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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Blessings | Learn more about our faith | Poverty
When I joined the Congregation of Holy Cross as a seminarian, our formation staff, composed of two Holy Cross expatriates, was deeply involved in the social teaching of the preferential option for the poor. They opted to place our formation house in one of Nairobi's largest slums. They emphasized the importance of living a simple life, identifying with the poor and the needy. We barely had any amenities for a student studying theology. One day, one of us, who was accustomed to stirring the waters with his provocative utterances, confronted the rector; we Africans come from poor villages, humble beginnings, lived all our lives in poverty, why do you force us to glorify poverty, or push us into even more unfortunate and miserable situations again? What is there to learn that we haven’t experienced? Don’t ask me what happened to him later. Blessed Are Those From the Gospel today, to many, it may sound strange that Jesus should declare the poor, the hungry, and those who weep as happy and blessed, and then a hopeless future for the rich. Probably many of us might find it disturbing, who does not need comfort, safety, and a good life!
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Blessings | Why pray? | pray the rosary
A priest speaking at a retreat influenced me to use my Rosary to think of something I’m thankful for on each bead, calling it a rosary of gratitude. It takes around 5 minutes but can be life-changing. “Things I used to complain about, I now thank God for,” he told the audience. He instructed us to look even at our difficulties and see the blessings. For instance, having the flu is not fun, but we have plumbing, a bed, clean sheets, access to a washing machine, and so much more that we can be thankful for.
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Blessings | Month of the Rosary | family prayer | pray the rosary
During a retreat, I was giving on a military base in Alabama, the base's chaplain mentioned the Rosary as a powerful prayer. Although I've heard that message many times before, Father's next statement, "The Rosary ends many wars," sparked something new deep inside my heart. As a Portuguese woman, I've known this on some level from the Blessed Mother's message at Fatima, but what he said next transformed how I relate to the Rosary. After a short pause and with palpable passion, he concluded, "Wars that rage in our world, our minds, our bodies, our spirits, and our families."
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