World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Immaculate Conception | Learn more about our faith
The church celebrates our Mother Mary as a model of holiness. From the earliest times, the Church has always believed and held our Blessed Virgin Mother in high esteem as the mother of Jesus Christ. Officially, Pope Pius IX proclaimed Mary’s Immaculate Conception in 1854. Basically, highlighting that God preserved Mary from sin because of her unique privilege of being the mother of God’s son. I have some friends from other religious denominations in Uganda who always ask; Why do you (Catholics) pray to Mary, worship her statues, and put her on the same level as Jesus, yet she is human like us? You don’t need to pray through Mary; pray directly to Jesus Christ, that we need to look towards God alone. To these comments, my response is and always has been...
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity
Our gospel today invites us to reflect on the critical difference between a superficial faith marked by mere words, rituals, and gestures; and an authentic faith marked by love for the Lord, obedience to him, and a faith demonstrated through actions. Our Church is full of examples of individuals who gave us concrete examples of what it means to live an integrated faith that cares about the profession of faith but cares about the concrete living out of the faith. Think of Mother Teresa, think of Dorothy Day, think of Damien of Molokai, think of Mother Cabrini! These provide a blueprint for discipleship and what it means to concretely live out faith.
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Brief and contemporary inspiration focused on hope and family prayer will be delivered to your inbox! Articles include live video, written word, and links to resources that will lead you and your family deeper into faith.
Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~Mark Twain In Matthew's Gospel, we are presented with Jesus extending his kindness to the broken and the vulnerable, restoring them to good health from all their ailments. They brought him lame, dumb, and all with other sicknesses. And because of his compassionate heart and acting with authority from his Father, he did not hesitate to work healing miracles among them. People filled with gratitude praised God for all that they were experiencing through Jesus Christ’s ministry. No one who met Jesus remained the same, they were all touched and transformed by his healing and miraculous power, more so his compassionate love. His miracles demonstrated the power of God and the magnitude of his mercy and kindness toward us humans. That is probably why the crowd never wanted to dispatch; they stayed put for three days listening to Jesus.
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see” This is a beautiful phrase that Jesus uses to encourage his disciples and those who were listening to him that they carry a special favor in their hands. They have been blessed because they are witnessing what important figures in the past longed for but never got to. Jesus, in announcing this blessing, also highlights the special and unique relationship He shares with the Father: He states that “all things have been delivered to me by my Father” His mission is to reveal that Father to us. To make Him accessible and intelligible to us as humans.
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
Good morning, beloved friends, and a blessed welcome to this first week of Advent! The Church invites us to prepare our hearts for Christ's coming—both celebrating His birth at Christmas and anticipating His return in glory.
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Let’s talk about something many Catholic parents face: getting your anxious teenager to pray the Rosary. If you’ve ever invited your teen to pray with you and been met with an eye roll, a sigh, or a silent stare, you’re not alone. And if you’ve felt torn between “I just want them to love the faith” and “I don’t want to push them away,” you are absolutely not alone. As both a Catholic mom and a therapist, I’ve been there. The good news? You’re not failing. You’re planting seeds. There are gentle, practical ways to invite your teen into the peace of the Rosary - without turning it into a power struggle. Here are some strategies that really work - with love, patience, and a little help from the Holy Spirit.
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