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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
How do we react when we feel God leading us somewhere or to toward someone, including closer to Him? Sometimes, it’s easy and it all makes sense; we were just waiting for God to confirm what we thought we should do. At other times, we’re like Ahaz, to whom God offers something good—a chance to receive a sign that will strengthen faith in Him—and we just can’t believe it, so we’re hesitant to act.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
“Why?” That’s one question asked when today’s gospel appears at Mass. Why do we proclaim and listen to three sets of 14 generations of a family? Couldn’t we just cover the highlights or do what every kid has considered and use the Cliff Notes version? Well, since it’s Sacred Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit, there must be a good reason. And here is one: it is the story of a family from Abraham to Jesus, a reminder of how God’s plan for our salvation required generations of a family and centuries of time.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
“Blessed be God forever!” That’s a prayer you and I have probably said hundreds, if not thousands of times at Mass. And, yet, yesterday I heard it in a different way. A little girl sitting with her Mom and Grandfather, caught our attention, as she heard our prayer responses and then would repeat what she had been taught and heard us say. The little girl’s sincerity of faith and desire to join in the celebration of the Mass, came through in those four powerful words, “Blessed be God forever.”
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Yesterday, I was shocked to learn that a week from Thursday is Thanksgiving Day! One clue that we are well into November is the readings for the Mass. Once you get to the Book of Revelation it’s a sure sign we’re heading toward the end of Ordinary Time.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known, even to people with limited knowledge of scripture. It is a beautiful and encouraging song of faith and hope in God's role as shepherd of our lives. When I was in my final year of seminary, there were a lot of last-minute details to take care of, and one that had escaped me was to create a small ordination prayer card. Some of my classmates probably had theirs done at the beginning of the year, but there I was about two weeks before ordination, looking for an image of Jesus and a suitable scriptural verse.
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Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
Saint Paul sets up a clear dichotomy between two groups of people, much like Jesus does in the Gospel as He references “…the children of this world being more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of the light.” As I thought about Jesus’ observation and the steward in the Gospel who finds a way to survive after he’d lost his job for poor performance, it reminded me of how we all discover at some point the ways of the world.
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