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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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In 1980, a retired NYPD detective, Frank Bolz pioneered something that transformed law enforcement forever, especially hostage negotiation. His radical, counterintuitive insight was breathtakingly simple: he said, don't storm the building. Talk first. Because the moment genuine conversation begins, something irreversible happens. When you talk, a relationship is established. The standoff becomes a relationship. And relationships, real ones, change people. God, it turns out, invented this long before Frank. What Isaiah records in the first reading is a divine hostage negotiation situation. And here's the twist; we are simultaneously the hostage and the hostage-taker. We have taken ourselves captive, barricaded inside our own comfortable habits, our carefully curated religion, our elaborate self-justifications. And God, rather than sending in the SWAT team, simply picks up the phone. "Come now. Let us talk this over." He doesn't kick the door in. He calls. He begins a conversation and that distinction is everything.
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In the marketplaces of Galilee, grain was not sold in tidy, sealed bags or neat plastic packages, like what we have in the supermarkets, but they were scooped from large baskets into whatever container you brought from home. A standard measure, usually, smaller household bowl was used to fill your bags before your eyes. But how it was filled made all the difference. A stingy merchant would pour the grain in loosely and stop when it looked full. Air pockets remained. Space was wasted. It appeared full and generous, but it was not. An honest seller, however, would press the grain down firmly with his hands. He would lift and shake the container so the kernels settled into every hidden gap. Then he would pour more on top until it formed a small mound above the rim, threatening to spill into your cloak. You went home knowing you had received more than expected.
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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.
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“Guard against the leaven of the Pharisee and Herod...” Anger is something we are all familiar with; it is all around us. It is expressed in various ways, quarrelling with those nearest to us, envying others, rejoicing in their ill-fortune, speaking disrespectfully or seeking victory that harms others or even us as individuals, failing people who are in danger. Anger is an emotion we all struggle with at one time or another. Even saints have been known to struggle with controlling their anger. Historians think Jesus nicknamed the apostles James and John the “Sons of thunder “because of their anger, if you read some of the letters of St. Paul there are occasions when Paul had some outbursts whenever he felt that the gospel he preached was being misunderstood, St. Therese of Lisieux, the little Flower had to work on controlling his anger.
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One of the key Pillars of Lent is Prayer. This is besides Almsgiving and Fasting. During this Lenten time, we educate ourselves more about prayer and increase our practice of it. In today’s readings we are invited to reflect on the Pillar of Prayer. Prayer as we might be aware can take different forms. There is a Prayer of Praise that celebrates God’s greatness and character; there is a Prayer of Worship or Adoration that celebrates God’s majesty or power, and there is a Prayer of Penance where we express sorrow for our individual and social sins and ask for forgiveness. There is also Prayer of Thanksgiving where we express gratitude for God’s blessings in our lives; there is also a Prayer of Lamentation where we express sorrow, grief, or distress, and call upon God’s intervention.
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Years back, my home country struggled with the debate about the death penalty. One side argued it should be on our law books and regularly be carried out and another side argued that we should get rid of it altogether. The people who ended up shaping and tilting the final stand of the country on the matter were prison guards and officers. For some reason, many of them happen to be practicing Catholics.
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Choices matter in life. Some are difficult and others are simple. Those hard decisions, especially on matters of faith, carry with themselves a lot of blessings, rewards, and eternal peace. God in the scripture is presented on many occasions as a father who not only awaits the sinner to return but also provides the means for return. The mercy and love of God seek out the lost, doubtful and despaired and leads them back to Him. God does not want to lose anyone. The readings today relate on how we walk with God. They provide a Christian roadmap that transcends beyond the physical world to eternity.
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