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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Right around now, the last two weeks before Easter, it’s not hard to lose our focus on Lent. It’s been about four weeks since Ash Wednesday and human nature being what is it is we can start to trail off in our prayer, fasting and charitable works. So, today’s gospel from John is perfectly placed on our Lenten journey, our preparation for the great celebration of Easter; in it, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and now us about His divine origin and mission.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Many of us own a bathroom scale or use one at a gym, it gives us an indication on how we’re doing with our diet and exercise programs…even our general health. But sometimes, we need to take a deeper look, maybe a blood test, MRI or cardiac ultrasound. Lent is a special time when we take a deeper look into our hearts and souls…to see what drives us…and what we place first in our lives and why….?
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
The Gospel of John gives us a powerful encounter between Jesus and a royal official, an encounter that illustrates the transformative power of faith. It’s meant to lead us to reflect on the nature of our own faith and how we, like the official, can come to a deeper trust in the Lord's promise. In this passage, Jesus returns to Galilee and is found in Cana, where He had previously performed the miracle of turning water into wine. It’s here that a royal official from Capernaum seeks him out, his heart heavy with worry. His son is gravely ill, on the brink of death, and he’s heard of Jesus' power to heal. Driven by a father's love and desperation, he implores Jesus to come and heal his son. Initially, Jesus responds with what seems like a rebuke: "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
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