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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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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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.
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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Throughout the world, to one degree or another, Christians are under persecution. For some, it is severe, as in the days of Philip in today’s reading; just look at stories from China, parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East. For others, persecution occurs through the laws or policies enacted by the government, private entities, schools, or societal groups.
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If you live in the United States, April 15th has a special place in your heart, or at least your wallet. Today is the deadline to file your state and federal income taxes. If you’ve prepared, you can breathe a sigh of relief and perhaps reflect on how you’re doing financially, not only for the past year, but also for the long run—hopefully with peace of mind.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Like St. Peter and the other Apostles, St. Stanislaus is an exemplary role model for courageous trust in Jesus. Born in Poland, Stanislaus lived in the 11th century and served as a priest and then bishop in Krakow. He was a gifted preacher, a compassionate benefactor of the poor, and a proponent of clerical reform. Like the Apostles, he faced opposition, in his case from the King of Poland, Boleslaus II, during his time as bishop. And, like the Apostles, Stanislaus refused to compromise his adherence to Jesus' teachings, which resulted in his being killed during the celebration of the Mass. Stanislaus knew the risk to his life and yet held to what Peter said in today's first reading: "We must obey God rather than men."
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