5 Ways to Strengthen Your Family Today

This afternoon, the World Meeting of Families Congress kicked off in Philadelphia. Faithful and clergy from all around the world are gathered to pray, study, and celebrate as the struggles and triumphs of the family are brought front and center.
 
For those who aren’t able to attend the gathering in Philadelphia, there are still plenty of ways to participate in the celebration: namely, by praying, studying, and celebrating wherever you are!
 
Emmaus Road author Katie Warner’s new book Head & Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family is jam-packed with ideas for strengthening family life. Here are just five of Katie’s many suggestions from Head & Heart:
 

  1. Prioritize Prayer St. Teresa of Avila offers a simple and powerful prayer philosophy: If you don’t pray sometimes, you can’t pray always. Seize those “sometimes” moments to intercede for family members or to give thanks for God’s providence.
     
  2. Identify Your Family Mission Writing out your family mission will give you the power to unify, focus, and guide your family to achieve your goals.   
     
  3. Take Up Your Cross God does not let our suffering go to waste. If we accept our trials, He allows us to share in the redemptive value of the Cross by uniting our sufferings to His, for the sake of building up the body of Christ.
     
  4. Cultivate Peace God wants to free us from the stress that plagues our families. Simplifying our lives, honoring the Lord’s Day, and maintaining personal balance and rest are all ways we can safeguard peace in our homes.
     
  5. Be Who God Made You to Be The best way to strengthen your family is to be an active participant in God’s plan for your life. By pursuing sanctity, you’ll become a source of inspiration and transformation in your own family. 

For more advice on growing together spiritually as a family, check out Head & Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family by Katie Warner.