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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
Looking back over my life, it seems that the depiction and talk of angels waxes and wanes. In older churches, we see ceilings and walls adorned with them. In pop culture, we’ve had TV shows like "Touched by an Angel" and "Highway to Heaven" and of course the classic movie, "It’s a Wonderful Life" where Jimmy Stewart’s character is led from despair to hope by his 'on the job' training angel, Clarence. And, of course, we have the chubby figurines with wings that you’ll find in gift stores around the world.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Recently I viewed a Public Broadcasting documentary about Mexico, its rich heritage, which included an exploration a popular holiday, the Day of the Dead. This festive yet reflective holiday is a celebration of life, and of ancestry - a day believed to reunite all those who died with the living. It is an important day that brings back the memory of deceased loved ones, lest they be forgotten.
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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.
On this day of remembering Saint Vincent de Paul, patron of charitable societies, it’s amazing to me how timely is this influential Saint of the poor. Think of the Haitian immigrants at the border in Del Rio, Texas, living under a bridge. No longer there, thousands have been deported back to Mexico or to Haiti itself. There is no facile or perfect solution to the mass migration of so many from Haiti, Central, and South America, and from other nations around the world.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Have you ever been at Mass and before you know it your saying, "Thanks be to God" or "Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ" and not you’re not sure what you’ve just heard. There are all sorts of distractions we bring into Mass or reading Scripture; so at times, I try to listen for key words to help me remember the main point.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Having spent an enjoyable evening with my nephew and his wife, as I was entering my car for the drive home, he suggested an app that I might like to have on my phone. The app would tell you more about astronomy, but I said I did not want it. "But look at that moon," he said. "With this app you could see all the stars and planets not visible to the naked eye."
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Today’s celebration of Our Lady of Sorrows is also the patronal feast day of the men of the Congregation of Holy Cross. This feast has its origins in the Middle- Ages. The memorial to the Sorrows of Mary was started by the Servite Friars in the 1600’s and in 1814 Pope Pius the VII extended the celebration to the whole Western Church after the Holy Father was freed from the sufferings he endured during captivity in France.
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