“For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
There are many analogies for the Church. Saint Paul calls the Church a Body with many parts. The Church has two main parts, the head and the members. The head of the Body is Christ, the members are the faithful. Our Lord tells us, “when two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20). The members must not only be gathered together, but they must be gathered in the name of their head Jesus Christ. The physical head of the Church on earth is the Holy Father and thus the members must be in union with the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ.
The fundamental place where we gather from the beginning is within the family. The family is the domestic Church. Just at the bishops and faithful must be centered in a community of prayer, so to a husband and wife together with their children must be centered in a community of prayer. It is not enough that just one member of the family pray, this would be the equivalent to saying that it would be enough if only one bishop at a council was praying.
Why does prayer start in the family? The very essence of culture starts with the family unit; a husband, a wife, and children. “The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s work of creation. It is called to partake in the prayer and sacrifice of Christ. Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in charity. The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary task.” [1] Saint Angela Merici said, “Disorder in society is a result of disorder in the family.” Prayer helps bring order to a family especially in a time when every person of the family is being stretched here and there, and there is little time when a family is all together. Starting ones life in prayer with the family helps foster prayer to parents, children, brothers and sisters. “Prayer fosters the supernatural vision that makes it possible for us to understand what is happening around us and in the family, and teaches us to see that nothing is foreign to the plans of God.” [2] To start with prayer shows who is at the supreme head of the family, God. When we put God at the head of the family we are able to cherish the blessings and accept the struggles with persistence and fortitude. If we start all of this in the family, then we can begin to share this with our neighbor. To pray for family members helps us pray for others. To forgive a brother or sister helps us forgive a complete stranger. To place God, as the head of the family will in turn put God as the head in our lives. “The dignity and responsibility of the Christian family as the domestic Church can be achieved only with God’s unceasing aid, which will surely be granted if it is humbly and trustingly petitioned for in prayer.[3]
Why should a family pray together? Saint John Paul the Great wrote a letter specifically to families. In the letter, he makes it very clear, “The family that prays together stays together, a family that prays is a family that is saved. Act in such a way that your homes may be places of Christian faith and virtue through your praying together [4] Praying as a family on a daily basis helps “to ensure that God is not regarded as a stranger whom we go to visit in church once a week on Sunday. He will be seen and treated as He really is, not only in church, but also at home”. [5]
Praying as family also helps teach children their basic prayers. “The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the ‘domestic church’ where God’s children learn to pray ‘as the Church’ and to persevere in prayer. For young children in particular, daily family prayer is the first witness of the Church’s living memory as awakened patiently by the Holy Spirit. [6] Learning the Our Father, Hail Mary, grace before meals, Angelus, and the Guardian Angel prayer are just but a few of the basic prayers that are taught to us by our family. “How many young people, now men and women, warmly remember the simple and exact explanation that their mother or an older brother or sister gave them of the real presence of Christ in the tabernacle”. [7] When was a time when you saw a friend or family member express their faith so reverently that it had an impact on you?
What prayers should the family pray? While of course any and all prayer with the family is good and should be encouraged, the Holy Rosary is one of the most powerful weapons against Satan who seeks to destroy the family. Saint John Paul II encouraged a family life of prayer, especially in the rosary even if it was just a decade. [8] The Rosary, along with the Angelus, as the Holy Father taught, “should be for every Christian and even more so for Christian families, a spiritual oasis during the day from which to get courage and confidence. [9] How I wish that the beautiful custom of praying the family rosary would begin again.” [10] Remember, any form of prayer as a family whether it’s personal prayers that a family chooses, or variation of prayers for different times of the year is completely fine, the importance is prayer. As mentioned before however, the rosary is our weapon and “is considered as a great public and universal prayer in the face of the ordinary and extraordinary needs of the Church, of nations, and of the entire world.” [11]
Why is family prayer more special than private prayer? Personal prayer and devotion is of course vitally important to our salvation. “Nobody can take our place in this personal dealing with God.” [12] Personal prayer helps us intimately connect with Our Lord one on one. Communal prayer however, whether it be in a church, a group, or the family, has been just as vital in the Church. From the moment of the established Church, she has prayed in communion (Acts 12:5). We receive abundant graces and fruits from praying together.
What if my family doesn’t pray together? If someone is the only person in their family who prays, first they should pray for their family members. The next step is to gently ask a member or two of the family to pray with them. Continue to ask when appropriate and in charity. If someone is still has no headway, joining a prayer group would be beneficial for them. “Prayer Groups, indeed ‘schools of prayer,’ are today one of the signs and one of the driving forces of renewal of prayer in the Church, provided they drink from authentic wellsprings of Christian prayer. Concern for ecclesial communion is a sign of true prayer in the Church.” [13] This continual practice of prayer will help bring virtue, grace, and blessings into one’s life.
[1] CCC 2205
[2] In Conversation with God 4, 91.1
[3] John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris Consortio, 22 November 1981, 59
[4] John Pul II, Address to families, 24 March 1984
[5] Conversations with Monsignor Escriva, 103
[6] CCC 2685
[7] In Conversation with God 4, 91.2
[8] John Paul II, Address to families, 24 March 1984
[9] John Paul II, Angelus in Otranto, 5 October 1980
[10] John Paul II, Homily, 12 October 1980
[11] John XXIII, Address, 29 September 1961
[12] In Conversation with God 4, 91.1
[13] CCC 2689