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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
In our fast-paced, screen-filled world, we're constantly bombarded with the need for validation. Likes, shares, and recognition can easily become our measure of worth. But today's readings offer a powerful truth: God isn't impressed by appearances; He sees the heart. He blesses what is done in secret, in sincerity, and from genuine love.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
I have a question for you: can you remember the last time that you gave praise to God like the psalmist that we have just heard? A time when you couldn’t help but praising God’s goodness and mercy, maybe even going beyond prayer with God and telling others…. As I reflected on this question, I thought about what it takes to get us out of normal dialogue with God whether in our formal prayers or in times of exasperation or fear when we simply call out to God for help. It’s then that I remembered the Air India plane crash that tragically killed 241 souls but somehow one man not only survived but walked out of the plane. That man and everyone involved used the same word to describe his beating the odds: miraculous.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Saint Paul addressed his letter to the Corinthians with a heartfelt appeal. Paul says, “As brothers and sisters in Christ, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Immediately, this made me ponder the questions: How are we receiving the grace of God? Are we letting this great gift help us fulfill our mission each day, or do we sometimes fail to use this gift from God to help us? Paul reminds the people of his time and ours of God’s message: “In an acceptable time, I heard you, and on the day of salvation, I helped you.” In every Sacrament…we receive the grace of God, and we know that we also receive His grace in moments of prayer and even in moments we cannot even find a way to ask for His help. In this spirit, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that God has heard them and helped them throughout their lives in various ways.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Saint Anthony of Padua {1195-1231} was a Franciscan priest and the best known follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and who was famous for his preaching, miracles and holy life, However, he is popularly known for his intercession when an item has been lost. He is often invoked with the familiar phrase: “Tony, Tony, come around, something’s lost and can’t be found.”
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Have you ever seen an unfinished bridge? I once visited a village where they proudly began building a beautiful concrete bridge over a river. Great foundation. Impressive pillars. It even had decorative railings on one side. But halfway through, the project stopped. Politics changed, policies changed, Budgets dried up. Now it just stands, suspended midair like a promise never kept. It’s funny until you realize: that’s what many of our relationships look like, half-built. We start with connection, trust, and love… and then something happens. A harsh word. A betrayal. Silence. Ego. Or like most of us, we don’t explode in rage, we freeze in silence. We master the art of polite distance, just smiling at people we secretly avoid. leaving that bridge hanging, unfinished, awkward, and unusable and slowly, quietly, we let the bridge rot. One misunderstanding at a time.
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While I was in India, I visited a school at the start of the academic year to bless their newly elected student leaders. As I arrived, a boy in a blazer two sizes too big marched up to me proudly wearing a badge that read: “Third Assistant Pupils’ Leader.” He gave me a firm handshake and said, “Father, I may not be the main guy, but if the main guy is absent and the assistant is late, then I’m in charge!” I smiled. It was funny, yes, but also profound. That boy had no delusions of grandeur. He knew his place in the order, but he stood tall, ready to serve.
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