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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Certain readings cause me to have some trepidation when said in mixed company—and by mixed company, I mean people with Boston accents and those without. The words “harden not your hearts” are not only a challenge for some people to say, but they are also something we all need to guard against. Fidelity to God, belief in God, is something that we all can agree is how we are made to live. However, as we hear in Holy Scripture and may personally experience, we don’t always remain faithful to God as we should.
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The other morning as I approached a medical center, I couldn’t believe how full the parking lot was … it was like Market Basket on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon! It reminded me of how our human condition is one that contracts illnesses. So we go to the doctor, get tests, and begin treatments, trusting in those who care for us to help us heal.
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Healing the family | Strengthening family unity
Every now and then I’ll notice how people in television news or ads will refer to getting together with friends and family. Back when I was growing up, the order would have been reversed; we always said family and friends. It seems like such a simple thing; maybe even trivial. But as one of my seminary professors always said, “Words matter … pay attention to them and fight for their use and meaning.”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Return to the Church
As I read and reflected on today’s readings several questions arose: “When was the last time you felt Jesus’ compassion? When was the last time you felt compassion for another person? How do we grow in compassion?” We’ve just heard, “When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them…” In Jesus’ Sacred Heart there is more than enough compassion for all men and women and children who are experiencing suffering of any kind. The reason in today’s gospel that Jesus felt compassion was because the people were like sheep without a shepherd; a people who were lost and needed someone to guide them. And Jesus knew what that could lead to…
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
It’s fitting that we remember and pray to both Saint Basil and Saint Gregory today, for they were close friends. Together they fought against a heresy called Arianism, which sought to deny the full divinity of Jesus.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Recently, after a Sunday Mass that I had preached about the importance of going to Mass as a family, I spoke to a young father. He told me that he agreed with me but that sometimes, life seems to get in the way of families going to Mass. On the one hand, there was a bridal shower that some of his family got the wrong day and so didn’t make it to the morning Mass, and then there was his daughter who said that going to Mass on Monday at her Catholic school should count instead of Sunday. We all know that life is continually changing, especially within the family. There are more challenges in our society’s weekend scheduling and our kid's perspective on whether being told it’s their obligation to go to Mass is a help or a hindrance. In my childhood and high school years, going to Sunday Mass was as natural as going out to breakfast after Mass. You’d see your neighbors at Mass and also at the diner afterward. Wanting to see your family grow in faith now comes with more and more obstacles; however, God never asks for the impossible.
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