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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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“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” Alfred Lord Tennyson. I believe there is no greater power, in heaven or on earth, than the power of prayer. Prayer Invites us to surrender our lives and our agenda to that of the living God. If like the Pharisees, we think we are in control and we present a perfect but false profile to the outside world, we remain slaves to our egos and our own agenda. We find it difficult to surrender. Surrender is the keyword.
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Pharisees prioritize meticulous observance of rules, rituals, and outward displays of piety, frequently at the expense of inner transformation and compassion. Their focus is on the letter of the law, not its spirit. In contrast, a genuine disciple is animated by a deeper, more authentic calling. Their authority arises from a life transparently aligned with the core values of their faith—love, humility, truth, justice, and mercy.
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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.
When I visited Niagara last winter, my friends and me took a tour of a vineyard close by. If you’ve ever been to the Niagara region in January, you know it’s not exactly vacation weather. The wind cuts through your coat, your toes start questioning your life choices, and your nose runs like it signed up for a marathon. You wonder why anyone lives there at all. And yet, in those freezing days and nights, you’ll see workers in the vineyards harvesting grapes that look more like raisins than fruit.
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Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this memorial of the Queenship of Mary, the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has asked us to pray and fast for global peace. One of the titles of Mary is “Queen of Peace.”
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There’s an old Irish saying, which goes; “The most beautiful road is the one that leads you home.” We are on a journey, with a destination in mind. But if we’re honest, most of us pack for life as if this world were the final destination, extra baggage, emergency snacks, a few “just in case” projects. We live as if we are settling in for good, when in reality, we are all just passing through the departure lounge. And speaking of travel, let me share with you a story my friend forwarded to me. There is this couple from Minnesota, they were experiencing a freezing and severe winter. And so they decided, well, why don't we go down to Florida to experience some good weather? And they said, well, why don't we see if we can stay at the same hotel where they honeymooned 20 years earlier? So they made the arrangements. With the last-minute bookings, the only little hiccup was that they couldn't get on the same flight. And so they agreed that the husband will fly down on Thursday; the wife was coming on Friday. And the husband arrives safely at Florida.
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Every generation of young people have the saints for whom they feel a particular devotion. Teenagers and children today clearly love Blessed Carlo Acutis, who will be canonized on September 7. It makes sense; he’s one of them, a teenager himself, and someone who effortlessly used the tools of our digital world. Many Catholics around my age, we Gen X Catholics, feel a special connection with today’s saint, Maximilian Kolbe. Maybe it’s because ours was really the last generation to grow up in the shadow of World War II -- with a real consciousness of it as a battle for humanity’s soul -- since many of us had grandparents who had fought in Europe or Japan.
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