Prayers

Holy Family Prayer

Holy Family Prayer

By Alissa Molina | September 20, 2023

Sometimes I ask St. Joseph to stand in the room with a brother or son or father I know who is going through something hard, or lonely, or maybe even unspeakable. I ask St. Joseph to place his calming, patient, loving hand upon the person’s shoulder so that they may know he is not alone.…

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arm children with goodness

Arm the Children

By Jennifer Magnano | September 13, 2023

Arm the children Arm them with a passion for life and each other. Arm them with gorgeous humans who consistently show up. Arm them with some sort of relationship to the Divine. Arm the children with beautiful experiences and honest ones, too. Arm them with gratitude, an ample dose of optimism and hope, the ability…

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motherhood is a prayer

Motherhood is a Prayer Breathed Out

By Ashley Holston | September 6, 2023

Something I believe. . .⁣ ⁣Motherhood is⁣ Weighty and wonderful,⁣ Sometimes monotonous and boring,⁣ But also exciting and spontaneous,⁣ While being grievous and frustrating. ⁣It’s both stretching and structured,⁣ Straightforward and confusing,⁣ Tiresome and energizing,⁣ Painful and healing,⁣ Draining and lifegiving,⁣ Hopeful and despairing.⁣ // It’s playing⁣ the long game⁣ Though your finish line will…

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prayer after miscarriage

Prayer After Miscarriage

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | August 30, 2023

FOR THE WEEK AFTER MISCARRIAGE “Out of the depths I call to you, Lord; Lord, hear my cry!” (Ps 130:1–2) God of mercy, hear our prayer. From the depths of our grief, answer us. Our hearts break at the loss of our child. Our minds struggle to understand. Just days ago we held the hope…

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paradoxical motherhood

Nothing but Mother

By Hannah Napier Rosenberg | August 23, 2023

After birth, I am all at once at home and out of place. Every task now a luxury of time. I want to spend all day with the baby, I want to spend all day alone. This month I have done nothing but mother, my body given in service to a tiny human I just…

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water prayer

A Water Prayer

By Katie Cassady | August 16, 2023

Nourishing God, You make water spring forth from the rock. We come to you hot and thirsty. We praise You for the many ways we are refreshed, body and soul, by the gift of water. The rush of running through a sprinkler, or wading ankle-deep in a mountain stream, is a delight to the senses!…

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september motherhood prayer

A Blessing for the September Mother

By Rebecca Smyth | August 9, 2023

A Blessing for the September Mother: Who doesn’t make enough memories Or lives for the bucket list Who misses the first day of school Or performs acrobatics to get it off work Who holds milestones and grief in the same hand Or relishes in routine Who feels nauseous with anxiety Or notices she can breathe again  Who despises making packed…

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God's provision in changing seasons

The Days Ahead: A Reminder for the Changing of Seasons

By Ashley Holston | May 17, 2023

I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣So when I see a trial⁣⁣ an unexpected struggle⁣⁣ an unfamiliar season⁣⁣ a potentially hard thing⁣⁣ anything new⁣⁣ anything I’m not used to⁣⁣ ⁣⁣headed my way⁣⁣ and uncomfortably close,⁣⁣ ⁣⁣when I see it and become⁣⁣ tempted⁣⁣ to hoard manna⁣⁣ ⁣⁣I remember:⁣⁣ ⁣⁣The Bread of life…

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remember the resurrection

An Easter Prayer

By Rakhi McCormick | April 26, 2023

God of new life, In this season of resurrection, help us to look for the little miracles. Shatter our disillusionment when the  big miracles fail to materialize before us – Break through with your consolation when our Lazarus isn’t raised from the dead, Break through with Your mercy when our children aren’t healed, Break through…

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prayer for mothers creating

A Prayer for a Mother’s Creative Work

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | April 19, 2023

For mother-artists, writers, crafters and creators. Know that your work is holy, both in your art and with your family! God, I come to you today With a thousand prayers— For peace, for quiet, For inspiration and motivation, For the chance to meet You In the sacred space of creation.  In this time You have…

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Mother's Prayer for Mental Health

A Prayer for Mental Health as a Mom

By Jessica Mathisen | April 12, 2023

Father, Thank You for being the God who sees. The God who knows. The God who cares. Thank You that You see me, Your beloved daughter, in my frailty. Thank You that You know everything about me— including my internal struggles that threaten to strangle the life out of me. Thank You that You care…

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Jesus gathers us like a mother

As A Mother With Her Children

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | April 5, 2023

A Song of St. Anselm Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you; you are gentle with us as a mother with her children. Often you weep over our sins and our pride; tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment. You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds; in sickness…

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A Prayer for A School Shooting

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 29, 2023 |
prayer for school shooting

Again. Again. Again. Again. How long? How long. How long By what we have done And what we have failed to do, We have our children’s blood on our hands. Hear our cry, God of Justice. Heal our wounds, Prince of Peace. Help our brokenness, Spirit of Truth. We cannot live like this.Which is why…

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Comfort Me, Know Me, Hold Me

By Karianna Frey | March 22, 2023 |
maternal image for God

Lord, when I pray to You as my Father, do not allow my human mind to limit You to my human understanding of what it means to be father or mother. I pray that our limits of human language do not hide who You truly are to every one of Your children. You are Spirit,…

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A Prayer for a C-Section

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 15, 2023 |
c-section prayer

Whether planned or unplanned, a Caesarean section is a powerful birth experience. The act of surrender into a surgeon’s hands symbolizes the physical sacrifice of motherhood—and invites a new reflection on Jesus’ own words: “This is my body, given for you.” Since it’s normal to face fear or anxiety heading into the operating room, it…

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A Cry of Lament

By Rakhi McCormick | March 8, 2023 |
lamenting gun violence

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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A Prayer for Temper Tantrums

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 1, 2023 |
three prayers for temper tantrums

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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A Blessing for Emotional Labor

By Meta Herrick Carlson | February 15, 2023 |
a prayer for the unseen and often emotional labor mothers do for their children

If they only knew that your love for them hums along in quiet work they cannot see, in love that is relentless, monotonous and nocturnal, hidden in acts of service that guard and keep. Perhaps they do not care how fully you care until the good order they take for granted is missing in action.…

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The Breath Prayer of Mothers

By Miller Voigt | February 8, 2023 |
breath prayer of mothers

Inhale: their smoky tempers, all aflame, fiery and persistent in their desire Exhale: calm and firm, consistent boundaries Inhale: their sweaty anxieties, all wrapped up in things they don’t understand Exhale: a peaceful presence, unwavering even in your own misunderstanding Inhale: the taste of rebellion, their wild energy dancing away from you Exhale: grace, the…

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A Prayer Before a Child’s Hospitalization

By Kayla Craig | February 1, 2023 |
prayer for a child in the hospital

Help me remember, O Lord, That nothing surprises You And no need is too great For Your mighty hand. O Lord, I ache to fix things, To heal my child, To protect them from suffering. And though I wish I were in control, I’m fighting to trust that You alone are God. As they prepare…

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A Prayer for When Your Child is Suffering

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 30, 2023 |
prayer child suffering

God of goodness, How could you let this happen to my beloved child? Watching them in pain Brings the deepest pain I have ever known. I wish I could step in and take their place So I could suffer instead of them. But I know that you know Human suffering from the inside out. That…

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A Blessing For Their First Phone

By Meta Herrick Carlson | January 25, 2023 |
blessing first phone

The device contains a universe of things and also nothing of any importance. May it be a tool you own and use so that it does not own and use you. May it offer connection to what is real rather than escape from what matters. May it be the last place you look for validation…

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For the ones who wrestle and wander

By Tasha Jun | January 18, 2023 |
struggle with faith as parent

Some of us wrestle because we are full of a grief we cannot escape. If this is you, may you remember that your grief doesn’t mean you’re remiss or ungrateful. Lord, have mercy on us grieving ones. Some of us wander because we believe Jesus meant what he said when he told the parable of…

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Prayer for Birth and Racial Trauma

By Jessica Mathisen | January 11, 2023 |
Prayer for Birth and Racial Trauma

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the honor of being a mother. Thank You for entrusting me with this precious gift. As I bring my children into the world, my heart is heavy. I wonder what people will think of me as a Black mother. Will I meet their expectations? Or will I disappoint them?…

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