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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Not too long ago, perhaps just over sixty years ago, in the United States, the pledge of allegiance and a prayer were part of the beginning of the day in public schools. Now, prayer is almost fully excluded, and the pledge of allegiance is a matter of debate.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
As you might remember from Wednesday’s first reading, Elijah was the last prophet of God standing---when he challenged the people to choose between God and the pagan god Baal. Well, although he had faith, and God had rewarded it…things weren’t going so well, and today, he’s running for his life. How many times have we heard of prophets like Elijah or Jonah who’ve faced long odds and tried to outrun either the opposition or, at times, God’s mission for them?
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If you like showdowns, today’s readings are right up your alley. First, from the Book of Kings, we have the prophet Elijah asking all the people, “How long will you straddle the issue?” The issue being: worship of the true God versus worship of the pagan god, Baal. The point being: they couldn’t worship both.
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Jesus tells the disciples to “rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” He tells them this right after He has finished preaching the Beatitudes, the famous sermon where Jesus gives hope to those who mourn or are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness or are merciful … to name just a few of the actions that Jesus is elevating.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
St. Norbert was born nearly one thousand years ago, but his life can inspire us today. He was born in Germany and sensed a call to the priesthood while recovering from a near-fatal horse-riding accident, unlike Father Patrick Peyton’s path after recovering from Tuberculosis. St. Norbert faced early challenges at the beginning of his priesthood. His brother priests were against his promotion of an ascetical way of life and reforms in the Church.
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Every three months, I am reminded of what I owe Caesar, or more accurately, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as I pay my taxes. Most people only think about this once a year, on that magic day of April 15. So, it isn’t hard to understand what Jesus told the Pharisees: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…” But the second part of the statement requires some thought, “…and to God what belongs to God.”
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