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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
We can sometimes hear or read the Word of God and wonder, is that even possible and why would God say that? For example, when Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife, and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
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“Where do they find the strength?” That’s a question that most of us find ourselves asking about a family member, friend, or co-worker who is somehow persevering through an extraordinary challenge or challenges. It could be an illness, death of a loved one, troubled marriage, loss of a job or financial concerns, or perhaps a crisis of faith. Well, in the Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul instructs the Ephesians, and all of us, through his opening sentence: “Brothers and sisters: Draw your strength from the Lord and from His mighty power.”
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One of my co-workers often greets me with the question, “What’s going on?” This question came to mind as I read and prayed over the readings from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: what was going on in their community that led Saint Paul to focus on family relationships and how they tied to God’s relationship with us and His Church?
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I’ve always been attracted to the writings of Saint Paul, and yet, I don’t remember the reading from Galatians making an impression like it did yesterday as I read and prayed over it. How can you miss the way he starts his letter: “O stupid Galatians!” Imagine opening up the letter from Saint Paul and reading that; and then needing to read it aloud to the others with you. Obviously, Saint Paul has had it; but we shouldn’t confuse tough love language with an ad hominin attack.
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Healing the family | Why pray?
I recently read an article (Washington Examiner) about the Governor of Virginia issuing guidance that would have students drop off their cell phones at the beginning of the school day and pick them up after their final class concluded. The catalyst for this plan is the link between student’s cell phone use during and between classes and negative consequences such as inattention to instruction and anxiety and depression. Research shows that students receive more than two hundred notifications on their cell phones a day and two thirds report being distracted by them.
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Job’s example of courageous and persevering faith is something to behold. As we have recently heard, Job lost everything: family, health, livestock, etc. And yet, his belief in God led him to say, “But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives … Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold Him …”
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