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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
As we approach the final days before our celebration of Christmas, we are reminded once again of the many ways that God has been sending messages and messengers to us in advance of his coming among us as a man. Time and again, different prophets spoke to us of God’s concern and compassion for his people, assuring them that he walked with them. We were given an example of one such prophet today in the person of Malachi, whom God sent to assure people that He would send a messenger to prepare their hearts, restore relationships, and turn them back to God. The messenger God is sending would not simply announce news; he would shape hearts. In Luke’s gospel today, the prophecies of God took flesh in the birth of John the Baptist. We heard the neighbors who asked, “What will this child be?” The answer was clear: John is the messenger that Malachi spoke of. John’s very name, God is gracious - announces the new area of salvation. His life becomes a bridge between the old and the new. John is the one who calls people back to God, reconciles hearts, points away from himself and towards Jesus, lives simply, boldly, and faithfully.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today's readings present a miraculous conception of two famous people in the history of the Israelite. These are Samson and John the Baptist. They carry similarity connected to their mission as announced by an Angel. They are both to be Nazirites from birth, abstaining from wine and strong drink, their mothers were barren initially and both have a mission of participating in the mission of God’s working among his people.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Immaculate Conception | Learn more about our faith
In difficult situations, dilemmas, quest between the truth and Charity sometimes we seek justification. We quickly identify the wrong, and the betrayal; we are cornered by pain. We seek relief by exposing that individual who has failed us. The world will clap for us! Pope Francis in his Apostolic letter Patris Cordis (With Father’s Love) says that often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. "Joseph set aside his ideas in order to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them and make them part of his history." — Patris Cordis, Apostolic letter by Pope Francis (150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as patron of the universal church)
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Holy lives of inspiration | Immaculate Conception | Learn more about our faith
“We can draw strength, love and so many other blessings from our ancestors as we learn about them, practice gratitude for them, and perform sacred ordinances for them in the temple” If Only Our Ancestors Could Talk by Sheiyenne Baloo What has this got to do with the gospel reading today? We are presented with a genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, arranged into three neat sections of fourteen generations all connected to Abraham and David. What is it about all these generations of people named that should even attract our attention?
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Last night, driving home after our early sunset, there was a noticeable warmth in the homes decorated with lit trees and lights in the windows, piercing the wintry darkness and reminding us of the light of Christ. In a way, these Christmas lights can help us to gain a deeper understanding of how people found solace in the words, “Comfort, give comfort to my people.” Isaiah’s words convey God’s merciful approach to us, reminding us of a shepherd who gathers the weary and lost, carrying those who cannot walk on their own, and leveling the rugged paths of our lives.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Immaculate Conception | Learn more about our faith
The church celebrates our Mother Mary as a model of holiness. From the earliest times, the Church has always believed and held our Blessed Virgin Mother in high esteem as the mother of Jesus Christ. Officially, Pope Pius IX proclaimed Mary’s Immaculate Conception in 1854. Basically, highlighting that God preserved Mary from sin because of her unique privilege of being the mother of God’s son. I have some friends from other religious denominations in Uganda who always ask; Why do you (Catholics) pray to Mary, worship her statues, and put her on the same level as Jesus, yet she is human like us? You don’t need to pray through Mary; pray directly to Jesus Christ, that we need to look towards God alone. To these comments, my response is and always has been...
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