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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Blessed Virgin Mary | Family Rosary | praying the Rosary
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. (Romans 8:18) I’d prayed the Rosary for two and a half years before I finally confessed to my friend, Father Joe, “Father, I don’t think it’s working. I feel more miserable than when I started.” Fr. Joe smiled at me and simply replied, “That’s a good thing … because it means you’re being purified.”
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Compassion | Grandpa's Garden | Grandparenting
I can’t recall precisely when our children discovered how much evil and suffering there is in the world. We tried to protect them for as long as we could. Maybe the little hurts of early childhood were a gradual introduction. At some point, they became aware that the world endures terrible suffering, much of which people inflict on each other. Today, violence and revenge seem almost taken for granted. It’s ironic how frequently some of us impose misery on others. We hope to teach our children how to respond to the vicious and to treasure the virtuous.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne who were the grandparents of Jesus. Yes, Jesus had grandparents too! These were the parents of Mary. Today we remember all our grandparents both living and deceased, that God blesses them and gives them good rest. There is actually a global Catholic Grandparents’ Association with proposed activities and prayers that they can use in fulfilling their role as ‘grandpa’ and ‘grandma.’
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Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
On this feast day of St. James, the apostle, we hear a call echoing through the ages — a call to service, to love, to sacrifice. This call isn't just for priests or religious but for every one of us, especially within our families. Our families are the primary arena where this call is lived out, where our service and love have the most profound impact. In today's Gospel, we hear James and John misunderstanding Jesus' message. They sought positions of power and prestige, but Jesus gently corrected their vision. He taught them that true greatness lies not in ruling over others but in serving them.
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Celebrating family life | Learn more about our faith
Today, we hear the prophet Jeremiah’s response to God building him up to go out on mission. Jeremiah says, “Ah, Lord God! I know not how to speak; I am too young.” Those last words, “I am too young,” are what most of us have said when we didn’t think we could do something, whether we were referring to chronological age, or experience, or even talent level.
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Brothers and sisters in Christ, in today's world, families face countless challenges – from the busyness of modern life to the distractions of technology, from the pressure to conform to societal expectations to the struggles of maintaining faith amidst secularism. Yet, amidst these challenges, there's a beacon of hope, a model of love and resilience: the Holy Family. Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) begins with the statement, “The joy of love experienced by the families is also the joy of the Church.” He further states “Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth.”
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