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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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A couple of years back, I lived with a brother priest who, for years, had struggled with alcohol addiction. He was in an out-of-rehab, and when he realized he no longer had control over the addiction, he joined the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) movement. Alcohol addiction or any other addiction for that matter is one of the diseases that does not recognize your title, academic background, vocation in life, economic status, or your gender. Anyone can get it, and it can terribly affect one’s career, vocation in life, spiritual life, relationships, and even one’s physical health. At the time I met this brother priest, he had been sober or “dry” for so many years. He attributed his sobriety to being active in AA. Every day, he attended one or two AA meetings, did his daily reflections, and sponsored and accompanied many other candidates on the road to recovery. The Danger of a "House Swept Clean" An addiction is like a “demonic possession.” It can take over your life, leaving you with no control over your own life. If by the grace of God, you regain your freedom from the addiction or “the demon,” you have to find something different to fill the “empty house” or the empty heart that has been vacated by “the demon.” The Lord is speaking to us today about the fragility or the danger of the “swept and clean” yet empty house.
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One of the most fascinating things when you visit the Mediterranean lands such as Greece, Italy, Egypt, and Turkey are the historical sites of castles, temples, and cities that now lie in ruins. Each of those sites tell a story of a “golden age” when these places were sites of glamor, wealth, and influence. In their current state, they tell of a past, an end, and a death. In our first reading today from the book of the Prophet Haggai, we continue reflecting on the return of the Israelites from exile in Babylon. They found their influential city and magnificent temple in Jerusalem all in ruins. Everything had fallen apart while they were in exile. Before them stood a depressing state of hopelessness when they looked at what had happened to the city and especially the temple that King Solomon had spent so much on building.
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As a child growing up, were you ever at a special family dinner where an important guest was invited and other high-level guests were to be in attendance? Do you remember the level of preparation that went into the dinner? Do you recall the type of cleaning that was done prior to the visit, the careful choice of food and drink, and the thoughtful setting up of the space? Do you remember the kind of talk at the dinner and the decorum in behavior that was expected of all the family members given the kind of guest who was being hosted? Now imagine in the middle of such an important dinner an uncle with a drinking problem and who didn’t keep himself so neat burst into the room, at the top of his voice greeted everyone, and straight away went and gave a big hug to the guest of honor! Imagine the discomfort or restlessness that took over the room.
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Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
Has anyone ever come to you and asked for a simple favor? I bet all of us have ever received simple requests. For instance, someone asking help to be dropped at a bus stop, someone asking for a ride to the grocery store, or someone asking to borrow your ladder or lawn mower. People never forget those simple acts of kindness or willingness by someone to help them.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today in the gospel we hear about the elaborate celebration of the birthday of King Herod that ended with the killing of John the Baptist. A king got so excited at his birthday celebration that he made all manner of promises that ended in the killing John the Baptist! In the drama that unfolds in our gospel today, there are three main characters – Herod, John the Baptist, and Herodias. From each one of them we learn a lesson about human life.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this memorial of the Queenship of Mary, the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has asked us to pray and fast for global peace. One of the titles of Mary is “Queen of Peace.”
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