World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Today we celebrate the Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, one of the four principal churches in Rome. Someone might say: there you go, you Catholics, with all these weird devotions – even to the point of a devotion to a building!!! How do we explain to him what’s going on here?
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
After the French Revolution in the 1790’s, parts of France were left in social chaos. Extreme atheist factions had gotten control in some areas and the aftermath was a material, social, and spiritual collapse. This was still the case in a rural village in south central France called Ars when a young priest named Jean (John) Marie Vianney arrived there 20 years later, in 1818.
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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.
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
It was not by accident that Jesus was called a teacher. His actions were those of a teacher. He even gave tests, as effective teachers do, to encourage progress.
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Healing the family | Why pray?
God meets us where we are and invites us to meet Him where He is! In the stormy circumstances of our lives, when we are gripped with fear and doubts, God enters into the place where we are physically and spiritually, and invites us to meet Him where He is, as Jesus did with Peter in today’s gospel.
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The wedding of Princess Diana (Lady Diana Spencer) in 1981 was watched by 750 million people. She died in an accident at 36 years old on August 31, 1997. More than 2.5 billion people watched her funeral in 1997. At her funeral, singer Elton John brought tears to the eyes of hundreds of mourners in Westminster Abbey when he sang: “Candle in the Wind, Goodbye England’s Rose.”
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Celebrating family life | seasonal reflection
Some days in the Liturgical season, by their cultural and religious nature, lend themselves better to celebrating as a family than others—such as Christmas and Easter. Yet, every Solemnity, Memorial, or Feast in the Catholic Church is worthy of acknowledging in some special way. For families, additional feast days can offer beautiful teachable moments and the creation of lifetime memories. This month, the Church will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15, commemorating the entry of Mary into heaven—body and soul. The Assumption falls into the category of “Solemnity,” which means it is among the highest rank feast days celebrating a mystery of faith.
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