x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
A few years ago, scientists placed sensitive, sophisticated microphones near tomato plants. They discovered something astonishing: plants under severe thirst or injury emit rapid ultrasonic popping sounds. Human ears cannot hear them, but the plants are not silent. A thirsty plant may look perfectly respectable in its pot while quietly producing distress signals beyond our range of hearing. This explains many houseplants. They were not dying peacefully. They were screaming for weeks while we stood beside them saying, “That is strange. What's wrong with it, I watered it sometime around last Easter.”
Share
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Most of us become interested in stitching only when a button falls off ten minutes before we plan to get out of the house for a reception. Then we discover that the sewing kit contains twelve colors of thread, none of which matches with the outfit I am wearing now, and a needle whose eye appears to have been designed only for angels. After several attempts, some people sew the button back. Others decide the jacket over it looks more contemporary and stylish. Yet one of the greatest achievements in human history depended upon women who knew exactly how to guide a needle. When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969, the world saw the astronaut, the rocket, and the American flag. Almost no one saw Hazel Fellows and the other women who helped construct the Apollo spacesuits. These women came from the International Latex Corporation, associated with Playtex, a company better known at the time for manufacturing ordinary clothes than spacecraft.
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.
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
My parents were farmers. I grew up working the land alongside them. Today marks the twentieth anniversary of my father's death — a man who sowed good seed in me long before I understood what that meant. Every farmer knows: good seed alone is not enough. The soil matters.
Share
My dear brothers and sisters, today's readings ask us one simple question: Is my heart still open to God? In the Gospel, Jesus says something that can sound puzzling: "To anyone who has, more will be given." He is not talking about money or success. He is talking about an open heart. The one who welcomes God's grace finds that grace keeps coming. The one who closes his heart slowly loses even the ability to recognize God's presence. The difference is never God's generosity — God gives freely to everyone. The difference is our receptivity.
Share
One of Bruce Springsteen's most recognizable songs is Hungry Heart. The song tells the story of a man searching for happiness, belonging, and fulfillment. Beyond Bruces musical talent, it became popular because it touches something universal: every human being has a hungry heart. We all long for love, purpose, peace, and someone who truly knows us. The question is not whether we are hungry—but where we go to satisfy that hunger.
Share
Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
We have all been blessed in many ways from the families that raised us and contributed to the people we have become now. One thing that is so dear to me apart from my family of origin, is the new family I joined forty years ago and that is the Congregation of Holy Cross. It is family that has nurtured my relationship with God. Don’t get me wrong we share our difficult moments and crises at times, but the Congregation of Holy Cross has been and still continues to be a place where I have experienced a relationship of trust, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, encouragement, support, strength and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity. I am sure you can all give similar testimonies to different new families you belong to.
Share
