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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Have you ever had this upsetting feeling that people are watching your every move and waiting to pounce on you when you commit even the slightest mistake? Jesus is presented to be in this sort of position in today's gospel. The time is the Sabbath. The place is the synagogue. A man is sitting there with a withered hand. Jesus is entering. The Pharisees are watching him closely to see if he will cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And sure enough, Jesus, who sees them and knows why they are there, says to the man “Come up here before us. Stretch out your hand.”
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
William Hutton, an English Poet and Historian says, “The charity that hastens to proclaim its good deeds ceases to be charity and is only pride and ostentation.” Jesus healed and cleansed the leper, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone” (Mark 1:43). But the Leper could not withhold his excitement. Why would Jesus tell him to say nothing about the miracle? Was he afraid of appearing to be proud? Was he afraid too many people would be coming to 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.
As we enter this First Week of Ordinary Time, we are given the image of Jesus teaching in the synagogue. And as He teaches, it's clear that there is something special about Him. He teaches with a new authority.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Jesus' story is a human story. Although He lived two thousand years ago in a culture and climate different from ours, His story is our shared human story. Who has not suffered discrimination because of our family history, education, status, age, profession, social class, ethnicity, or simply the color of our skin? Jesus was discriminated against too.
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“What does God look like?” asked Johnny in Sunday school. By now, the catechist knew the precocious boy for his unusual questions and thought it was time to make him search for his answers. So she replied, "Why don't you open your heart to everyone? Perhaps you will also catch a glimpse of God today?”
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Learn more about our faith | Seasonal Reflections
At the end of a 30-minute sermon on gratitude, a visiting preacher said, "And remember, no matter how small the gift, always be grateful to the Lord." Later, when it was time for the collection, an usher used the preacher's hat to take up the offering. When the hat returned to the preacher, he shook it carefully but didn't hear any sound. Then he turned it upside down. But nothing came out. It was empty!
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