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Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Today's Mass reading gets personal really fast. "If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there, go and reconcile with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Reflecting on the gospel today, I imagine myself sitting and listening among the disciples, thinking I do well in keeping the commandments. The law seems straightforward, and I'm confident I will meet the challenge of abiding by it. Knowing that I have settled into a comfort zone, I imagine Jesus looking at me and saying, "No, not so fast." I can hear him telling me that it is not enough to merely adhere to the letter of the law; interpreting the commandments like a checklist is not going to cut it—there is more to it than that.
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If you like showdowns, today’s readings are right up your alley. First, from the Book of Kings, we have the prophet Elijah asking all the people, “How long will you straddle the issue?” The issue being: worship of the true God versus worship of the pagan god, Baal. The point being: they couldn’t worship both.
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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.
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
I vaguely remember reading the story of a carpenter who helped build the Church and counselled others faced hardships - his wife's sudden death, financial troubles, and exploitation. Dejected, he attended Mass and was moved by the priest's sermon on God's love. Afterward, he spoke with the priest at length. The man felt immensely relieved, telling his neighbor, "When I went to his office, all hope was lost—but one by one, he restored my hope. I feel so much stronger and hopeful now!" Life's unfair experiences can drain us. When "the stars fall from our skies," we need encouragement and support to restore hope one by one, putting the stars back again. Today, the Church commemorates the Feast of St. Barnabas, a great source of encouragement that urges us to encourage others.
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Jesus tells the disciples to “rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” He tells them this right after He has finished preaching the Beatitudes, the famous sermon where Jesus gives hope to those who mourn or are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness or are merciful … to name just a few of the actions that Jesus is elevating.
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Catholic Family Fun | family life | family prayer
Now that the long, slower days of summer are finally here, they bring with them the invitation to slow down a little. Hopefully, the lengthy twilights and break from school brings a sense of less urgency and more playtime to your home. Of course, the flip side of no school and more flexibility can also mean that the house seems to perpetually be half a step away from descending into complete chaos. When my kids were growing up, summer meant sleeping in and a lot of time for bedtime stories. On the other hand, it was also the season when one or another of my boys would get mad and inform us he was going to run away and we’d be sorry! So summer brings both sides of the coin. (By the way, they only ran away to the stop sign a block away. I would wander over a while later with some snacks in case they had run out of food. They usually had. One time, their dad dropped off a pillow, so they “would sleep better.” They all eventually decided home wasn’t so bad after all.) That is the great thing about summer: there’s even time for some mini-adventures.
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Blessed Mother | Catholic Faith | prayer | praying the Rosary
After returning from maternity leave, I surprised everyone – including myself – by changing careers and taking on a new role with the family business. Instead of having a five-minute commute, I drove 45 minutes each way. Faced with the reality of being in the car daily for 90 minutes, I took advantage of the time to do things I didn't have time to do before, like listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and audio CDs of lectures delivered at church.
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