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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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My brothers and sisters, In these weeks leading up to Christmas, if I asked a typical family, "What are you waiting for?" the answers would probably be very practical. We are waiting for Amazon packages to arrive. We are waiting for the kids to get out of school for break. We are waiting for the traffic to clear, or perhaps just waiting for a moment of peace in a chaotic schedule. But the question of Advent goes deeper: What is your heart waiting for?
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity
Today our First Reading from Isaiah and the Gospel from Matthew provide so much comfort and assurance in God’s unfailing help. The Prophet Isaiah writes that, “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagle’s wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.” The Lord says in the Gospel that “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” We human beings are not like God! We are limited. We are weak. We grow weary, get exhausted by life’s circumstances. Both readings underscore the important fact that when we abandon ourselves to God, He will provide the strength and the renewal we need to positively journey throughout life! We don’t have to carry our own burdens.
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity
Our gospel today invites us to reflect on the critical difference between a superficial faith marked by mere words, rituals, and gestures; and an authentic faith marked by love for the Lord, obedience to him, and a faith demonstrated through actions. Our Church is full of examples of individuals who gave us concrete examples of what it means to live an integrated faith that cares about the profession of faith but cares about the concrete living out of the faith. Think of Mother Teresa, think of Dorothy Day, think of Damien of Molokai, think of Mother Cabrini! These provide a blueprint for discipleship and what it means to concretely live out faith.
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~Mark Twain In Matthew's Gospel, we are presented with Jesus extending his kindness to the broken and the vulnerable, restoring them to good health from all their ailments. They brought him lame, dumb, and all with other sicknesses. And because of his compassionate heart and acting with authority from his Father, he did not hesitate to work healing miracles among them. People filled with gratitude praised God for all that they were experiencing through Jesus Christ’s ministry. No one who met Jesus remained the same, they were all touched and transformed by his healing and miraculous power, more so his compassionate love. His miracles demonstrated the power of God and the magnitude of his mercy and kindness toward us humans. That is probably why the crowd never wanted to dispatch; they stayed put for three days listening to Jesus.
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see” This is a beautiful phrase that Jesus uses to encourage his disciples and those who were listening to him that they carry a special favor in their hands. They have been blessed because they are witnessing what important figures in the past longed for but never got to. Jesus, in announcing this blessing, also highlights the special and unique relationship He shares with the Father: He states that “all things have been delivered to me by my Father” His mission is to reveal that Father to us. To make Him accessible and intelligible to us as humans.
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Learn more about our faith | Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
Good morning, beloved friends, and a blessed welcome to this first week of Advent! The Church invites us to prepare our hearts for Christ's coming—both celebrating His birth at Christmas and anticipating His return in glory.
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