Occasions of Prayer

By Sarah McDonald

Before I had my own children, I read an inspiring Facebook post from a NOLACatholic mom and friend about how when her children heard sirens, no matter what they were doing, they would stop and pray for all of those affected.

I remember thinking, I want my children to do that. too!

Now that I have my own children, and four out of five are rather well versed in the prayers, I am happy to say that whenever we hear a siren – whether we are playing in the backyard or riding in the car – it is the impetus for my children to stop and pray for those who need help and those who are coming to their aid.

Our prayer of choice for this occasion is usually St. Michael the Archangel, but my 6-year-old has led off with, “The Lord is my shepherd,” a few times, and who am I to stop her?

I sought this exercise to instill the value of praying for others in my children and to help them learn that prayer should not be relegated to morning or bedtime.

And, while I think it achieves that goal, it has done something oh so much more for me. Now, I find myself praying throughout the day for myself and for those around me. I find that there are occasions of prayer everywhere if we allow ourselves to recognize them.

So, NOLACatholic moms and dads, what are your stories of finding occasions of prayer?