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
Today, we reflect on the readings from Isaiah and Matthew, we also commemorate Saint John of the Cross, a mystic and a teacher of deep faith. His life story intertwines beautifully with today's scriptural themes. In the book of Isaiah, we hear God's tender assurances: “I will help you... I will make... I will answer...”
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
In 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Guadalupe, near Mexico City. Juan Diego was an Indian who first encountered our Blessed Mother as he traveled from his village to take part in divine worship and listen to God’s commandments. As he approached a hill named Tepeyac, with the dawn breaking, he heard someone calling his name. As he traveled up the hill, he caught sight of a woman, the likes of whom he had never seen, whose clothing was radiant as the sun. She said in the most kind and gentle way, “Juanito, the humblest of my children, know and understand that I am the ever-virgin Mary.”
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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the most important solemnities about our Blessed Mother. Pope Pius IX declared in 1854 that Our Blessed Mother, through a special grace, was preserved free from original sin right from the moment she was conceived in her mother, Anna’s, womb. It is part of the reason when the angel Gabriel came to tell her that God had chosen her as the mother of Jesus, the angel called her “full of grace.” She did not have a quarter of the grace, or have half of the grace, but she was full of grace!
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Recently, the Holy Cross Family Ministries team in Easton had a beautiful day of retreat with Fr. Bill Dorwart, C.S.C. It was a precious opportunity for us to pause, reflect on our journey, and find nourishment to move forward. As Kierkegaard wisely said, "Life must be lived forward and understood backward." Today, as we come together to celebrate the Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, we are reminded of the profound connection between living our faith and our actions, our prayers, and our commitment to embodying the Gospel in every aspect of our lives.
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Imagine standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and taking in the grandeur, magnificence, and the natural beauty of this marvel of God’s creation. We stand this day at a spiritual rim allowing us to glimpse the drama of good and evil battling each other in our own day.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Today we celebrate the Feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle. As ordinarily happens on days such as feast days or memorials of saints, we try to learn something about such a saint and find out how the life of that saint can inspire us in our journey of discipleship. Not much has been highlighted about Andrew in today’s Gospel, but there is a lot written about Andrew throughout the Gospels that we can reflect on. Andrew did not write any letters or deliver any sermons, but we have a few words he said and gestures he performed that are loaded with a lot of meaning for our benefit.
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