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
In 1998 I entered the novitiate as part of my Seminary formation. At our initiation to the novitiate, along with the Constitution of the congregation, we were given a best-selling book The Road Less Travelled by Scott Peck. The book’s first sentence starts with “Life is difficult.” If I may add, “Christian life is more difficult.” The Beatitudes are a call to us to see ourselves, to live with ourselves in a way that probably does not come easily to most of us.”
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Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. A couple of years back when I visited the Holy Land, we went to the old town of Ein Karem. This is believed to be the town where Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, lived. It is the town where Mary came to visit. It is in hilly country, and the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth is way up a hill. Below the hill is a well where Mary is believed to have gone to fetch water for home use.
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Today Jesus promises rewards for those who give up their loved ones and possessions for His sake and the Gospel. He says, “No one has given up home, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children or property, for me and for the Gospel who will not receive in this present age a hundred times more." But, of course, giving up something or someone is not only for priests and religious who renounce family and personal property to imitate Christ more closely. We can all learn to sacrifice something to witness Christ's presence in the world.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
You might be puzzled by this phrase, and I almost hear you thinking, "What on earth is 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit?'" We all understand baptism with water – we've seen it many times. Sometimes it happens when adults come to faith in Jesus and step forward to be baptized to seal their commitment to Christ. But most often, it happens to babies when parents present them to be baptized, or 'christened' as it's still often called. But what is 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit?' If you feel confused about this, you're in good company!
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
In 8 AD, Ovid, a Roman author, penned a story about Greek Gods Zeus and Hermes, who took on human form and visited a thousand homes in Phrygia seeking hospitality. Zeus and Hermes disguised themselves as human travelers in Phrygia. They go from house to house searching for food and lodging but are refused a thousand times.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Like any good parent, teacher, or coach, Jesus prepares the first disciples and us when He says, “From now on, I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe that I AM.” In this case, Jesus, during His teaching about serving others in God’s Name, mentions that one of them will betray Him.
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