Lent

prayer for a hard, long Lent

Lentiest of Lents

By Katie Cassady | April 7, 2023

Loving God, this trudge toward Easter has been long and the sustenance meager. I find myself coming to you with empty hands and aching arms, from the effort of carrying a cross I did not choose. You know all too well that choosing a sacrifice this year was a luxury. In the midst of it…

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mothering God

A Turn of the Kaleidoscope

By Cameron Bellm | March 20, 2023

It was a long-overdue dermatologist appointment. With my pale skin and family history of melanoma, I really need to be checked every year, but it had been more than five since I’d donned an open-backed gown; this was just one of many things that got lost in the shuffle of mothering small children. When I…

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Lent encouragement

Encouragement for When You Want to Give Up on Lent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 17, 2023

If you’ve given up on Lent, If your best intentions have fallen short, If you want to quit, If you never got started Imagine what you might say to your child… When they’re struggling with school or work, When they’re feeling overwhelmed, When they want to quit something they’ve started, When they’re angry, hungry, or…

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c-section christ

Our Undoing is Our Becoming

By Rakhi McCormick | March 13, 2023

This is my body, broken for you. This is my blood, shed for you. How many times had I heard these words at Mass, even though I had converted only in young adulthood? The passion narrative punched me in the gut every Palm Sunday with the retelling of Jesus’s suffering and death.1 The same crowds…

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parent lent breath prayers

Breath Prayers for Parents in Lent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 10, 2023

For fasting Inhale: Help me let go. Exhale: Let me find You. Inhale: When I feel like I lack Exhale: Let me know You are near. For alms-giving Inhale: Help me give what I can. Exhale: Show Your face to my heart. Inhale: Whatever we have Exhale: Is given to share. For deeper prayer Inhale:…

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lamenting gun violence

A Cry of Lament

By Rakhi McCormick | March 8, 2023

How long, O Lord? How are we to bear this pain Over and over and over Blood cries out from the ground Again and again and again Met once more with Empty words and violent fists  Hearts of stone which fail to see To weep, to lament, to repent How long, O Lord We are…

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finding God in troubling times

Love and Hope in Troubling Times

By Lauren Nizol | March 6, 2023

“Let’s be present in the rain.”  It was the end of May: precisely that time of year where I’m reeling from the exhaustion of both teaching and parenting. There is so much that happens in May; it’s the busy culmination of the school year where the days get longer and evenings are peppered with band…

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Scripture to pray with during Lent for parents

Lenten Scriptures for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 3, 2023

Parents and children are at the heart of Lent. Let these Scripture passages remind you of the power of sharing your faith with your kids in this sacred season. Teaching children You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and…

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three prayers for temper tantrums

A Prayer for Temper Tantrums

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 1, 2023

Frustrated with your three year-old? Fed up with your teenager? Certain stages of parenting are just plain hard. Here are three prayers for when your child (or you) is throwing an epic fit. And remember: Help me is a whole prayer, too. A short version: God, I am going to lose it. Help me not…

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Finding God in all parts of parenting

You’re Doing Great (and Other Truths from God and Bluey)

By Sarah Rose | February 27, 2023

“You’re doing great.” Three words from a cartoon dog were all it took to wreck me. They’re said in an episode of my son’s favorite cartoon, Bluey. (Ok, my favorite too.) The title of the episode is “Baby Race,” and in short, it’s a seven-minute emotional roller coaster where Bluey’s mom, Chili, shares the story…

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lent parent

3 Ways to Prepare for Lent (When You’re A Parent)

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 17, 2023

1. Focus on what’s simple Try these 3 easy approaches for Lent: Read the details here: How To Live Lent as a Busy Mother. 2. Find a good book: for yourself and for your child Here is a list of our favorite Lenten books for children (and more ideas for Easter basket books for birth-6 years and 6-12 years). Don’t forget…

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when hearts become ashes

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 14, 2018

Two years ago, I had two hearts beating beneath my own.  Twins. I was overwhelmed most of the pregnancy, to be honest. Worry multiplies with multiples. How would we care for two babies at once? What would life look like with five kids? Deeper, darker questions slid underneath, slimy and squirming. How could I love…

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