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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
The Mass Readings of today seem all too familiar. The messages of "trust God" as Abram did and the "stop judging others" message from Matthew had been retold repeatedly. What is there new to say besides the same old storylines? As I read through the readings, I saw a connectedness between the readings that made great sense.
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In the year 2009, the Gallup Group released a study of the “happiest cities in the United States.” Boulder, Colorado with its beautiful vistas was number one, while Honolulu in Hawaii with its great tropical weather and laid-back lifestyle was number three. Tucked between these two big and beautiful cities was the little town of Holland, Michigan, which came in as number two. Many people were curious about what made little Holland one of the happiest places in the United States.
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Healing the family | Love thy Neighbor
Today's Mass reading in the Gospel of Matthew gets personal fairly quickly. "If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there, go and reconcile with your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
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One of the most interesting conversations I ever had when I was a young seminarian was with a nun friend. It was like a debate about the Ten Commandments. She kind of scolded me for taking the Lord's name in vain and told me that I would never make it to heaven if I didn't stop doing it. In my defense, I explained that other people violated commandments worse than what I did. They committed adultery, stole, killed, and lied. So, I felt that taking the Lord's name in vain was a minor offense. Surely God wouldn't turn me away for such a minor infraction when others had disobeyed the gravest of His commands.
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Learn more about our faith | Love thy Neighbor
I don’t have any scientific data, but I’m willing to bet that St. Anthony of Padua is in the top ten for people’s intercessory prayers! Whenever we’d lose something in my family, my Mom would tell us to pray to St. Anthony, and we’d find it … and like our friends’ experiences, he had a great track record of success in the Marcham home, resulting in donations to the Franciscans in Boston.
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Today as on many days, a lot is going on in our Mass Readings: A eulogy for holy men who are not known by most but nonetheless are known to God and their loved ones. And God blesses them and their children and children’s children. The famous scene of Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables at the Temple, As well as Jesus cursing a fig tree for its lack of fruitfulness!
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