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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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Last week I received a text message from my friend Joel. It began by asking if I was going to be watching the Notre Dame game football game and then took an unexpected turn when he asked me really good question: about how many of the people I know--who are Catholic are serious about their faith…as opposed to just going through the motions? That’s a great question for each of us to consider, whether directed to ourselves, our families, or friends? Are we or those closest to us serious about our faith in Jesus Christ and if so, how?
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Abba Daniel said’; “The body prospers in the measure in which the soul is weakened, and the soul prospers in the measure in which the body is weakened.” When we allow the temptations to overrun our lives, we are weakening the soul, we are hurting our relationship with God who has entrusted us with so much. However, when we remain faithful, and loyal to God, then we able to keep our earthly desires, and passions in check. Jesus tells us, “When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him, when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him”.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus’ sharp rebuke of the “lawyers” – the teachers of the law – who took away the key of knowledge; by not entering into it themselves, and so they hindered those who were entering into it. This warning was not just for their time, but rather it speaks directly to every community that claims to be a “church of the Word.” Jesus’ words expose a potential pitfall: those entrusted with authority whether in the Church or in our families, sometimes become solely gatekeepers rather than guides to Jesus and His Gospel message.
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Today the church celebrates the Memorial of St Teresa of Avila or Teresa of the Child Jesus. Saint Terresa lived in the 16th century. Together with St. John of the Cross, they made reforms on the Congregation of Carmelite friars and nuns. In one of her famous works of contemplation, “The Way of Perfection,” a practical guide on how to achieve spiritual growth, she mentions three things that inform this short homily or reflection. She talks of three essential virtues for a prayer filled life: Fraternal love: she implores us to nurture a deep and sincere love for one’ s community Detachment from worldly desires and affections. Humility: that helps us to understand our faults, imperfections and recognizing that all good comes from God.
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I have read about a blackout that took place on July 13, 1977 and it affected most of New York City. It was triggered when a lightning strike hit a substation near the Hudson River, initiating a cascade of failures in the power grid. The blackout lasted more than 24 hours in many places, with full restoration stretching into the next day. What makes this blackout unique in memory is that, because the moon was only a thin crescent that night, the skies were unusually dark. That allowed even city dwellers, under heavy light pollution, to see deep-sky objects, Stars, constellations, and those who had access to a telescope they could see the Milky Way and other celestial details which were rarely visible from midtown Manhattan otherwise.
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A couple of years back, I lived with a brother priest who, for years, had struggled with alcohol addiction. He was in an out-of-rehab, and when he realized he no longer had control over the addiction, he joined the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) movement. Alcohol addiction or any other addiction for that matter is one of the diseases that does not recognize your title, academic background, vocation in life, economic status, or your gender. Anyone can get it, and it can terribly affect one’s career, vocation in life, spiritual life, relationships, and even one’s physical health. At the time I met this brother priest, he had been sober or “dry” for so many years. He attributed his sobriety to being active in AA. Every day, he attended one or two AA meetings, did his daily reflections, and sponsored and accompanied many other candidates on the road to recovery. The Danger of a "House Swept Clean" An addiction is like a “demonic possession.” It can take over your life, leaving you with no control over your own life. If by the grace of God, you regain your freedom from the addiction or “the demon,” you have to find something different to fill the “empty house” or the empty heart that has been vacated by “the demon.” The Lord is speaking to us today about the fragility or the danger of the “swept and clean” yet empty house.
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