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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Yesterday, as I rode in an Uber, after sharing part of his life story, my driver told me in college he’d had a class that talked about determinism vs. free will. So, he said, Father which do you think it is…is everything predetermined or is everything open and up to our decisions? Pretty good stuff for an Uber ride….
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
There are certain trails throughout the world that are famous for their long and demanding nature. Where I came from on the West Coast, the most notable is the Pacific Crest Trail, which -- just in the US portion -- stretches all the way from Mexico to Canada, and includes terrain rough and remote enough to challenge anyone’s fitness levels and survival skills. If one manages to complete the Pacific Crest Trail, it is an individual achievement greater than running the Boston marathon or scaling Mt Kilimanjaro.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Sometimes our good experiences are the expected outcome of what we’ve been working for, the natural unfolding of our usual role. But sometimes they represent a pretty radical shift in our life’s trajectory, a startling revelation to our very self-understanding. A person in college or the working world feels an unexpected call to consider a religious vocation. A young man and a young woman who have been friends for a long time suddenly sense that perhaps there’s something more to their relationship. A newlywed couple, both focused until now on succeeding in their professional careers, discern that, unlike many of their friends and peers, they desire to have children early in their marriage.
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How much do we trust God in adversity? I guess it all depends. Moses’ people trusted God when given the chance to flee slavery in Egypt, but then, when Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his whole army after them, they doubted God. Their fear and frustration were vented upon Moses as they sarcastically asked, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt…it’s far better to be slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” Two points came to mind. The first was, do we ever find ourselves making the calculations that the Jewish people did when faced with impending loss? Do we rationalize and settle for something wrong to keep afloat or not to upset the apple cart of life and family?
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“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” On Tuesday, I read and thought about those words from Jesus as I sat in a waiting area at the Brockton Hospital. From my corner seat, I could see patients and loved ones, doctors and nurses, and technicians passing by. Some walked by with confidence and others like me with hesitation, not knowing the outcome of the day’s visit, and still others also needed the use of a cane or to be assisted in a wheelchair. What I learned from talking to both the people who work at the hospital and those who are accompanying loved ones or those there for examination or treatment is that everyone has something that falls under a labor or burden in their lives.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
It’s another ordinary day. Moses is doing what he’s done for the last forty years, herding sheep in the wilderness. There’s nothing exceptional. Just a man, a stick, and some wooly animals. And then, a bush catches fire but doesn’t burn up. And with it, everything changes. Now pause for a second. Isn’t that how God works? Not with trumpets and fireworks, but in the middle of your Tuesday afternoon laundry, or your commute, or in the ache of an unresolved prayer. Moses wasn’t looking for God; he was looking for a lost sheep. But the burning bush found him.
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