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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Pompeii was an ancient Roman town city located near modern Naples, Italy. In 79 AD, the city was greatly devastated by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed it and buried it under nearly 13-20 feet of ash and lava. I think Netflix has a series of documentaries about this. The eruption killed the city's inhabitants and buried it under tons of ash. Plaster was used during the excavation to fill the voids in the ash layers, revealing the exact position of the victims. Several years later, while construction workers were laying the foundation for a building outside the city of Pompeii, they made a very strange discovery.
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Depending on the day, hour, and amount of coffee we have—we’re all subject to forgetting things and even people. But as we know, there are different levels. For instance, getting out of your car without your umbrella, forgetting where you put your keys, or being unable to recall an elementary classmate's name when you run into them at the coffee shop! Then there are the bigger items, like remembering your husband or wife’s or other loved ones' birthdays or your wedding anniversary. These situations have something in common—distraction and a focus on something (or someone) else.
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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.
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Right now, in the United States, the news of the presidential campaign is a constant: what one candidate says about the other, questions about the vice-presidential candidates, and what all of this will mean for the next four years of our lives. Today’s saint is a good reminder of what is possible when we unite faith in God with our works here on earth, including family life and our civic duties.
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Today, Catholics around the world unite in marking the feast of the Assumption of Mary, a solemn commemoration of the end of her earthly life and assumption into heaven. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Dogma of the Assumption, declaring, "The Immaculate Mother of God, the Ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."
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Imagine for a moment that you’ve had a major disagreement with someone, and then unfortunately you both get arrested and taken to prison. That’s part of the life story of today’s two saints, Hippolytus and Pontian. The first, Hippolytus, was a priest and prominent theologian in the second and third centuries. He is credited with writing a prayer that became part of the Eucharistic prayer used at most daily Masses. Hippolytus also often disagreed theologically and pastorally with popes. In fact, he would do battle with four popes who would become saints; that’s quite a track record. It was the final one of his life, Pope Pontian with who Hippolytus was arrested with and banished to Sardinia by the Emperor Maximus.
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An older man collapsed on Brooklyn Street and was taken to Kings County Hospital. From a faded address in the man's wallet, the hospital authorities tried deciphering the name and address of a marine, who appeared to be his son. They then made an emergency call for the marine. When the marine arrived, the older man reached out his hand feebly. The marine took it and held it tenderly for the next four hours until the older man died. After the man had passed away, the marine asked, " Who was that old man?" The nurse said, "Wasn't that your father?" "No," said the marine, "but I saw he needed a son, so I stayed."
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