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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Healing the family | Strengthening family unity
A traveler came to an old inn and knocked on the door with the iron knocker. No answer. He tried again; only a hollow echo. But he knew people were inside; he had seen them in the window. So, with growing anger, he grabbed the knocker and banged it 10-15 times. Then he heard footsteps approaching and saw a face of an older woman out of the latch hole who timidly inquired whether the good gentleman wanted to come in. "Did I want to come in?" he shouted. "Anyone who knocked as I did must have."
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Healing the family | Strengthening family unity
Every now and then I’ll notice how people in television news or ads will refer to getting together with friends and family. Back when I was growing up, the order would have been reversed; we always said family and friends. It seems like such a simple thing; maybe even trivial. But as one of my seminary professors always said, “Words matter … pay attention to them and fight for their use and meaning.”
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Healing the family | Return to the Church
Brothers and sisters, those of you who have gathered here today and those joining online, look around you. Each one carries its own joys and sorrows, its own triumphs and struggles. Perhaps this week, you've argued with your teenager, worried about a sick child, or felt the strain of making ends meet. In these moments, it's easy to feel alone. But today, on this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we remember that we are not.
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Healing the family | Return to the Church
Many of us have encountered the acronym "RSVP" countless times in invitations for various social or religious events such as marriages, baptisms, birthdays, and wedding anniversaries. RSVP is an abbreviation for "Répondez S'il Vous Plaît," in French, which translates to "Reply if you please." The purpose of RSVP is to let the person sending the invitation know whether you accept or decline the invitation. Today, Jesus, the King of all Hearts, offers us a powerful and comforting invitation: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened..." (Mt 11:28). Every invitation contains essential elements: who it is from, who it is to, what it entails, and when it is offered. Let us examine these aspects of the Lord's invitation.
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Healing the family | Why pray?
I recently read an article (Washington Examiner) about the Governor of Virginia issuing guidance that would have students drop off their cell phones at the beginning of the school day and pick them up after their final class concluded. The catalyst for this plan is the link between student’s cell phone use during and between classes and negative consequences such as inattention to instruction and anxiety and depression. Research shows that students receive more than two hundred notifications on their cell phones a day and two thirds report being distracted by them.
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Healing the family | Learn more about our faith
The Scriptures and Church tradition use many images to describe God, reflecting His infinite nature of love. Similarly, various images depict the people of God whom God has drawn to Himself throughout salvation history. Prophet Hosea paints another beautiful metaphor of God as a parent to a wayward child. Hosea speaks of God's love for Israel: "I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them in my arms and fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; I stooped to feed my child." In the year 2018, the school where I worked suffered the loss of a 6-year-old child.
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