World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
“Gather the fragments left over so that nothing will be wasted.” Picture this: it’s a beautiful Sunday in the Easter Spring of 1955. The pastor, Father Wilfrid Ouellette, is distributing communion and whispering rhythmically, “Corpus Domini Nostri Jesus Christi, custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.” May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ escort your soul safely to eternal life. Amen. Little Wilfred, the 10-year-old altar boy, tried valiantly to receive the host, but unfortunately he missed...
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Return to the Church | Strengthening family unity
During the past weeks of Easter, we have seen the apostles celebrating on a happy Palm Sunday, sharing the Passover with their Lord, and having their hopes wiped out as they witnessed His crucifixion.
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Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.” Have words more beautiful and more true ever been spoken? Yet how do they reach into hearts that seem lost?
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Return to the Church | Seasonal Reflections
Two curious young adults approached a Zen master and asked, “How do we attain peace in our lives?” The master replied, “There are two creatures inside of us. One feeds on anger, resentment, bitterness, frustration, fear, and doubts. The other feeds on mercy, forgiveness, compassion, understanding, and love.” The young adults inquired intriguingly, “Which creature is stronger?” The master replied, “The one you feed the most. Feed the right one; you will attain peace.”
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Father Charles Matusik, C.S.C. died in 1996, we discovered among his papers a letter written to his parents when he was a young soldier in Italy in WWII. What a letter. He wrote: “Dear Mom and Dad, Something amazing happened to me! I went to visit a well-known priest in San Giovanni Rotundo. He bears the wounds of Christ. I went to confession to him. He could see into my soul. He told me that I was going to be safe from injury in the war, return home to America, enter the seminary and become a priest.”
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St. John the Evangelist bravely stands vigil alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross, with his own mother, "looking on from afar" (Matthew 27:55). In the most incredible act of love, Jesus strains to fill His lungs with air, and with just a few words, gives Mary to the world and institutes her spiritual motherhood when He proclaims from the Cross, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He says to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27a).
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