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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
A busload of politicians was driving down a country road near Galway when suddenly a tire blew. The bus ran off the road and crashed into an old farmer's barn. The old farmer got off his tractor and went to investigate the accident. Soon he dug a large hole and buried the entire busload. Several days later, the sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus, but no bodies, and asked the farmer where all the politicians had gone. “Sure, and I buried ‘em.” The sheriff said, “Lordy! Were they all dead?” Said the old farmer, “Well, some said they weren’t, but you know how them crooked politicians lie.”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Catherine Booth, co-founder with her husband, William Booth, of the Salvation Army, was an electrifying preacher. Wherever she went, crowds of people came to hear her message of hope: princes and nobles, beggars, and homeless people. One night, after preaching in a certain city, a certain well-placed lady invited Mrs. Booth to dinner. The lady's words of welcome as she arrived were: "My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was so dreadful." "What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Booth. "Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible that many of them were homeless. I do not think I shall sleep tonight!" "Why, dear, don't you know them?" Mrs. Booth asked. "Certainly not!" the host replied. "Well, that is interesting," Mrs. Booth said. "I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!" The lady who had invited Mrs. Booth to dinner understood her "neighbor" was not to be limited only to those on her social and economic level.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, we are invited to reflect on the theme of connection—connection to God, one another, and the whole of creation. Most of us know the term "conference call. But that may be a bit of an old concept; we now have Zoom or team meetings" It means having several people talking or having meeting together on the telephone or a computer. The people talking are online with each other. In this way, you can meet people from all over the world. It is possible you can see and interact with each other online as if you are speaking with someone or others face to face.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus whose feast day we celebrate today is one of the most beloved saints. But like most future saints, her life was not easy, and her plan to live it was different than God’s. After death of Therese’s mother when she was only four, she received a maternal care and faith formation from her sister, Pauline. However, Pauline felt the call to religious life and entered the Carmelite convent. Therese would recount how this caused her to want to follow in her sister’s footsteps. When Therese was fourteen, her sister, Mary, would enter the same convent as Pauline.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
The Book of Job (1:6-22) offers us a profound perspective on life’s fleeting nature. Job, in his suffering, reflects, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return” (Job 1:21). His words remind us that everything we accumulate and achieve in this life will ultimately be left behind when we depart from this world. We often hear people speak of a “bucket list”—a list of things they wish to experience before they die. "I am reminded of a film titled ‘The Bucket List’ which is a heartwarming film that explores life’s deeper meaning through the unexpected friendship of two terminally ill men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. As they embark on a journey to complete a list of dreams and adventures, the movie delves into themes of mortality, forgiveness, and self-discovery. With humor and poignancy, it reminds us that life’s true richness lies not in the number of days we have but in how we choose to live them—making each moment count, embracing the joy of connection, relationship and daring to pursue the dreams we’ve put on hold."
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today we hear Jesus ask his disciples what word was out in the public was about him. “Who do people say I am?” The disciples gave him the different versions of what they heard people thought he was. The question he asked though was a leading question. It was meant to lead the disciples to reflect on what they thought about Jesus. “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter appropriately answered that Jesus was the "Christ of God.” – The Anointed One, the Messiah.
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