x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
There are moments when we recognize God’s subtle but sure action in our lives. It may be an encouraging sign unexpectedly received, a word of encouragement at just the right time, or a long-awaited answer to prayer. Sometimes, it can be sensed in a gentle whispering in our hearts — an inner prompting from the Holy Spirit that challenges or convicts us. At these moments, we often clearly recognize the hand of God instructing and encouraging us. A Moment of Reckoning Among many such experiences in my own life, one memory stands out as a turning point in my life. It was a Sunday evening, and I was attending Mass as a college student at our campus church. Distracted by football games, parties, and social events, I thankfully managed to continue to go to Mass every weekend, though my faith and devotion were lukewarm.
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
According to FIFA, the organization that sponsors the World Cup, the 2022 final in Qatar when Argentina beat France had 1.5 billion viewers. In comparison, Super Bowl LVI had less than 200 million viewers worldwide. Full disclosure: I love soccer. Watching Liverpool with my sons is my idea of a great morning, so those numbers don’t surprise me. They do cause me to wonder, though. Why has the beautiful sport not taken off more in America? Why do we choose to spend three hours and 12 minutes on average watching 60 minutes of play in football when we can watch 90 to 100 minutes of play in soccer in under two hours? People tell me soccer is boring. There may only be one or two goals in a game. But here’s what they are missing. Soccer is a game of hope.
Share
Brief and contemporary inspiration focused on hope and family prayer will be delivered to your inbox! Articles include live video, written word, and links to resources that will lead you and your family deeper into faith.
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
Praying the Rosary was not something I grew up with in my family. Today, I would like to share how I came to learn and pray the Rosary and how praying with our Blessed Mother always brings me great hope! Early in 2020, our lives were all turned upside-down. My husband’s uncle, whom we were both close to, suddenly passed away. I also had to accept not seeing my parents in Florida for quite a while due to lockdowns. This was not an easy time for anyone. During this time, I also felt a strong and loving nudge to pray the Rosary. I know that this was our Blessed Mother guiding me to the protection of her mantle. It was a time when I was very much in need of hope.
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
As I was driving, following the ambulance with my husband inside, my car became a sanctuary for praying to God to heal him. I can still see the yellow line on the machine move up and down like on a Richter scale, then stretching out to a flat line. This took about a minute, but in those seconds, I prayed with all my heart in the hope that the line would move again to signal life had returned to the body of my beloved. My hope was gone, and my husband was dead. Whether a loved one dies in an instant, days, months, or years, you hope for healing throughout the period that life hangs in the balance. I have heard the anecdote that sometimes the answer to a prayer is yes, no, or not now. The “No” for me triggered a deep hope that my husband was on his way to Heaven. So many people requested a Mass intention for the repose of my husband’s soul immediately. As I attended those Masses, I would hear his name as part of the prayer of the faithful. It consoled me, but didn’t restore my hope.
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
One of my favorite scenes involving our Blessed Mother is the Wedding at Cana. Some Scripture scholars like to point to its significance because it marks Jesus’ first public miracle. Others think that its main intent was to draw attention to the validity and dignity of marriage. Mariologists sometimes look at it as exemplifying the fact that Jesus and Mary were, like us, human beings with family ties and important life events. All of these are true, and I appreciate each perspective. But I have one of my own. Mary Is Attentive to Others' Needs When I contemplate the Cana event, I am drawn to Mary’s attentiveness. While the other wedding guests are celebrating, she notices that something is amiss. The wedding couple has run out of wine, which, in that time and culture, would have been a huge embarrassment. First-century Jewish weddings were major occasions. Not only the family and relatives, but often the entire town was invited. Additionally, the feasting went on for days as opposed to the way modern weddings are conducted, with a single afternoon or evening reception. It was the responsibility of the wedding couple and their parents to keep everyone happy and satiated with food and drink.
Share
Faith Reflection | Hope-2025 | Jubilee of Hope | power of prayer
On my life’s journey, I am not sure that I have always been aware of hope or have even been hopeful. I know that in my later years, hope and faith are the only things that kept me standing, especially during some of the hardest moments of my life. As a kid, I remember many moments that were scary and maybe even traumatic at the time. Even then, I remember just thinking of Jesus or Mother Mary. I knew they could help, but that’s about it. Coming Back to the Faith I can say that I really didn’t know what faith really meant until my reversion about 19 years ago. I am a cradle Catholic who went to Mass, not understanding what real faith meant. After I lost my mom 25 years ago, I stopped going to Mass. I remember my pain being so overwhelming that I thought God had failed me. After all, if you have faith, you are guaranteed that your prayers will be answered.
Share
