World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Assuming that after the Annunciation took place on March 25, Mary left Nazareth and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth because her presence and much more, the presence of Jesus in her womb, was to be the source of very great graces to Saint John, His Forerunner. Elizabeth was six months pregnant and needed Mary’s attention, help, service and care since she was already in old age. Mary’s mind was still attuned to helping others and putting into practice, even if it was not yet written, the words of Saint Paul: “Your move must be sincere, Anticipate each other in showing respect, look on the needs of the saints as your own; be generous in offering hospitality.”
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Today's gospel evoked memories of my childhood when I and my classmates were eager to be the first in line for lunch or recess. I vividly recall my Saint Mary's High School teachers gently guiding us to form an orderly line. Often, a student who had rushed to the front would be sent to the back, a lesson in humility. Sometimes, we would line up in alphabetical order, and those of us with names towards the end of the alphabet would playfully lament their fate. No matter the order, there was always a shared desire to be near the front, a desire for recognition and status that we all understand.
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On Sunday night, my Dad and I watched the Memorial Day concert on TV. Like hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of others, we listened to the stories of brave men and women who have served our country. The backdrop was the United States Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial, two iconic sites in the United States of America. But they would not exist without the men and women who have built and protected the United States and her sovereignty.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor
Today in our gospel we hear how the disciples of Christ found some villager who was blessing the sick and praying for their healing, all in the name of Jesus, and how they tried to stop him because he was not part of their group or company. When the disciples told Jesus about this, He reprimanded them for their envy and fear. Jesus told them that, “No one can perform a miracle in my name and at the same time speak ill of me. Anyone who is not against us is with us.”
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It’s great to be back: my first visit home since last June! I am serving in Santiago, Chile now, since a year and a half ago when our Provincial superior asked me to go there to be the director of the seminary for Latin America of our Congregation of Holy Cross. I am helping in our Family Rosary in Chile, too.
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The feeding of the 5000+ is one of my favorite Biblical stories. It mirrors earlier years when God fed the Israelites in the desert with Manna, and it also mirrors the Eucharist we celebrate where the Lord feeds us and satisfies our deepest "hungers."
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