World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Each July 29, the Church traditionally celebrated an obligatory memorial mass of St. Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus. But on February 2, 2021, Pope Francis expanded this memorial to include Martha’s sister and brother, Mary, and Lazarus. They were close friends of Jesus.
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No winner yesterday for the lottery here in the USA, which is now worth one billion dollars, however we did score a win today with the two Scripture readings read at mass today.
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When we are in the company of younger family members, we often pose questions about school, interests, and summer activities. Favorite subject? College major? What are they reading for fun? What are they doing for the summer? There are so many things about which to ask.
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Return to the Church | Strengthening family unity
It is now summertime in the Northern Hemisphere. I, like billions of human beings, love summertime. It can be a time of rest, vacation, time for family. Let it not be merely a superficial time, but rather true recreation: re-creation – for drinking from deep well springs that return us to what life is really about, that renew us and give us life. That can happen in simple, beautiful ways.
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