The family that prays together stays together

Luky;
I attended a memorable weekend retreat when I was in my standard nine year.
During the course of the Retreat the Archbishop giving the retreat spent ten minutes explaining to us that you never call an animal, however well-trained, intelligent. 
The word for such an animal was, he insisted, sagacious.

Family visit
An anecdote the Archbishop told us also comes to mind.
The previous week, he said, he had gone to visit a family and arrived unannounced, to find them at prayer. They were praying the family rosary.
They didn't stop when he came in, just smiled and indicated to him that he was welcome to join in.
So he knelt down and did that.
He told us this to prove that we must never be ashamed when visitors arrive to continue praying. 
Even if we have not started our regular prayer, we should rather ask them to join in or go and read a magazine in the next room until we finish, in preference to skipping the daily prayer for that night out of deference to the visitor.

Not so smooth
Lest we got the idea that this particular family prayer was an exalted event, he added that there was in that family a little year-old baby who kept crawling from child to child, making everyone laugh.
Yet somehow this homeliness did not detract from the serenity of the family prayers.
And so the Archbishop made the point that all the children must always be made welcome during family prayers.

How often as we in our family were praying together did I recall his words.
Somehow there was always a little baby, crawling around and making the other kids laugh.
One time one of my daughters wasn't paying attention and I reprimanded her.
She made an imaginary phone call to God.
"Lord says Luky say sorry to me," she lisped.
When I wouldn't, she told him so in shocked dismay, again over the telephone.
Then she paused for a few seconds before handing the imaginary receiver to me, saying:
"He says He wants to talk to you Himself."

One story I didn't tell you was that from the age of two my youngest daughter started saying her own form of decade.
I'd say the Our Father and the Gloria and she'd say the Hail Mary.
Kneeling down angelically, dressed in her nighty and eyes closed, she'd pray:
"Hail Mary Jesus", and we'd fall in: "Holy Mary, Mother of God..."

I regret to report that the other children used to love my daughter's decades.
They went so quickly.
I'm still waiting for the day when they would cheer: "Mommy says it's rosary time, yippee!" but it may never arrive.
But I shall always remain grateful to the Archbishop and Fr Patrick Peyton for giving of their precious time to teach us the important fact that the family that prays together, stays together.

Sean and I started praying together when we were engaged and we still said the rosary together until he went to heaven.
 I wouldn't be at all surprised if that wasn't the main reason why after so many years he still surrounded me with his constant loving care.

Catherine Nicolette;
We used to pray together every night. As the eldest, I had to show the example and keep my eyes closed, and devoutly pray. 
From time to time I used to break out in laughter, which did not go down well in the quiet family rosary time. 
But the then baby of the time used to crawl behind and tickle my toes when I was least expecting it...

*Photograph taken by Catherine Nicolette. Please feel free to use copyright free for any worthy purpose