x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Family Time | Grandpa's Garden | Grandparenting
We recently had a delightful visit with our youngest grandkids. When one of them ventured into the backyard, we reminded him not to leave the gate open. Our dog loves the yard, but dogs have a way of following their noses. A fenced yard is of little value without a latched gate. As a child, when I forgot to close the door after coming in from outside, I was sometimes asked, “Do you live in a barn?” Years later, I worked briefly in a barn and realized how ironic the question was. Leaving a door or gate unsecured in a barn is unwise – unless you want to chase a startled animal everywhere.
Share
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Sometimes, like the people in the time of Hosea, we need to have the Lord call out to us to come back to Him to change our ways with the promise of a better life. The Lord speaks to us through His Word (as we have just heard proclaimed), our times of silent prayer and meditation, our times in Eucharistic Adoration, and all forms of prayer, including our meditations upon the Rosary. The Lord can certainly speak to us through the words and actions of others. On Wednesday afternoon, as I stood impatiently waiting for someone to come to the coffee shop counter to take my order, I turned around to see a young man in line behind me. I asked if they still took your order there or if you needed to use the tablet on the counter.
Share
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.
Healing the family | Learn more about our faith
The Scriptures and Church tradition use many images to describe God, reflecting His infinite nature of love. Similarly, various images depict the people of God whom God has drawn to Himself throughout salvation history. Prophet Hosea paints another beautiful metaphor of God as a parent to a wayward child. Hosea speaks of God's love for Israel: "I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them in my arms and fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; I stooped to feed my child." In the year 2018, the school where I worked suffered the loss of a 6-year-old child.
Share
Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
Imagine a family dinner. Laughter fills the room as stories are shared, connections are made. But what happens when the conversation stops? When the busyness of life pushes family time aside? Today's reading from Hosea speaks to that reality, a reality where families drift apart, not just from each other, but also from their faith.
Share
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Come with me to a small town that had been "dry" for years—i.e., 'without any bars or pubs or alcohol consumption.' Eventually, some of the businesspeople decided to build a bar in that town. The local Christian group was alarmed and concerned at this latest development. They decided to have an all-night prayer to ask God to intervene. Work on the construction of the bar progressed until the week before opening, when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground!
Share
There's a quote in the movie, “The Godfather,” that struck me, particularly as I read and prayed about today’s readings. In the movie, the main characters discuss how to handle a dispute among rival gangs. One character, attempting to calm the other, says, “It’s not personal; it’s strictly business.”
Share
