World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Last week I received a text message from my friend Joel. It began by asking if I was going to be watching the Notre Dame game football game and then took an unexpected turn when he asked me really good question: about how many of the people I know--who are Catholic are serious about their faith…as opposed to just going through the motions? That’s a great question for each of us to consider, whether directed to ourselves, our families, or friends? Are we or those closest to us serious about our faith in Jesus Christ and if so, how?
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Abba Daniel said’; “The body prospers in the measure in which the soul is weakened, and the soul prospers in the measure in which the body is weakened.” When we allow the temptations to overrun our lives, we are weakening the soul, we are hurting our relationship with God who has entrusted us with so much. However, when we remain faithful, and loyal to God, then we able to keep our earthly desires, and passions in check. Jesus tells us, “When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him, when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him”.
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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.
Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Picture this: a young woman named Sarah spent her entire childhood waiting. Her father whom she was extremely fond of, was a traveling salesman who would leave home for months at a time, always promising to return on specific days. Sarah would sit by the window with her mother, both of them dressed nicely, both of them ready for him. Her mother would prepare special meals, keep the house immaculate, and they would wait. Sometimes he showed up on time, sometimes a bit late. Sometimes he didn’t. When he did, he stayed for a few days and left again. Sarah’s mother taught her that love meant being perpetually ready, and perpetually disappointed.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
There is a scene I want you to imagine, it is not in Scripture, but it feels like it could be. It’s late at night in a family kitchen. The lights are dim. A mother sits at the table with a cup of cold tea in front of her. Upstairs, her teenage son has locked himself in his room again. The two haven’t really spoken in days. Every word turns into an argument; every silence feels like a wall. She’s exhausted, she’s tried counseling, prayer, conversation, but tonight, she’s run out of ideas. And yet, she does something quiet and holy. She sets another plate at the table. Just in case. She decides that even if he doesn’t come down soon, she will be ready when he does. That small act, invisible to the world, is an act of faith. Not the sentimental kind that expects a miracle by morning, but the kind that refuses to stop preparing for one. We have all been either that mother, setting the table for her son, or the teenage son who locked himself up in his room. That’s the spirit Paul is talking about when he says Abraham “believed against hope.”
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Catholic Family Fun | Faith friendly media | forming children of faith
Family Theater Productions' new puppet series Guillermo & Will, now available on Minno, shows bilingual friends exploring God's world. While preschool kids may not be able to grasp the finer points of theology, two things that resonate with them (and their parents) are exploring God’s world and learning how to make their first friends. That's the goal of the puppet series Guillermo & Will, now available on Christian kids’ streaming service Minno. It's the creation of two accomplished Jim Henson Company puppeteers, and a co-production between Family Theater Productions and Minno. The kid-sized episodes were produced in FTP’s studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and follow the bilingual adventures of two colorful worms who are best pals.
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Marian Consecration | Marian devotion | pray the rosary
Who doesn't love opening your mailbox and discovering, amid the pile of bills and junk mail, the unexpected treasure of an invitation? Whether it is a request for our presence at a birthday party, a wedding, or some other event, receiving a colorful and festive invitation of any sort will often bring a smile to our faces. The Wedding Garment of Repentance When invited to a special occasion, we often plan to wear something new and appropriate for the event. Who can forget the fate of the man not dressed in proper attire in the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt 22:1-14)? Because he was not clothed in the wedding garment of repentance, change of heart and mind, and a life of good deeds, he was cast out into the darkness, "where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth" (Matt 22:13). Each time we approach the Eucharist, we are responding to the invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). To be worthy of such a blessing, we remember to ask Jesus for our continued conversion and the deepening of our faith and love for Him. In this way, we are fit to participate in the Eucharistic banquet.
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