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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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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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Let me introduce you to Jochebed, mother of Moses from the first reading. No burning bush, no Red Sea yet. Just a woman, in a time of terror, doing what mothers do best: protecting life in the face of death. Pharaoh, in all his regal might, had issued a royal decree: every Hebrew baby boy must be drowned in the Nile. And what does Jochebed do? She looks at her newborn son, sees something “special” in him, and let’s be honest, what mother doesn’t think her child is special? But Jochebed’s faith isn’t just sentimental, it’s strategic. She hides him for three months, then weaves a basket, like a tiny ark, places him in it, and lets him go into the very river meant for his death. That’s not fear. That’s Trust You know what strikes me most? Jochebed never hears a voice from heaven. No angel appears with a five-point plan. She has no assurance this will work. All she has is maternal instinct and mustard-seed faith. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.” “I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…[so that] one’s enemies will be the members of one’s household.” ~ Matthew 10:34—11:1 These proclamations from our Lord can strike us particularly harshly here at Holy Cross Family Ministries, because Venerable Patrick Peyton dedicated his life to family unity through prayer and proclaimed that prayer brings peace. What do we make of this? First, we must understand that when Jesus speaks of peace in this passage, He means freedom from conflict, particularly oppression from one’s enemies. There was, in fact, an expectation that the Messiah would usher in an era where nations no longer engaged in conflict, and God’s people, especially, no longer suffered oppression. Jesus, instead, makes no such promises, at least not for His first coming upon the earth.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
In the world of marketing, the biggest thing you sell to potential consumers or buyers is how life is going to be easier for them after they buy your product. You persuade buyers that the product you are proposing to them is the best thing that has ever happened in their lives! We hear the message coming through that says “If you buy this lawn mower, you will never have to work the rest of your life!” “If you call this law firm your case is almost won!” “If you buy this car, you will barely have to pay for gas or maintenance!” Essentially, marketers sell to their would-be customers, convenience, comfort, ease, enjoyment, and winning!
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
This week Fr. Fred’s and Fr. Charlie’s homilies connected for me as I read and prayed over today’s readings. Fr. Fred spoke about our baptismal call to be build up the Kingdom of God, each in our own way as missionaries of Jesus. Yesterday, Fr. Charlie spoke of the work of God in a family that was ruptured by jealousy but reconnected in a time of adversity, when Joseph’s brothers unknowingly stood before him. Father Peyton no doubt knew many stories of families that were going through challenging times and would have encouraged them to pray together for God’s assistance. I am sure that he would have spoken about how the grace of God is at work even before we recognize it as was in the case of Joseph and his brothers.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Today’s first reading from Genesis is a crucial moment in the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob. This whole narrative, which stretches over fourteen chapters, is one of the true gems in the Bible. Even people who aren’t believers can appreciate its artistry. After all, they didn’t make a smash Broadway musical out of it for nothing! But it’s only as believers, with the eyes of faith, that we can appreciate the story’s deepest meanings.
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