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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
The ending of our first reading and the beginning of today's Gospel passage both convey important messages about humility. In the first, John the Baptist says about Jesus: “Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.” This is in response to John’s good work in preparing the way for the Lord, but the people wondered if John was the Messiah they had long awaited. John humbly and correctly explains to the people who he is and how he relates to the Messiah.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
God teaches us in many different ways and places. Back when I lived in Taunton at St. Mary’s I used to go for walks around the neighborhood and it wasn’t long before I noticed all the Our Lady of Fatima statues with the three kneeling children in so many front yards. Now, this was a new thing for a guy from Quincy where the Irish who had a statue of the Blessed Mother kept her in the back yard all to ourselves! Because Quincy was mostly Irish and Italian, we focused on Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Knock. So, there I was walking through a new experience of faith and one that wasn’t in backyards but right out front.
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In the Acts of the Apostles, we encounter Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, whose story provides lessons for our daily lives. We see how an angel of the Lord directed Philip to the road to Gaza, and how the Spirit instructed him to approach the Ethiopian's chariot. This reminds us that God is actively involved in guiding us, if we are open to His promptings.
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Learn more about our faith | Return to the Church
This past Sunday, Fr. Fred Jenga and I had the opportunity to speak at a Rosary Rally at a Catholic High School in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Carmel Catholic H.S. was our host but it was open to the wider community. There were people of all ages including an infant, Mary Rose, attending her first Rosary Rally only months after her birth. There was even a former basketball player from the Chicago Bulls who was there because of one of the keynote speakers Kevin Matthews. Kevin is the subject of an upcoming movie from Family Theater Productions called “Broken Mary.” When Kevin Matthews shared his conversion story, he spoke of how he heard a voice say to him: “will you deny me and my mother?” When Kevin heard those words, “will you deny me and mother?” he knew it was God trying to get him to come back to the faith and that it was Our Blessed Mother that was included in that question.
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Today, as we continue our Jubilee of Hope, we pray especially for all those experiencing disability, we pray for their families, and other caretakers. I thought of this special intention, as I reflected on the life of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort. Saint Louis was born in France and lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He dedicated his life to the care of the poor and sick as a hospital chaplain and would later form the Missionary Priests of the Company of Mary and Daughters of Wisdom.
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In Chapter 3 of the Acts of the Apostles, I was drawn to the reference of the “Beautiful Gate” at the temple. It was the place where the man who had been crippled from birth was brought each day to beg. It made me wonder why it had this name. A little research revealed that it was most likely one of the main entrances to the Temple Mount, perhaps leading to the Court of Women. It was a public place where many would have seen this man each day.
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