World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Let me be honest with you: while preparing this homily I had to look up for more details about Simon and Jude the apostles. Not because I'm a terrible Catholic, okay, maybe partly that, but because these two apostles are essentially footnotes in the Gospel story. Simon gets just one description: "the Zealot." Jude gets confused with Judas Iscariot so often that he has basically spent two thousand years saying, "No, not that Judas. The other one." Yet here we are, celebrating their feast day. Not of the famous ones. Not just Peter and John. But Simon the political radical and Jude the perpetually mistaken.
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Every day we hear about or encounter the tensions that exist among family members, neighbors, co-workers, and even within our own hearts—one of these is the tension between trying to discipline the desires of the flesh and the presumption that we can do whatever we want because God is merciful. When Paul wrote today’s reading to the Romans, it was to guide two groups of people who were at odds with one another in following Jesus. At that time, there was a growing confusion in the Roman Church… a phenomenon that continues to occur in each generation, often revisiting the same topics.
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This is a very difficult question today. If you ask people what is true, they will ask you in return, in which context? Do you want truth in the context of politics, economics, socially or religious? The problem is relativism. Truth depends on me or what I belief. However, as Christian pursuit of truth is our goal and we always have the answer, Jesus Christ.
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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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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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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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