When your own faith is "under construction"
Plus free Lenten resources - and your chance to write for us!
This week on Mothering Spirit
Dadaglo speaks to every parent who’s wondered how to explain their own complicated faith to their child:“My oldest child, just shy of six, is really only now beginning to interrogate the things we hear at church, in our prayers, and in conversations about God at home. So I have no answers, but I have questions that you might have too—and I have hopes. In particular, I hope that faith will feel like a gift to them, and not a burden…
I don’t want them to simply parrot pious words that I teach them or for them to believe what I told them is true simply because I said so. My hope is that they will experience faith as a compelling, beautiful invitation: an invitation to relationship with their Creator, an invitation to experience love and consolation in prayer, an invitation to partake in the rich traditions and history of the Church.
My own experience has taught me that this invitation must be freely accepted, and that accepting it is not a one time event. Furthermore, their feelings about the invitation might not always be simple—there will be times when they reject it, or accept only begrudgingly. That’s ok, too.”
Read the rest here: Passing on Faith, Living with Doubt.
“Her world is small, her people smaller,
but the reaches of
Our Lady of the Living Room Floor
will be immeasurable…
Her own hem is smeared with
peanut butter fingerprints,
and day after day,
she too turns
to the ones who tug,
the ones who ask,
the ones who need.
A conduit of Love.
A glimpse of Glory.
Her world is small,
her people smaller
but the task at hand immense. “
Read the whole prayer here: Our Lady of the Living Room Floor.
Lent is coming!
Freaking out that Ash Wednesday is already this week—and on Valentine’s Day?! Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered.
3 quick & easy ways to prepare for Lent as a parent
How to Live Lent as a Busy Mother
Lenten Breath Prayers for Parents—the easiest way to pray.
Looking for Lent/Easter books for your kids? Check out a few of our favorites.
Want to write for us?
We’re looking for short prayers on the following topics related to upcoming essays. Ideally we’d love to publish several prayers on each theme, to give readers a variety of perspectives on the following themes:
Infertility / fertility issues - due 2/15
Anger as a mother - due 2/22
Miscarriage or pregnancy after loss - due 2/29
Original prayers are accepted (previously published on your social media, blog, or other personal site are fine). We’ll give you full credit and copyright, and tag you on our social media when we publish. You can respond here with your prayer(s) or email them to newsletter@motheringspirit.com.
If you like what you read at Mothering Spirit, we’d love if you’d share this Substack with a friend who needs encouragement in parenting—or a way to pray in the midst of busy days. Thank you for supporting our writers by sharing their work, following us on Instagram or Facebook, or supporting us on Patreon.
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I wrote this prayer for the menstrual phase with infertility in mind:
For the first day of a period
God of water and blood,
Embracing a time of emptying feels unfamiliar.
What do I let go of?
What do I continue to hold close?
How do I grieve?
How do I hope?
As this body releases what no longer serves us back to the Earth,
Help me follow the wisdom of your creation in making space for the work of letting go,
And for the grace of Your Spirit’s gentle, faithful, unseen work
Within fallow ground.
I related to Gina's words so much! "So I have no answers, but I have questions that you might have too—and I have hopes." <3