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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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Has anyone seen the commercial for a service that promises to clean up your online reputation? Having seen it multiple times and heard today’s first reading, can make any of us wonder, “What example, what legacy, will we leave behind for our family members?” In today’s first reading, we hear that Jehoiachin was only eighteen years old when he became king; can you remember being 18…there’s so much ahead and a sense of hopefulness, and yet Scripture gives a sobering assessment of the king’s reign: “He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his forebears had done.”
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Today’s Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist is truly unique among the saints. Not only is it one of only three birthdays celebrated on the Church calendar – the others being the birth of Jesus on Christmas and the birth of Mary on September 8 – but it’s actually a higher order of celebration than even Mary’s birthday. September 8 is what’s called a feast day, whereas today we celebrate what’s called a solemnity. So, for instance, if September 8 happens to fall on a Sunday, we don’t celebrate Mary’s birthday that year. But if June 24 falls on a Sunday, we still celebrate St. John the Baptist.
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I would like to draw your attention to today’s First reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles. The reading is ordinarily approached as the story of Paul’s conversion — from Saul to Paul. However, I would like us to approach it differently as Ananias’ story, a story of extraordinary risk and courage. We heard that Saul, a radically prejudiced, dangerous enemy to believers in Christ, “breathing murderous threats” was on the road to Damascus on a mission to arrest and murder Christians. Jesus knocked Saul off his high horse! The Lord then asked Ananias to go and pray for Saul to regain his “sight.” Ananias knew how risky this would be to him and to other believers in the city. His reply to Jesus was, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here, here has authority to imprison all who call upon your name.” In US American parlance, Ananias was basically telling Jesus “Seriously? Are you asking me to go to a man who wants to arrest, imprison or even murder me?” That’s how imagine an American would respond!
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Today’s readings reveal a quiet but powerful truth: faith does not begin with our search for God, but with God’s search for us. He always takes the first step. He draws us—often gently, patiently—even before we recognize it. In the first reading, we encounter the Ethiopian eunuch, a man of influence and learning, yet still searching. He is reading Isaiah but cannot grasp its meaning. When Philip asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?” his response is deeply humble: “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
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Why do we find conversion stories so inspirational? Maybe I should be asking, why do I find conversion stories so inspirational. Just yesterday I came across a story about five medical students who were executed in 1943 by the Nazis. The story of one is unique in that he was baptized and received the Eucharist the day before his execution. Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles always intrigued me because it mentions that Saul who we know to be Paul sought out Christians and dragged them from their homes turning them over to the authorities for persecution and imprisonment and yet became a prominent missionary making Jesus known, loved and served.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
A few years ago, a father named Mark sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel, unable to walk into his own house. Inside, his teenage daughter was drifting further away, and their home had become a quiet battlefield. He whispered to himself words no parent ever wants to say: “We had hoped things would be different by now.” He felt like he had failed. Finally, he went inside… sat on the floor outside her bedroom… and said, “I don’t have the answers. But I am here. And I love you.” That moment—was not strength. It was vulnerability.
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