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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Love thy Neighbor | Return to the Church
In the classic novel "Alice in Wonderland," written in 1865, we encounter a whimsical and thought-provoking exchange between Alice and a mysterious cat. As Alice finds herself lost in a strange new world, she asks the cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" The cat wisely responds, "That depends greatly on where you want to get to." Confused, Alice replies, "I don't much care where so long as I get somewhere." To this, the cat says, "Then it doesn't matter which way you go!" The Gospel of the Day invites us to view life as a journey, recognizing that the Lord, "The Way," should be our road, direction, and destination. Life is full of journeys—short and long, inward and outward, toward God and away from Him. Each journey, whether a simple errand or a life-changing event, shapes who we are. Our earthly journey begins at birth and moves steadily toward its inevitable end, death. In today's Gospel—the raising of the widow's son in Nain—we witness multiple journeys amid death and life.
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Most often people who are overly critical of others have a lot going on in their personal lives. By shining some light on the brokenness in the lives of other people, they hope they can deflect attention on the inadequacies in their own lives. It also makes them feel much better about their own situation. Friends, we don’t get any points by making someone else look so horrible. Our situation does not improve by putting down someone else. The Lord tells us in the gospel that we need to carefully address what is going on in our lives first before we shift our gaze to what is happening in other people’s lives. “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”
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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.
A nine-year-old girl was walking through the fields a little away from her home when two men approached her and asked for help collecting fruits from the forest. Because she was brought up with the good habit of showing courtesy to her elders, the girl quickly agreed to help.
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Have you ever lived with someone who thinks there is only one way, one style, one method of doing something - and that one method is what they are familiar with? Jesus in our gospel today is dealing with a similar situation. The Pharisees and Scribes confronted him about why his disciples didn’t follow the devotional practices that everyone else followed. To them, there was one road to holiness and his disciples weren’t following that path, and that was a huge problem!
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In Luke's Gospel, we witness the transformative power of trust and faith. Weary from a fruitless night of fishing, Simon Peter encounters Jesus and, despite his exhaustion, chooses to obey. He lowers his nets once more, and the miraculous catch that follows changes his life forever. Like Simon Peter, we, too, experience moments of weariness and discouragement in our family lives. We strive to nurture strong relationships, guide our children, and maintain love in our marriages, yet sometimes it feels like we are casting our nets into an empty sea.
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In a world that often favors loud voices and harsh confrontations, the life of Saint Maximilian Kolbe shines as a beacon of love and sacrifice. His heroic act of selflessness amidst the horrors of Auschwitz reminds us that true courage lies in choosing love over hate and forgiveness over revenge.
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