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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Hope | Jubilee of Hope | family prayer
We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart, and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire; that is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope. (Letter from Pope Francis announcing the Jubilee 2025) A Story of Hope A priest shared a beautiful story with me recently. He was asked to open his parish to a large group of individuals who were displaced due to the recent floods. He had plenty of room in the parish center, but the building had no power. As the individuals set up their cots in different areas of the room, he noticed two gentlemen who parked themselves right next to an electric outlet and immediately plugged in their phones. The priest approached them and jokingly said, “If you have found a way to charge your phones, you must definitely be connected to a higher power than I am.” One of the men smiled and said, “Once power is restored, guess who will be the first to charge his phone?”
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Hope | catholic family life | prayer
Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you great things beyond the reach of your knowledge. (Jeremiah 33:3) Tasting, touching, hearing, seeing, smelling … I learned of the five senses as a small child but could never have imagined how integral these are in our life. Our senses play an active part in the creation of memories and can trigger those memories too. The lyrics and mood created by songs often reflect our emotions, attitude, and perspective at a certain stage of our life. Scents of certain foods might remind us of special meals or celebrations—for me, rainy days always remind me of my mom’s baking. Family photos evoke visual memories that also bring forth with them sensations and emotions.
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Catholic Faith | Hope | family life
Right after the holiday celebrations, we celebrate the arrival of another year. We are filled with hope, plans, and projects—after all, it is a NEW year. What is it that ignites this hope in us? Why do we get so excited? Isn't January first like any other day? God is an excellent teacher who educates His children so that we can seek to find Him in our lives and walk the path that will lead us to eternity with Him in Heaven. With this in mind, God created nature in a cyclical way: we perceive the passage of time not only in our bodies, with aging, but above all with the different seasons.
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Holy Week | Hope | Lenten Reflections
If your Lent has been like mine, it has been a season of darkness and dryness. Personal struggles, doubts, fear, discouragement, and dealing with the illness of my youngest sister are some of the challenges that have arisen on the journey through Lent, providing plenty of opportunity for built-in sacrifice and penance. Through the difficulties, however, the joyful theme of hope repeatedly emerged as the virtue to focus my attention on and embrace. I realized that I have been concentrating on the trials and hardships and taking my eyes off of Jesus and the hope of the Resurrection.
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Hope | Scripture Study | reading the Bible
Have you ever met someone who traverses adversity without losing hope? Miriam is such a person, and she imparts hope to us. Born into slavery in Egypt, Miriam was the older sister of Moses and Aaron. Her name is derived from the Hebrew words for “bitterness” or “rebellion,” and it may have reflected a cultural disposition toward bitterness because of Pharaoh’s maltreatment—including his attempted genocide of the Hebrew children, which Miriam and others actively resisted (Ex 1:15–16). In so doing, holy women such as Miriam “kept alive the hope of Israel’s salvation,” as the Catechism notes (CCC 46).
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