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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholicism | New Evangelization | Parenting | raising kids in the faith
A Special Invitation My son loves to altar serve. He started doing it as soon as he received his first Communion, and now that he’s been doing it for almost two years, he’s begun training some of his younger friends. He started off by serving just daily Masses, where a kindly teenage server taught him a new task each week until he had learned to do everything from holding the hand towel to ringing the bells. Now, he’s begun doing the same for his friends as they’ve all reached the age to begin altar server training. Back when he first started his training, he loved it when he could see his friends sitting in the pews. He was always excited when his friends attended the Masses that he was serving, and after one of his first Sunday Masses, one of his friends approached him afterward to tell him what a good job he had done. When asked how he had learned to serve, my son told his friend that he had someone teaching him during daily Masses, which are generally shorter and have less pomp and circumstance than Sunday liturgies. And then, without missing a beat, my son invited his friend to attend daily Mass with him.
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Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco who are dedicated to educating the youth. It is currently one of the largest orders in the Catholic Church with more than 15,270 members. We continue praying for more vocations to the Salesians and for their ministry in the Church.
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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.
Saint Paul was a man of action. For years he persecuted those who followed the teachings of Jesus until his conversion on the road to Damascus. Then once Jesus spoke to Him and opened his eyes to the truth of Jesus, he became a man on a mission, not just for the salvation of his soul, but every soul that he could evangelize.
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Dr. Deepak Chopra, in his book Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, states that for our bodies to thrive, they must “live on the wings of change.” Science tells us that our bodies are in a constant state of renewal—our skin replaces itself every month, our liver every six weeks, and our skeleton every three months. By the end of the year, 98% of the atoms in our bodies will have been exchanged for new ones.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Yesterday, I asked several of my co-workers a question about the Our Father prayer. I asked each of them when you pray the words: “…thy Kingdom come thy will be done and earth as it is in heaven…”—what does the part “thy will be done” make you think of? Three people said in so many words: I think about God having a plan. Each of them finds a sense of peace and reassurance in knowing that God has it all figured out. So, what do you think about when you say to God the Father: “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” ---what comes into your mind? What are you or I signing onto when we make that prayer?
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Michelangelo is widely regarded as one of history's most exceptional artists. His masterpieces, including "Pieta," "David," "Moses," and "The Last Judgment," are celebrated for their unparalleled beauty and perfection. Among his remarkable achievements is the series of frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Vatican. Legend has it that while meticulously painting these frescoes, lying on his back for countless hours to perfect every detail, a friend questioned the necessity of such effort for artwork that would be viewed from afar. The friend asked, "Who will notice if it's perfect or not?" Michelangelo, renowned for his commitment to excellence, simply replied, "I will." This wasn’t about external validation; it was about internal integrity. It was about a deep-seated need to be authentic in every stroke of his brush, to create something true to the vision within him. This same principle, this pursuit of authenticity, is vital to our spiritual lives. Without it, our spiritual endeavors lack depth and nourishment. True spiritual growth blossoms from a foundation of credibility and authenticity.
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