x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Celebrating family life | Strengthening family unity
"This little Band-Aid doesn't just cover scraped knees—it's a sign of God's mercy in your home. When Mom kisses a boo-boo, when Dad stays up late helping with homework instead of scolding over bad grades, when a sister shares her favorite toy without being asked—that's spiritual first aid. These are the moments when your family becomes a living Gospel." The Messy Holiness of Family Life A woman recently wept in my office: "Father, I love my 93-year-old mother, but I'm so tired. The constant care, the lack of gratitude—I don't know how much longer I can do this." I told her about Mother Teresa cleaning the wounds of lepers who sometimes spat at her. When asked why she did it, she'd count on her fingers: "I – do – it – for – Jesus."
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
I have a vivid memory of my grandmother sitting in the front seat of my car while my husband drove. It was early evening, and I can still hear her east Texas twang as she said, “How can you see a sunset like that and not believe in God?” I Forgot to Notice Sunsets While I can’t remember the colors of the sunset that day, my husband and I have often quoted her question over the last twenty years. But even then, I forgot to notice sunsets. A few years ago, our family hosted a foreign exchange student for a year, and she marveled at the sight of the pink, red, and orange sunsets from our house. She’d stop what she was doing and run outside to watch it and take pictures. It seemed so normal, a sunset. But I would stop what I was doing and go with her. My Instagram feed was full of sunsets that year.
Share
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.
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” On Tuesday, I read and thought about those words from Jesus as I sat in a waiting area at the Brockton Hospital. From my corner seat, I could see patients and loved ones, doctors and nurses, and technicians passing by. Some walked by with confidence and others like me with hesitation, not knowing the outcome of the day’s visit, and still others also needed the use of a cane or to be assisted in a wheelchair. What I learned from talking to both the people who work at the hospital and those who are accompanying loved ones or those there for examination or treatment is that everyone has something that falls under a labor or burden in their lives.
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
There are moments when we recognize God’s subtle but sure action in our lives. It may be an encouraging sign unexpectedly received, a word of encouragement at just the right time, or a long-awaited answer to prayer. Sometimes, it can be sensed in a gentle whispering in our hearts — an inner prompting from the Holy Spirit that challenges or convicts us. At these moments, we often clearly recognize the hand of God instructing and encouraging us. A Moment of Reckoning Among many such experiences in my own life, one memory stands out as a turning point in my life. It was a Sunday evening, and I was attending Mass as a college student at our campus church. Distracted by football games, parties, and social events, I thankfully managed to continue to go to Mass every weekend, though my faith and devotion were lukewarm.
Share
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
It’s another ordinary day. Moses is doing what he’s done for the last forty years, herding sheep in the wilderness. There’s nothing exceptional. Just a man, a stick, and some wooly animals. And then, a bush catches fire but doesn’t burn up. And with it, everything changes. Now pause for a second. Isn’t that how God works? Not with trumpets and fireworks, but in the middle of your Tuesday afternoon laundry, or your commute, or in the ache of an unresolved prayer. Moses wasn’t looking for God; he was looking for a lost sheep. But the burning bush found him.
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
According to FIFA, the organization that sponsors the World Cup, the 2022 final in Qatar when Argentina beat France had 1.5 billion viewers. In comparison, Super Bowl LVI had less than 200 million viewers worldwide. Full disclosure: I love soccer. Watching Liverpool with my sons is my idea of a great morning, so those numbers don’t surprise me. They do cause me to wonder, though. Why has the beautiful sport not taken off more in America? Why do we choose to spend three hours and 12 minutes on average watching 60 minutes of play in football when we can watch 90 to 100 minutes of play in soccer in under two hours? People tell me soccer is boring. There may only be one or two goals in a game. But here’s what they are missing. Soccer is a game of hope.
Share
