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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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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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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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.
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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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
On this Monday in the Octave of Easter, with the fragrant incense and Easter lilies fresh in our minds, we hear Matthew’s account of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary immediately after they have discovered the empty tomb. It’s no surprise that they were both fearful and overjoyed as they ran to announce the good news to the disciples. It’s in this state and urgency to get to the disciples that “…Jesus met them on the way and greeted them.” They did what was right and natural to them, as “…they approached, embraced His feet and did Him homage.” For 21st-century people, it goes against social convention to imagine the two Marys embracing someone’s feet and doing homage because in some places and cultures, we have drifted from understanding that worshiping and expressing devotion to Jesus is proper to Him.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
As we journey through this Holy Week, we’re invited in a special way to reflect on the profound love and sacrifice that define our faith. It’s a privileged and sacred time to turn our hearts towards the events that changed the course of history through the suffering, death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear the voice of God calling his servant: "The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me...I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
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