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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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Choices matter in life. Some are difficult and others are simple. Those hard decisions, especially on matters of faith, carry with themselves a lot of blessings, rewards, and eternal peace. God in the scripture is presented on many occasions as a father who not only awaits the sinner to return but also provides the means for return. The mercy and love of God seek out the lost, doubtful and despaired and leads them back to Him. God does not want to lose anyone. The readings today relate on how we walk with God. They provide a Christian roadmap that transcends beyond the physical world to eternity.
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I want to share a story that has been circulating lately, a story of an Uber driver named Marcus and a passenger named Mr. Patterson. One evening Marcus picked up an elderly man at 11 PM who handed him five addresses and said, "Drive me to these places. Don't ask why until we're done." First stop: a house in the suburbs. The old man sat in the car, staring at it, crying silently. "This is where I grew up. Okay. Let us go to the Next stop." Second stop: an empty elementary school. He got out, walked to the playground, and sat on a swing for twenty minutes. "I taught here. 43 years. Best job I ever had." Third stop: a diner. He went in, ordered coffee, but he didn't drink it. Just sat. Looking around. "My wife and I had our first date here. 1967."
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“Guard against the leaven of the Pharisee and Herod...” Jesus is cautioning his apostles against letting bad influence corrupt their lives. During my time in the formation house, it was interesting to see some young men especially those who were struggling with their discernment journey. Instead of dealing with their weaknesses rightly, some used to find it easier to seek relevance and security by trying to rally people around their weaknesses, acting as victims of being misunderstood. Implicitly and gradually becoming the bad apple.
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I would like to invite you to reflect with me on the First Reading (1 Kings 11:29-32;12:19) and the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 81). In both texts, the Lord cautions us about the risks of a "divided heart” - one that tries to worship Him and to worship idols at the same time. As a sophomore and freshman in high school, I read all the Old Testament books, just the way one reads a story book. Part of it was that I did not have any other books to read! It was fascinating to read about the Judges and the Kings of Israel. This whole week we have been reflecting on the Kings of Israel especially King Solomon. We heard that with all the blessings he got from God through the foundation his father David laid for him, Solomon made other choices in life that had severe consequences on his household and the Kingdom of Israel. We heard that he married many foreign wives and he allowed them to come with their religions and their “gods” and he also allowed them to set up altars in his palace. He was a firm believer in the unbridled freedom of religion for all in his household, but it didn’t go down well.
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Today’s two Scripture passages are almost mirror images of each other. In the first reading from Kings, Solomon, son of David, the figure at the very heart of the nation, favored by God by two divine appearances and the gift of holy wisdom, turns away from the Lord and the covenant to follow the idolatry of the nations represented by his many foreign wives. In the Gospel reading from Mark, the woman, a foreigner from the very same nation as Solomon’s idolatrous wives, at first rebuffed by Jesus, persists in turning to the Lord and finally receives His compassionate favor.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
My dear brothers and sisters, today let us reflect on a spiritual practice that can sustain and strengthen our families: the examination of the conscience. In our families, we often look outward for the cause of our struggles and pain. We blame work, society, or even one another. Yet Jesus gently reminds us that what truly shapes our actions and relationships flows from within. He teaches us, 'what defiles us comes from within,' or 'Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt 6:21).' If our hearts carry evil thoughts or cherish evil deeds, these will echo through our households. But if we treasure love, patience, humility, and forgiveness, our homes become places where grace can flourish.
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