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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholic Faith | family prayer | prayer life
One of the phrases I had to tell myself over and over in the months following the birth of my last baby was, “This is just a phase. I will not be nursing forever; I will sleep again.” I have a tendency to have tunnel vision about whatever difficult moment I am in and feel it will last forever. Stepping back and looking at the big picture has helped me to see that the moment I am in is just a small blip on the radar of my life.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
My reflection comes from the Second Book of Kings. In that Book, we have heard about King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel—who instigated the murder of many people. Today's First Reading continues with King Ahab and Jezebel dead and their daughter Athalia (who was evil and a pagan like her mother Jezebel) at the center of things.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Today’s powerful Gospel verse raises two questions, one about the tail end of the Our Father and the other about not babbling like the pagans when we pray.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
An Italian newspaper featured a story about a young couple in Milan who appeared to be deeply devoted to their faith. The priest at a cathedral reported that the couple regularly spent an hour or more sitting before a statue of the Virgin Mary. However, it was later discovered that their intentions were not as they seemed. Instead of praying, the couple was using the electrical plug behind the statue of Mary to recharge their cell phone. Whenever their phones needed charging, they would come to the church to plug them in, using the time as an opportunity to be together in a peaceful setting while their phones recharged.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
During a recent visit to India, I was deeply moved by the words of a Bishop who had chosen a life of solitude. His response to a question regarding his well-being was not just a personal sentiment but a profound lesson for all of us: "I am fine if all others are fine." This selfless love for all of God's creation resonates with the very essence of today's Gospel message, inviting us to reflect on our own lives and relationships.
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The story in the first reading begins on a reasonable enough note. King Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard, which was adjacent to his palace, to grow his vegetables. King Ahab asks Naboth to exchange his vineyard for another one or to be given its value in money. Fair enough. King Ahab, who was king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 874 BC, was described in the first book of Kings as "worse than all his predecessors." (1 Kings 16:30)
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