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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Let me take you to a CCD class of confirmation students today. The teacher asked students in her class which part of the Eucharist or Mass was the most important. One bright student immediately answered, “it is the Consecration.” Another one said, “no, it's the rite of penitential service.” Another said, “it's the rite of communion when we receive Jesus through His body and Blood.” Another one added that it's “the proclamation of the Word.” What would your answer be if I asked you this question?
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Healing the family | Learn more about our faith
The Scriptures and Church tradition use many images to describe God, reflecting His infinite nature of love. Similarly, various images depict the people of God whom God has drawn to Himself throughout salvation history. Prophet Hosea paints another beautiful metaphor of God as a parent to a wayward child. Hosea speaks of God's love for Israel: "I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them in my arms and fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; I stooped to feed my child." In the year 2018, the school where I worked suffered the loss of a 6-year-old child.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Come with me to a small town that had been "dry" for years—i.e., 'without any bars or pubs or alcohol consumption.' Eventually, some of the businesspeople decided to build a bar in that town. The local Christian group was alarmed and concerned at this latest development. They decided to have an all-night prayer to ask God to intervene. Work on the construction of the bar progressed until the week before opening, when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground!
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When I was growing up, we had a pet cat and a few chickens at home. They always loved my mom the best and followed her everywhere. They would walk behind her, back and forth, whenever she went in and out of the house. We kids did the same. We mostly followed Mom wherever she was; whichever room she was in, we were there, too. Even when she left the house, the pets and us kids followed her, feeling we belonged to her. We knew that she loved us and that by being with her, we were safe. She was our protector and shelter, and we felt no harm would come to us if we were by her side.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
In 1174, Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on a 185-foot bell tower for the Cathedral in Pisa, Tuscany, in west-central Italy. There was just one little problem—even before it was completed, the builders discovered that the soil was much softer than anticipated and the whole structure began to tilt. The project lasted for 199 years and was plagued with interruptions, as engineers sought solutions to the leaning problem until they finally realized that nothing could be done to straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The problem wasn't bad design, poor workmanship, or inferior materials. Instead, the issue was unstable sandy soil underneath the city of Pisa where the famous monument was built. Interestingly, the word "Pisa" means "Marshy Land," which explains the issue. This teaches us that a faulty foundation can cause problems not just in buildings but in our lives as well.
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In Singapore, there is a school program designed to assist children hospitalized or homebound due to illness. Special teachers are assigned to visit these children and help them keep up with their studies and school assignments.
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