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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Throughout the world, to one degree or another, Christians are under persecution. For some, it is severe, as in the days of Philip in today’s reading; just look at stories from China, parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East. For others, persecution occurs through the laws or policies enacted by the government, private entities, schools, or societal groups.
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If you live in the United States, April 15th has a special place in your heart, or at least your wallet. Today is the deadline to file your state and federal income taxes. If you’ve prepared, you can breathe a sigh of relief and perhaps reflect on how you’re doing financially, not only for the past year, but also for the long run—hopefully with peace of mind.
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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.
The first line of today's gospel is perhaps the most famous biblical verse. It is on bumper stickers, barn roofs, and T-shirts. This sentence should send a chill through any person's heart. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life."
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Today, we gather to honor the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, a moment of divine intervention that forever changed the course of humanity. It was during this sacred event that St. Gabriel, the Archangel, descended from the heavens to deliver a message of profound significance to Mary. She was chosen to be the vessel for the divine incarnation of God Himself, Jesus Christ, through the miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
Jesus' early disciples were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. He called them to become his followers, promising to make them fishers of people. When Jesus was crucified, and all their hopes in him were dashed, they returned to Galilee and went back to their fishing. Today's Gospel reading suggests that they had lost their touch as fishermen. Perhaps their hearts weren't really in it. It is hard to go back to what we once did when, in the meantime, we have found something much more fulfilling.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Learn more about our faith
There was a professor in our seminary who was teaching us homiletics. He was trying to impress upon the students the importance of using facial expressions to express feelings when preaching. "When you speak of heaven," he said, "Let your face light with a heavenly glow, when you speak of hell, your everyday face will do." Sometimes, our "everyday face" reflects the hell we are going through. For the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus after hearing their Master's death, the facial expression reflected a "hell" of deep sadness and disappointment they were going through.
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