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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Healing the family | Love thy Neighbor
Today's Mass reading in the Gospel of Matthew gets personal fairly quickly. "If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there, go and reconcile with your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
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One of the most interesting conversations I ever had when I was a young seminarian was with a nun friend. It was like a debate about the Ten Commandments. She kind of scolded me for taking the Lord's name in vain and told me that I would never make it to heaven if I didn't stop doing it. In my defense, I explained that other people violated commandments worse than what I did. They committed adultery, stole, killed, and lied. So, I felt that taking the Lord's name in vain was a minor offense. Surely God wouldn't turn me away for such a minor infraction when others had disobeyed the gravest of His commands.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
In 1998 I entered the novitiate as part of my Seminary formation. At our initiation to the novitiate, along with the Constitution of the congregation, we were given a best-selling book The Road Less Travelled by Scott Peck. The book’s first sentence starts with “Life is difficult.” If I may add, “Christian life is more difficult.” The Beatitudes are a call to us to see ourselves, to live with ourselves in a way that probably does not come easily to most of us.”
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Today's first reading is like a play with three acts. In the first act, Tobit cries out in anguish about his death after a fight with his wife (over a goat, of all things). The pain of being unable to provide for his family, the faithlessness of his tribe, and the insults he endures from others become too much for him. Tobit becomes so depressed that he asks God to save him from his troubles, even if that means death.
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Today Jesus promises rewards for those who give up their loved ones and possessions for His sake and the Gospel. He says, “No one has given up home, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children or property, for me and for the Gospel who will not receive in this present age a hundred times more." But, of course, giving up something or someone is not only for priests and religious who renounce family and personal property to imitate Christ more closely. We can all learn to sacrifice something to witness Christ's presence in the world.
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Let me share a few innocent and realistic prayers of little children. Dear God: Send Mommy a new baby. The baby you sent last week cries too much. How many angels live in Heaven? I want to be the first kid in my class to figure out the answer. Please help me in school. I need help in spelling, adding, history, geography, and writing. Are there any helpers in heaven? When I have summer vacation, I'd like to be one of your helpers in heaven. My birthday is tomorrow. Can you put a rainbow in the sky? I need an increase in my allowance. Would one of your angels be able to tell my dad about it? Sincere and innocent prayers.
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