Fair ~ The Loveliness of Prayer.

"The family itself is the great mystery of God. As the "domestic church" it is the bride of Christ. "
Pope John Paul II. Letter to Families

The Living Lives of Loveliness Fairs have been a good example of the mystery of families and of domestic churches in action.

The many Fairs to date have been inspirational to me.

I am honoured to host the current Fair, as families share the Loveliness of Prayer in their homes.

I have chosen to share this photo ( above) of two sets of rosary beads that have extra meaning for our family.

Rosary beads add a physical dimension to my prayer - my fingers move along the beads with my prayers and meditations. One of these sets of beads belonged to my husband's mother. They are now cared for by son Jonathon.The other rosary beads were a present from a friend and were blessed by Padre Pio. Special.

Let's take a peek into the Loveliness of Prayer in other homes.

What is prayer?
Dawn discusses prayer and prayer in the home.

Margaret lists the virtues of a Holy Hour.

Roz shares her thoughts on prayer. She writes ~ I am generally a pray-er on the run. I talk to God about everything all day and thank Him for every bird that sings, my gorgeous family and all the little things. There are times when I need to go into a quiet place and really pray and LISTEN to my heavenly Father. Sometimes I will put on worship music and dance as I cry out to Him or praise him jumping around to an upbeat praise song.

I have an area of my lounge room where I read the Bible and sit and meditate on the words. This is where I also have my favourite paintings. You really need to see them but one is of hands and it reminds me of worshipping God no matter what and also the fact that we need one another and many hands make light work...team work. Another is a purple elephant by my youngest daughter, it reminds me to be childlike and remain creative and inspired. Also, a painting by a friend of a stylised version of me and a wooden figure next to it in the same pose...it reminds me to be a reflection of Christ. I also remember that I can talk to My Father as if he is sitting there with me so I find empty chairs inspirational and I talk to Jesus as a friend.

Elizabeth tells us of her Rosary addiction. She shares how this form of prayer has flowed throughout her family and life.

Do you find little time in your day for prayer?
Helen responds with ideas for building prayer time in short, simple, humble and consistent ways.

And Cheryl gives us a glimpse into the prayer life of a busy homeschooling mother.

Perhaps you struggle to find flow in prayer? Read Genevieve's blog for inspiration.....

Family prayer time is also important.
Doris posts her thoughts on teaching children to pray while Diane
describes her family prayer time.

When we pray, we can remember the Holy Family . Maria blogs on the influence of the Holy Family in her domestic church.

Does your domestic church have a place set apart for times of quiet prayer? For family prayer? For reflection?

For ideas on setting up a prayer space, read Sarah's description of her prayer alcove and check out A Living Education for the details of their prayer corner.

Read at Yes, they're all ours! for a narrative on their delightful home altar.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12.

Finally, be encouraged by Angela's submission. And by Elena's thoughts on praying for the dead, especially after the loss of her baby.

Thank you for visiting this Fair.