It's the third commandment—the final one pertaining to our love of God. Keeping holy the sabbath is doable when it comes to getting to Mass on Sundays. But the rest that God commands on the sabbath for our benefit? Not so easy to attain, especially in family life. Continue reading

Preparing for First Communion is a beautiful experience for children and parents alike. Many children will receive their first Communions this spring and early summer, so naturally, preparation is on our minds. We want them to have a memorable encounter with the Eucharist. We want to do our part—inasmuch as we can—to prepare them for this intimacy with Jesus. Continue reading

Truly, there is something exciting about preparing for and planning a new school year. It's a new start, and, hopefully, the break has given us new perspective and renewed interest and vigor. Continue reading

Just as we sit around the campfire and tell stories we have heard and memorized, we can do the same with Scripture! Just as one would recite a poem or story aloud, we should be able to recite God's Word. We memorize the multiplication tables, simple addition problems, and the metrics system. Wouldn't it make sense then, as Catholics, to include Scripture memorization with the other things we encourage our children to commit to memory?  Continue reading

In these moments I am tempted toward frustration or discouragement, the needs I believe bumping up against the needs I perceive. Babies (and toddlers) are a blessing that bring with them enormous joy... and interruption. If you have older children in the home, these interruptions can seem to be an obstacle to your efforts to teach and instruct the older child(ren). Continue reading