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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
Two of my favorite Sundays of the year are Laetare and Gaudete Sunday. You know, the days when the priest wears “rose” (we all know it’s pink!). Each of these pink Sundays stands out at the end of a season of fasting and waiting, reminding us the end is in sight. Take courage! Gaudete Sunday Gaudete (“rejoice”) Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent, represented by the only pink candle on the Advent wreath. When I don’t think I can listen to “What Child is This?” or “People Look East” one more time, that pink candle reminds me that soon we'll be singing my favorite Christmas carol, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Jesus is on His way–He will be here imminently.
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Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
As a young adult Catholic, I experienced many moments of keen awareness of my singleness. I have vivid memories of watching old married couples sitting in the pew in front of me and thinking, “How on Earth do I get that?!” I would watch husbands and wives work together, teaching their small children how to genuflect, respect Jesus, and develop awe in Church. Where was the playbook to make this happen? In the modern era of declining religion and increased moral ambiguity, it seemed like an impossible puzzle to solve. I longed for someone who would accompany me to Mass, chat about the homily, and share prayer. During college, I dated some young men who called themselves Christian and even Catholic, but time and again it became obvious that these were more labels than deep identities. It was hard to hold onto the hope that I could live my faith fully in relationship. After one particularly wrong relationship, I felt God speak to me that I would, in fact, have a husband to pray the Rosary with one day. Yet, week after week, I continued to sit in the same empty pew, trying to blend in on my own, with no sign of my Catholic Prince Charming in attendance. I even joined a rosary group with some side intentions in the process. Never cease to hope, right?
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There are certain trails throughout the world that are famous for their long and demanding nature. Where I came from on the West Coast, the most notable is the Pacific Crest Trail, which -- just in the US portion -- stretches all the way from Mexico to Canada, and includes terrain rough and remote enough to challenge anyone’s fitness levels and survival skills. If one manages to complete the Pacific Crest Trail, it is an individual achievement greater than running the Boston marathon or scaling Mt Kilimanjaro.
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Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
Praying for adult children is a whole new ballgame. When children are small, parents worry about their health and well-being, and if we are blessed to have healthy children, that means scrapes and bruises and maybe a cast at worst. The older our children get, the bigger the stakes and the bigger the worries. Bullying, driving, dating, jobs, sports, the list is so long. Then they graduate from high school, then college, and suddenly, the whole wide world is swallowing them.
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Celebrating family life | Strengthening family unity
This week we’ve been on the road with Moses and the Israelites--and today they’ve hit the three-month mark of their exodus from Egypt. Three months doesn’t sound like a long time, but I have to imagine it felt like it to the Israelites. Just imagine, you’ve left wherever you live…and for the past three months you’ve been following your local pastor--trudging through a hot and seemingly endless desert!
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Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
I was listening to the radio when they announced a contest where a caller might win a thousand dollars. These radio contests happen often, and I have never called in in my whole life. As I was thinking about my track record, I realized it was because I had no hope of winning. Looking back at my life, when there were raffles and drawings, I was never a winner (except once when I won a laminator at a homeschool conference, but I’m pretty sure I was the only one who wanted it). Without hope of winning, there is no reason for us to bother. A thousand dollars, a new laptop — those are pretty impressive. But the hope of eternal life is a much higher reward! We turn to God for our needs because we hope in a God who is not only good but trustworthy; a God who wants to give us good things for our happiness. Unfortunately, the Devil’s whole goal in life is to make us doubt God’s goodness and not believe that He is trustworthy. Without hope in these two things, we don’t bother “running the race,” as St. Paul puts it in Philippians 3:14.
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