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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Ascension | Celebrating family life | Learn more about our faith
The Ascension of Jesus must have been the final evidence the disciples needed from Him. In addition to the fulfillment of the Father’s plan of salvation, it was the catalyst for the passing of the torch to Jesus’ disciples. At the beginning of today’s gospel from Mark, Jesus issues a profound and challenging command: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This command is not a mere suggestion or a limited directive. It is a call to action to share the good news of salvation with every person, and creature, in every corner of the world. Jesus didn’t say, “Remember what I told you, take care of yourself, and one day you will see me again.” And likewise, He didn’t say, “Proclaim the gospel to some people, people you like—within the town where you live.”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
The Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, was clearly guiding St. Paul as he made his way through Athens and then confidently stood up and spoke in the Areopagus, the main stage. Just to set the scene, Paul had entered a city that contained the greatest minds of Greece—men and women who were not Jewish or Christian, but pagan. And he, Paul, was not a man of learning, but a tentmaker by trade. Paul stood there without the benefit of rhetorical training and addressed eminent rulers, mathematicians, philosophers, scientists, and writers in a courtroom-like setting.
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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.
Locally and nationally, there are some high-profile trials going on that some of us follow day to day. In each trial, there is the question about the reliability of the witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense. If you’re the defendant, all you need to do is have the jury believe that there is reasonable doubt that you didn’t commit the crime you are accused of, and that doubt could arise from the credibility of the witnesses.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Yesterday, while grocery shopping with my Dad, I made a new friend. As I stood making a big decision between blueberry and cinnamon pound cake, I heard a voice say, “Hi!” in the enthusiasm of a soon-to-be four-year-old. Looking down, I saw this little guy with a half-eaten cookie in one hand looking up at me with curiosity and his mother, slightly embarrassed, beside him. I returned his greeting and asked him about the cookie and other important things, like how old he was and his name. He proudly told me he was turning four tomorrow, that his name was Teddy Joseph, and that his cookie was good! He told me about these things with the certainty that we adults sometimes lose through life’s challenges and setbacks.
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Saints connect us to God. Saints are people like you and me who’ve transcended ordinary life’s temptations, challenges, and setbacks to live in union with God in heroic virtue and sanctity of life. I often thought of saints as being priests, nuns, brothers, and, of course, popes. It seemed that it was a requirement; that is, until I dug a little deeper into the lives of people like St. Catherine of Siena.
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Yesterday, we celebrated “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and today, we hear a reminder of how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us, through both His teaching and His Church. Jesus, knowing our human nature, has provided us with men He has chosen to shepherd us in His Name. The Church of Jesus Christ has one Good Shepherd, and He has chosen others, like Peter, to exercise a spiritual and pastoral leadership of the Church and all souls.
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