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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
The Greek word for wind, "pneuma," is also used for the word Spirit. So, in this Gospel from John, Jesus links His teaching between the natural and supernatural worlds through His word choice connecting to both realities. But, just like yesterday's eclipse of the sun, at times, we only have a partial understanding of our natural world. This is the point that Jesus is making with Nicodemus when He says, "The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes…"
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Today, we gather to honor the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, a moment of divine intervention that forever changed the course of humanity. It was during this sacred event that St. Gabriel, the Archangel, descended from the heavens to deliver a message of profound significance to Mary. She was chosen to be the vessel for the divine incarnation of God Himself, Jesus Christ, through the miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit.
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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.
Divine Mercy Sunday | family prayer | mercy
Caught in Providence is a beloved local show where I live because of the fair Judge Frank Caprio. In a recent episode, a priest visited the judge with a special message and donation. Both priest and judge shared stories of witnessing mercy and the importance of the unity of family. The priest shared that the meaning of the Hebrew word chesed can be translated as mercy or to “journey with someone, to pull them out of the depths of their despair.” I have a devotion to the Divine Mercy and yes, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet is indeed a journey.
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Catholic Central | Catholic Family Fun | how to pray the rosary
We take on some very consequential issues this week on “Catholic Central” – pro-life issues, sexuality, and the nature of love -- but they are ones that all families face sooner or later. Luckily, we close out with a couple of great tools to keep your faith on an even keel – the Rosary and the Psalms. Buckle up!
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Jesus' early disciples were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. He called them to become his followers, promising to make them fishers of people. When Jesus was crucified, and all their hopes in him were dashed, they returned to Galilee and went back to their fishing. Today's Gospel reading suggests that they had lost their touch as fishermen. Perhaps their hearts weren't really in it. It is hard to go back to what we once did when, in the meantime, we have found something much more fulfilling.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
There was a professor in our seminary who was teaching us homiletics. He was trying to impress upon the students the importance of using facial expressions to express feelings when preaching. "When you speak of heaven," he said, "Let your face light with a heavenly glow, when you speak of hell, your everyday face will do." Sometimes, our "everyday face" reflects the hell we are going through. For the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus after hearing their Master's death, the facial expression reflected a "hell" of deep sadness and disappointment they were going through.
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