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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholic Faith | Parenthood | intentional rest
I recently recalled a long-ago memory of teaching one of my children the alphabet. They asked, “What words use the lemony letter?” Asking them what they meant, they insisted there was a lemony letter. We then said the alphabet together again, and the truth was revealed. L, M, O, P! In their childhood lisp and said very quickly, those letters became "lemony." Hiding my laughter, I realized I was partially to blame. I hadn’t taken the time to slow them down to articulate each letter clearly and purposefully. We began again, deliberately saying each and every letter, writing them as we went along, revealing all 26 letters. Does Your Life Give You Whiplash Learning to slow down is important beyond learning to read and write. We can all find ourselves blurring words in texts and conversations. We take shortcuts in recipes and look for the fastest Rosary to follow on YouTube. It seems we want to get through this short life we have been given by God as fast as we possibly can.
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Faith Communities | catholic family life | raising kids in the faith
There is always something more in our faith. As Catholics, we are blessed to have so many ways to pray and to worship. There are ways to pray alone and at home with your family, but there are many beautiful ways to worship and pray in community with others. Parish-facilitated events which include a time of prayer can be a great starting point for building communities of faith. Your parish may offer Eucharistic processions, guided holy hours, praise and worship nights, Stations of the Cross, or evening Vespers. Life is already full, so finding time for attending these things can be a challenge. Parish community events take extra effort to attend, but are vital to sustaining our faith as they provide organic opportunities to meet other Catholic families.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Today's reading from 2nd Corinthians presents us with a seemingly paradoxical message. St. Paul, in his letter, speaks of boasting, not in his strengths, but in his weaknesses. In a world that values power and success, how can weakness be a source of pride or a testament to faith?
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Today’s Gospel offers a simple, yet deeply challenging truth. Jesus tells us, “If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father forgive you.” Forgiveness is not optional in the Christian life—it is essential. It is the heart of the Our Father, the prayer we repeat often, but perhaps too easily. And yet, how hard it is to live those words: “as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
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In our fast-paced, screen-filled world, we're constantly bombarded with the need for validation. Likes, shares, and recognition can easily become our measure of worth. But today's readings offer a powerful truth: God isn't impressed by appearances; He sees the heart. He blesses what is done in secret, in sincerity, and from genuine love.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
I have a question for you: can you remember the last time that you gave praise to God like the psalmist that we have just heard? A time when you couldn’t help but praising God’s goodness and mercy, maybe even going beyond prayer with God and telling others…. As I reflected on this question, I thought about what it takes to get us out of normal dialogue with God whether in our formal prayers or in times of exasperation or fear when we simply call out to God for help. It’s then that I remembered the Air India plane crash that tragically killed 241 souls but somehow one man not only survived but walked out of the plane. That man and everyone involved used the same word to describe his beating the odds: miraculous.
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