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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Saint Paul addressed his letter to the Corinthians with a heartfelt appeal. Paul says, “As brothers and sisters in Christ, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Immediately, this made me ponder the questions: How are we receiving the grace of God? Are we letting this great gift help us fulfill our mission each day, or do we sometimes fail to use this gift from God to help us? Paul reminds the people of his time and ours of God’s message: “In an acceptable time, I heard you, and on the day of salvation, I helped you.” In every Sacrament…we receive the grace of God, and we know that we also receive His grace in moments of prayer and even in moments we cannot even find a way to ask for His help. In this spirit, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that God has heard them and helped them throughout their lives in various ways.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Today, as we reflect on the lives of the saints and hear the words of Scripture, we are called to consider the challenges to our faith, both the internal and the external. Saint Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, and Saint Paul, in his address to the elders at Ephesus and his testimony before the council in Jerusalem, offer us profound lessons.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes and his fellow martyr companions. St. Christopher was born in Mexico, and after ordination to the priesthood worked with the poor and indigenous people, most notably founding schools and forming agrarian cooperatives. He lived in a time when the Mexican government was strongly anti-Catholic and closed all seminaries. He repeatedly sought to have them reopened. For his good works, he was falsely charged with promoting armed rebellion and was arrested on his way to celebrate Mass on this date in 1927. Four days later, he was executed along with 21 other diocesan priests and three laymen. St. Christopher is a patron saint of Mexico and a symbol of resistance against religious oppression. He is an example of being willing to give courageous witness to Christ despite worldly challenges.
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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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