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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Yesterday, we celebrated “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and today, we hear a reminder of how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us, through both His teaching and His Church. Jesus, knowing our human nature, has provided us with men He has chosen to shepherd us in His Name. The Church of Jesus Christ has one Good Shepherd, and He has chosen others, like Peter, to exercise a spiritual and pastoral leadership of the Church and all souls.
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Throughout the world, to one degree or another, Christians are under persecution. For some, it is severe, as in the days of Philip in today’s reading; just look at stories from China, parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East. For others, persecution occurs through the laws or policies enacted by the government, private entities, schools, or societal groups.
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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.
If you live in the United States, April 15th has a special place in your heart, or at least your wallet. Today is the deadline to file your state and federal income taxes. If you’ve prepared, you can breathe a sigh of relief and perhaps reflect on how you’re doing financially, not only for the past year, but also for the long run—hopefully with peace of mind.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Like St. Peter and the other Apostles, St. Stanislaus is an exemplary role model for courageous trust in Jesus. Born in Poland, Stanislaus lived in the 11th century and served as a priest and then bishop in Krakow. He was a gifted preacher, a compassionate benefactor of the poor, and a proponent of clerical reform. Like the Apostles, he faced opposition, in his case from the King of Poland, Boleslaus II, during his time as bishop. And, like the Apostles, Stanislaus refused to compromise his adherence to Jesus' teachings, which resulted in his being killed during the celebration of the Mass. Stanislaus knew the risk to his life and yet held to what Peter said in today's first reading: "We must obey God rather than men."
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
The Greek word for wind, "pneuma," is also used for the word Spirit. So, in this Gospel from John, Jesus links His teaching between the natural and supernatural worlds through His word choice connecting to both realities. But, just like yesterday's eclipse of the sun, at times, we only have a partial understanding of our natural world. This is the point that Jesus is making with Nicodemus when He says, "The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes…"
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It’s hard to comprehend how Judas Iscariot could be so close to Jesus and betray Him … that is until we think about how many times we’ve gone to Mass and then, less than twenty-four hours later, have fallen into sin.
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