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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
A wealthy man was once seen driving his luxurious Lamborghini through a bustling city. As he stopped to park, a curious passerby exclaimed, “Wow, such an expensive car! But did you notice your rear windows are broken?” The man smiled and replied, “Yes, they’re broken for a reason—they remind me of God’s Providential Love.” Perplexed, the passerby asked, “Broken windows… God’s love? How?” The man began, “One day, I was speeding through these very streets when I heard a loud crash. A stone had struck my car. Furious, I stopped and saw a ragged boy, the culprit, standing nearby. My anger boiled as I approached him, but before I could say a word, he fell to his knees, hands clasped, tears streaming down his face.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Certain readings cause me to have some trepidation when said in mixed company—and by mixed company, I mean people with Boston accents and those without. The words “harden not your hearts” are not only a challenge for some people to say, but they are also something we all need to guard against. Fidelity to God, belief in God, is something that we all can agree is how we are made to live. However, as we hear in Holy Scripture and may personally experience, we don’t always remain faithful to God as we should.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Chess is a popular game that is loved and played by millions around the globe. It is a two-player strategy board game that is played on a chess board. The game of chess brings alive a war on the board with clever strategies and witty planning with constant movements. It’s a sort of a battle that rages strongly, a combat that is highly engrossing. It is a battle of minds, where each move is calculated, and the goal is to checkmate the opponent. Interestingly, our Christian lives can be likened to this game. We are engaged in a spiritual warfare, a constant struggle between good and evil, where the stakes are high, and the consequences eternal. But unlike a game of chess, this battle is not a mere fiction; it is real, it is alive, and it involves every aspect of our lives.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
I still vividly remember the journey of becoming a priest. As a teenager, applying to the seminary felt like trying to get into the most exclusive club—only with more paperwork and no party. There were workshops, psychological tests, preliminary interviews, letters of recommendation, and a medical fitness certificate. Since I belonged to the Syro-Malabar Rite but was joining a Latin Rite congregation, I needed a special permission letter from my bishop. When I was finally accepted, it was only the beginning of a long formation—14 and a half years, to be exact! It involved undergrad studies, philosophy, theology, spiritual and pastoral formation, and mission work, all designed to prepare me for the priesthood. After successfully navigating it all, I was finally ordained. Now, compare that to the disciples in today’s Gospel. Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John as they simply go about their daily routines—casting nets, mending them—and they immediately leave everything to follow Him. No interviews, no recommendation letters, no years of discernment. Just an instant, wholehearted “yes.”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Return to the Church
As I read and reflected on today’s readings several questions arose: “When was the last time you felt Jesus’ compassion? When was the last time you felt compassion for another person? How do we grow in compassion?” We’ve just heard, “When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them…” In Jesus’ Sacred Heart there is more than enough compassion for all men and women and children who are experiencing suffering of any kind. The reason in today’s gospel that Jesus felt compassion was because the people were like sheep without a shepherd; a people who were lost and needed someone to guide them. And Jesus knew what that could lead to…
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Holy lives of inspiration | Return to the Church | Saint Andre Bessette
Saint Joseph’s best friend and tireless disciple, Saint Andre, always said, "Go to Joseph. You have a powerful friend in heaven. He will never let you down." Brother Andre Bessette, born August 9, 1845, drew his last breath at 12:50 AM on January 6th, 1937. It was the feast of the Epiphany, but because of the holiday, no paper was published that day. The radio spread the news like the wind, and early that morning, all knew that the holy man who had founded Saint Joseph's Oratory had passed away. Before setting the date and time for the funeral, two rather unusual decisions were made earlier that morning. One was to preserve his heart; the other was not to embalm his body.
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