World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today we celebrate the Feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle. As ordinarily happens on days such as feast days or memorials of saints, we try to learn something about such a saint and find out how the life of that saint can inspire us in our journey of discipleship. Not much has been highlighted about Andrew in today’s Gospel, but there is a lot written about Andrew throughout the Gospels that we can reflect on. Andrew did not write any letters or deliver any sermons, but we have a few words he said and gestures he performed that are loaded with a lot of meaning for our benefit.
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“The writing is on the wall” is a popular phrase to indicate that a message is clear. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ message to believers is super clear, “they will seize and persecute you.” This warning does not set off alarms for most of us. However, in many lands around the world, Catholics encounter persecution daily. Listen to the true account of 20-year-old Servant of God Akash Bashir martyred standing guard at his parish church of Saint John in Lahore, Pakistan. Born in 1994, Akash was an active member of his family’s parish church of Saint John, often helping the needy.
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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.
Celebrating family life | Why pray?
As I read over today’s readings and began to reflect on their meaning, asking God to help me to write this homily, I was also thinking of Mrs. Howley, the mother of my friend, Joe, who is preparing to go home to God.
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Advent | Advent series | Catholic Family Fun
A wonderful program to include in your family's Advent journey this year, along with the many resources Family Rosary provides throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. Ave Maria Press, an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States, brings us this video series with Father Agustino Torres, CFR. Father Torres introduces us to the season of Advent—the Franciscan way—with the Prepare Your Heart Advent journal. Torres encourages us to enter into the story of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph as we prepare our hearts through prayer and meditation this Advent.
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Prayer Intentions | family life | power of prayer
The powerful graces from intercessory prayer bless me every day. I have a tight-knit group of friends who are champion prayer warriors, women (and men!) who ask me how they can pray for me and follow through with that faithful promise. I do the same for them because it is in many cases the most loving and charitable act I can do for them. I know that in the saddest or most stressful times in my life those words have brought me great comfort.
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Parenthood | Thanksgiving | family life
It’s a phenomenon you may know all too well. You’ve planned a big party, holiday, or project at work. It goes off without a hitch, but then you wake up the next day feeling blue with low energy. You wonder, “What’s wrong with me?”
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