x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Learn more about our faith | Seasonal Reflections
We’ve probably all had times when we’ve been trying to tell a story or explain something that it goes off the rails…we might even classify it as babbling. In Jesus teaching the disciples about prayer, He makes several points. The first is don’t pray to God the way that the pagans pray by babbling on…. more words don’t equal better results. Jesus isn’t telling them or us not to pray persistently throughout the day but rather to avoid what the pagans did in praying to their gods, invoking names and formulas…trying to get the attention of the pagan gods; in a sense trying to rouse the attention of those whose attention is elsewhere.
Share
Learn more about our faith | Seasonal Reflections
A while ago, there was an annoying commercial, for some product I can’t remember that had a woman who no matter the situation always had the same statement: “More!” It didn’t matter whether it was her dentist showing her the post-whitening process of her teeth, the waiter applying grated cheese to her meal, or a boyfriend who arrived with a bouquet … her response was consistent: “more!”
Share
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.
In today’s gospel, Peter’s statement to Jesus comes right after Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich--to enter the Kingdom of God.” We hear how the disciples were astonished and spoke among themselves asking “Then who can be saved?” Peter and the others have left behind their families, work, boats, and tools and everything else that was part of their lives before meeting Jesus. This is why Peter can tell Jesus that they have left everything to follow Him.
Share
Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
The Gospel of Mark highlights that how we see things isn’t always the way God sees them. One way of looking at John’s story of trying to stop a man from performing exorcisms is to see it as a turf issue. As John said, “…he does not follow us.”
Share
Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
The Gospel from today's Mass picks up right after the Transfiguration of Jesus upon the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John, as we’ve just heard: “As Jesus came down from the mountain…” Like many of our faith-enriching mountaintop experiences, for instance, coming off a great retreat, Jesus and the others are faced with a challenge. The scribes and Jesus’ other disciples are having an argument and there’s a large crowd to make it even more charged. Amidst this chaotic scene a father’s love breaks through the mass of humanity and raised voices to seek Jesus’ healing for his son. He explains to Jesus his son’s symptoms with desperation and the disciple’s inability to drive out the evil spirits.
Share
As I prayed and reflected on Jesus taking the hand of the man who was blind in the Gospel of Mark, the words of the classic hymn, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” came to mind. If you can, imagine the scene where Jesus and His disciples arrive at Bethsaida, a small fishing town, and people bring Jesus to a blind man. Trusting in the healing power of Jesus, they ask Him to touch the man so he can see.
Share
