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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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I have a question for each of us to consider: What would happen if we really believed, if we really trusted that God would provide everything we need? What if we could let go of our need to control everything, simplify our lives, and just trust that the Lord will give us what we need for the journey all the way to Heaven? That’s really the question at the heart of today’s readings—and it is a question St. Pius of Pietrelcina, also known as Padre Pio, answered with his life. Watch Here
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Today’s first reading helps us to see that sometimes we simply need a reminder. For we can forget what God has done for us. Amid the busyness of life, fatigue, or even success, we can forget how many times God has been patient or helped us. All the times He’s forgiven us and given us another chance. And, at times, we can become discouraged by our failures and lose sight of God’s grace at work in our lives amidst the struggles.
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Each year, September 11 calls us to remember. We remember the terrible loss of life, the fear and confusion, and the courage of so many ordinary people who heroically chose to put the lives of others before their own. One of those people was Welles Crowther, now known by many as “the Man in the Red Bandana.” On September 11, 2001, Welles was working on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. As others desperately tried to escape, he did something remarkable: he went back up. Wearing a red bandana over his mouth and nose, he helped guide people to safety. Survivors later recalled the young man with the red bandana who carried injured people, gave encouragement, and repeatedly returned into danger to save others. Welles Crowther did not survive the tower's eventual collapse. But because of his courage, many others did.
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Today’s readings invite us to reflect on where we place our confidence. Since the beginning of time, people naturally admire intelligence, eloquence, success, and influence of others. And, so we’re easily tempted to believe that success comes from impressive words, clever arguments, or personal ability. But Saint Paul gives us a very different message. He reminds the Corinthians that when he arrived, he didn’t rely on lofty speech or human wisdom. Instead, he preached simply and poignantly only one thing: Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
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Every year when we remember and pray to St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, I think of how fitting a role model she is for parents who are worried about their children of any age… Over these past weeks, I’ve been, and I’ll bet some of you have been part of conversations with parents of adult children…parents who are worried about things like addiction, mental health, and drifting away from the practice of the faith. In one conversation, I was moved as the two people listened with great compassion to each other's stories and offered spiritual encouragement, treatment resources, and an invitation to meet their family at next week's Mass.
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St. Bernard, was an abbot and doctor of the Church. He lived in France during the 11th and 12 centuries and was known for his writings, sermons, and biblical commentaries. A central tenet of his teaching was that “real happiness…” comes “…not in gratifying our desires or in gaining passing pleasures but in accomplishing God’s will for us."
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