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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
William Barry and William Connolly write in their book “The Practice of Spiritual Direction” That “there is something in us that resists change and development, that wants wives or husbands, friends, companions to be the same tomorrow as they are today. At the same time, there is something in us that wants to know more about the other and is bored by sameness.”
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From despair to Hope. Easter is about restoring hope. The news of Jesus’s resurrection brought hope to people who were overwhelmed by despair and grief. The disciples were wrapped in disappointment that all their hopes on Jesus as the Messiah had been dashed by his brutal death. It is possible that some were grappling with guilt of having abandoned Jesus and fleeing in fear. The gospel today, we have Mary Magdalene described as weeping. She was despondent that not only had Jesus died, but also the idea that his body had been taken to an unknown location and is not able to give a proper burial. It was to this kind of despair that, the fact of Jesus’ resurrection broke in with life-changing hope. Easter tells us that the risen Christ can break into our lives with genuine hope amid our worst trials.
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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.
We are on the octave of Easter celebrations. As Christians who believe in the Lord’s resurrection as the foundation of our faith, Easter brings us great joy and wonder, why? it is a manifestation of how God’s love can overpower human sin. Easter brings us into a new life that is more profound than the death we human beings inflict on each other. Easter commemorates Jesus rising from the dead, overcoming the ultimate consequences of sin and death. It brings all of us into a new relationship with God demonstrated through God’s power and love. As believers we become forgiven through faith in the risen Christ, and we can attain salvation.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
“Guard against the leaven of the Pharisee and Herod...” Anger is something we are all familiar with; it is all around us. It is expressed in various ways, quarrelling with those nearest to us, envying others, rejoicing in their ill-fortune, speaking disrespectfully or seeking victory that harms others or even us as individuals, failing people who are in danger. Anger is an emotion we all struggle with at one time or another. Even saints have been known to struggle with controlling their anger. Historians think Jesus nicknamed the apostles James and John the “Sons of thunder “because of their anger, if you read some of the letters of St. Paul there are occasions when Paul had some outbursts whenever he felt that the gospel he preached was being misunderstood, St. Therese of Lisieux, the little Flower had to work on controlling his anger.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
“Guard against the leaven of the Pharisee and Herod...” Jesus is cautioning his apostles against letting bad influence corrupt their lives. During my time in the formation house, it was interesting to see some young men especially those who were struggling with their discernment journey. Instead of dealing with their weaknesses rightly, some used to find it easier to seek relevance and security by trying to rally people around their weaknesses, acting as victims of being misunderstood. Implicitly and gradually becoming the bad apple.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
“With eyes of faith consider the greatness of your mission and the wonderful amount of good which you can accomplish” by Blessed Basil Moreau,CSC In today’s gospel we have Jesus coming ashore on the lake, as soon as he disembarks from the people, many people immediately recognized him, and started pushing and struggling to touch him looking for healing from all their ailments. What did they recognize in Jesus that moved them? It is possible that they had witnessed the miraculous deeds done somewhere else. Now, they recognized him as one with power from God to heal and make whole bodies, limbs, minds and hearts that were beset with diseases and afflictions. They believed that even by mere pressing up to Jesus and touching the fringes of his garment, they would be made well. They were filled with expectant faith that Jesus is ready to meet their needs. We know that Jesus’ mission was to do the will of God and specifically that is what is demonstrated in actions of healing and forgiving sins.
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