament more regularly.
Celebrating Reconciliation with kids: 9 ways to get into the habit
Invocations: Super-short prayers for when life gets crazy
You’ve got a baby in one arm, groceries in the other, your toddler somehow got your phone, which is ringing—quick, what do you do? When you need to pray but don’t really have time to sit down and compose yourself, an invocation might be just the ticket. Invocations (or “pious invocations”) are very short prayers—usually a phrase or sentence—that can be said once (as a quick, spontaneous prayer during stressful or busy times) or repeated over and over as a way of meditating on the presence of God.
Light a prayer candle
Help make your family prayer time special by lighting a candle. If this becomes a regular feature of your prayer time, purchase a white pillar candle and decorate it with […]
Introducing kids to contemplative prayer
Contemplative prayer is one of the three “expressions of prayer” described by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (the others are Vocal Prayer and Meditative Prayer). Contemplative prayer is a simple resting in the love of Christ. Contemplation may not seem suited to wiggly, squirmy, eye-rolling, “Are-we-done-yet?” kids. But this intimate basking in Christ’s love is something kids deserve to know about.
How to make your own prayer pillowcases
You can help kids learn simple morning or evening prayers by writing the prayers on their pillowcases using permanent marker or fabric marker. Put a morning prayer on one side […]
