World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor
When Pope Francis, whose birth name was Jorge Bergoglio, did one of his first major media spots after his election, the interviewer asked him the question, “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?”, and he answered, “I am a sinner.” While true, it was still a shocking opening response. It would have been as if Babe Ruth, near the end of his career, had been asked, “How would you describe yourself as a baseball player, Babe?” and he would have responded, “I’m a player who strikes out more than just about anyone else.” I mean, that was true, but it was also true that in certain seasons, Babe Ruth singlehandedly hit more home runs than almost all major league teams! Likewise, the Holy Father would have surpassed almost all of us in his prayerfulness and devotion and virtue. But he chose to lead with the truth that unites him to all of us: he is a sinner in need of God’s mercy, in need of the saving work of Jesus Christ.
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For many of us, the date 9/11 will always evoke a wide range of emotions and memories. Everything from shock and sadness to anger and fear and many more. Even though it has been twenty-four years since that tragic day, watching the news this morning can bring us back to where we were, what we were doing and who we first called.
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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.
Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
Has anyone ever come to you and asked for a simple favor? I bet all of us have ever received simple requests. For instance, someone asking help to be dropped at a bus stop, someone asking for a ride to the grocery store, or someone asking to borrow your ladder or lawn mower. People never forget those simple acts of kindness or willingness by someone to help them.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor
There is a notion in chemistry called activation energy. The idea being that, even for reactions that are going to give off a lot of energy, you have to supply a little energy up front to get them going. Think about lighting a match in order to start a big campfire. Tons of energy given off, but without the match, the kindling and the wood just sit there. An analogous idea can be found in the very colloquial business saying, “It takes money to make money.” Imagine if you had been able to invest $1000 in Nike or Apple or Tesla when the company first went public.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor
The book of Judges, from where we have the first reading today, covers a turbulent period in Israel’s history, after the death of Joshua and before the rise of kings. Without a central ruler, the tribes often drifted into moral and spiritual chaos.
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Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
In today’s Gospel, Jesus blesses as He departs and ascends. How wonderful God is that He would depart in a posture of blessing. At every mass, we offer Jesus back to the Father. And as the great offering ascends to the heavens, again we are blessed. Jesus departed to be received by the Father. To mount his throne in the heavens. Every mass, we are blessed to receive Jesus on the throne of our hands. As Jesus takes his place in heaven, He takes his place in our hearts.
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