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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Has anyone here visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa? It stands in Pisa, in the Tuscany region of Italy, in the beautiful cathedral square called the “Square of Miracles.” Its Construction began in 1173. It was meant to be the bell tower of the cathedral. But very early, after only a few floors were built, the builders noticed something embarrassing: the tower was leaning. Imagine the committee meeting. “Good news, the tower is beautiful. Bad news, it is already trying to leave us.”
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I would like to invite us to reflect on today’s gospel that focuses on the fragility of earthly security. The Lord says in the gospel “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth; store up treasures in heaven.” It is a reading where the Lord gently yet piercingly warns us about the vulnerability of our earthly collections.
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Catholic Family Fun | Family Rosary Pilgrimage | Rosary Priest | prayer
Welcome back to the HFCM pilgrimage journal! If Day 2 was a sprint up a mountain and Day 3 was a crash course in riverfront history, Day 4 gave us exactly what a group traveling with toddlers, teenagers, and grandparents needed: a bit of a later start and a morning meant for catching our breath. Looking back across our journey so far, it is truly amazing to see how intentionally God has been working on this retreat. We came here on a pilgrimage, and the first thing He impressed on us at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré was the grandparents and the vital role they have in Catholic life. Then, at Our Lady of the Cape, it was the Mother who brought back her children as their faith faded. And today, our stops brought our hearts directly to the Father and his essential role in protecting and providing.
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We all know Venerable Patrick Peyton’s most famous sayings: “The family that prays together, stays together,” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” One of the blessings of working here at Holy Cross Family Ministries and getting to know Fr. Peyton better is learning some of his lesser known but no less profound quotes. For instance, on the wall of our conference room is this beautiful Patrick Peyton insight: “The Our Father raises the family circle to the highest level.”
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Today's message from Jesus comes at us right out of the gate without any metaphors. Jesus tells his disciples which also includes us "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them." At first hearing, that seems straightforward enough. But then something happened to me this past Saturday that made me think a little more deeply about those words. While I was waiting to have my oil changed, dressed in my finest Notre Dame T-shirt and cargo pants, blissfully thinking about World Cup soccer, one of the technicians came over to check me in and do a visual inspection of the car. A few minutes later, he returned with a broad smile and said, "Hey, man, I love your license plate!"
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Catholic Family Fun | Family Rosary Pilgrimage | Rosary Priest | prayer
If you thought Day 1 and Day 2’s epic adventures were enough to tire our crew out, think again. That said, it would be hard to top Day 2 for action, which means Day 3 gave us exactly what a group traveling with everyone from toddlers to grandparents needed: a chance to actually take a breath. It feels a little odd to highlight the hotel breakfast again, but the kitchen staff at the Hilton in Quebec City deserves an honorable mention. They went completely above and beyond with a spread of everything from custom omelets to fresh croissants and smoothies (AGAIN!!). It gave our pilgrims… young and old, the exact amount of fuel required to handle the road. With full bellies and high spirits, we packed up the bus and officially headed off toward Our Lady of the Cape (Notre-Dame-du-Cap). As our bus headed down the highway, we realized we were tracing an historic holy path.
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