x Close
World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
I attended a picnic recently and felt I could have been among the walking dead. I do not say this to disparage anyone. It had been several years since I last saw some of the attendees and people who I once knew to be vibrant were now wrinkled and some bent over. They did not appear to be people like the ones Isaiah described today, people with hearts that trembled as trees of the forest tremble in the wind. At one point, I had to ask myself to what extent had my own appearance changed.
Share
Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor
In the first of the two Scripture readings today, Amos continues to rail against the abuses inflicted on the poor by unscrupulous people, cheating them in the sale of wheat that was so essential to their daily diet. Fake baskets with a false bottom were used to hold wheat. It was not uncommon to touch the scales to inflate the weight while items were being weighed. Evil and greed on display.
Share
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.
As I listened to the murderous exploits of the mother, who, seeing her son dead, began to kill off the whole royal family, I was reminded of King Richard III of England. He was suspected of murdering his two young nephews, Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury while they were confined to the infamous Tower of London in the summer of 1483.
Share
O Mary, Mother of God, and our Mother, in this hour of violence and war we come to implore your help. You are truly our Mother, you love us, and you know us: nothing that we care about is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, often we have experienced your maternal tenderness along with your warm presence filling us with peace. We beg you to guide us always to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Share
Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
A story is told of a young boy in an Israeli airport who ran ahead of his father, and when the father caught up with him, he scolded his son. The father reminded the son that even though the father’s tone was severe he was still to address him as 'Abba,' using a word of respect that has come down to us this day; as a word of authority, intimacy.
Share
Love thy Neighbor | Return to the Church | Why pray?
In a homily I gave earlier in the week I mentioned that sometimes commercials come to mind when I begin to think about a homily. Well today when St. Paul was telling some Romans not to let sin into their lives, I thought of a commercial that features creepy crawly creatures that delight in having free range over us until one spray and they are gone. What would it be like if we could do this with sin? But it is not that easy.
Share
