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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Saint Brother André Bessette for me represents a towering witness to the efficacy and power of prayer. The efficacy of prayer arising from a wounded soul, of prayer confident of God’s Providence, of prayer offered for the good of others, of prayer leading to the salvation of souls, of prayer united to the heavenly family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Alfred Bessette’s family profoundly shaped his spirituality. Tragedy struck young Alfred, the future Brother André, early, with the death of his father when Alfred was just nine years old, followed by his sweet mother's passing three years later. Orphaned and alone, he experienced firsthand the pain of loss and vulnerability.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
As the director of the Formation program for seminarians of the Congregation of Holy Cross, there is a term I used frequently as I cautioned the young men in formation. “Please don’t jump ahead of oneself.” Some with an ambitious mind wanted to act like deacons already. They were focusing too much on future outcomes even before completing the current stages of training. Of course, the dangers of becoming overly confident and unrealistic can be significant. No growth takes place then. Why am I saying all this, we just celebrated the birth of Jesus a few days ago and here we are with today’s Gospel already highlighting the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry after John the Baptist’s arrest. It might sound like jumping ahead of oneself.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
As we are still in the Christmas Season, it is necessary to continue contemplating and understanding the mystery of the incarnation and nativity of Emmanuel. To understand this, we need to dig deeper into the mystery of Christology. The question is, who is Jesus? Both the first reading and the Gospel throw light on this. In my reflection, I will focus more on the First Reading. The first letter of John, as we have heard, begins with a question. Who is a liar?
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
As we approach the final days before our celebration of Christmas, we are reminded once again of the many ways that God has been sending messages and messengers to us in advance of his coming among us as a man. Time and again, different prophets spoke to us of God’s concern and compassion for his people, assuring them that he walked with them. We were given an example of one such prophet today in the person of Malachi, whom God sent to assure people that He would send a messenger to prepare their hearts, restore relationships, and turn them back to God. The messenger God is sending would not simply announce news; he would shape hearts. In Luke’s gospel today, the prophecies of God took flesh in the birth of John the Baptist. We heard the neighbors who asked, “What will this child be?” The answer was clear: John is the messenger that Malachi spoke of. John’s very name, God is gracious - announces the new area of salvation. His life becomes a bridge between the old and the new. John is the one who calls people back to God, reconciles hearts, points away from himself and towards Jesus, lives simply, boldly, and faithfully.
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As we come down the homestretch of Advent toward Christmas, it’s good to pause and remember why December 25th is a holy and special day. The opening prayer says it all: “O God, who seeing the human race fallen into death, willed to redeem it by the coming of your only begotten Son…” In just one line, we recognize our need for a Savior and profess that one has been sent. The prayer then turns to our response: “…grant, we pray, that those who confess his Incarnation with humble fervor may merit His company as their Redeemer.” That phrase—“confess his Incarnation with humble fervor”—is a powerful reminder of what we strive for in our faith: to proclaim that Jesus, the Son of God, took on our human nature to redeem us, and to do so both humbly and with passion. That balance is not always easy.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today's readings present a miraculous conception of two famous people in the history of the Israelite. These are Samson and John the Baptist. They carry similarity connected to their mission as announced by an Angel. They are both to be Nazirites from birth, abstaining from wine and strong drink, their mothers were barren initially and both have a mission of participating in the mission of God’s working among his people.
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