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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
Today's Mass Readings offer a profound invitation to re-evaluate what truly matters in our lives. St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians reminds us that our time on Earth is fleeting. He urges us to live with purpose and not become overly attached to worldly concerns. While we may not share Paul's sense of imminent urgency, his message rings true: our earthly lives are a journey toward eternity.
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Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
I am delighted to be here today at the Father Peyton Center in North Easton, Massachusetts — the Global headquarters for Holy Cross Family Ministries. I was blessed to grow up in a family. Families are found everywhere, and their challenges are pretty much the same. I come from India, the Diocese of Agartala, where I have been Bishop for the last 28 years. Today, I am also the Chairman of the Health Commission of the Bishops’ Conference in India. We have 171 Dioceses in India, and traveling through some of them, I find that a major health issue is mental health. Mental health affects families at all levels: divorced families, faithful families, hurting families, and dysfunctional families.
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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.
There's a heartwarming story about an artist who sought to paint the most beautiful thing in the world. He asked a pastor, a bride, and a soldier, each offering a different answer: faith, love, and peace. But it wasn't until he returned home that he truly understood. In the eyes of his children, he saw faith. In his wife's eyes, he saw love. And within his home, he found the peace that faith and love had created. He realized that the most beautiful thing in the world was simply "home.”
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Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
On this feast day of St. James, the apostle, we hear a call echoing through the ages — a call to service, to love, to sacrifice. This call isn't just for priests or religious but for every one of us, especially within our families. Our families are the primary arena where this call is lived out, where our service and love have the most profound impact. In today's Gospel, we hear James and John misunderstanding Jesus' message. They sought positions of power and prestige, but Jesus gently corrected their vision. He taught them that true greatness lies not in ruling over others but in serving them.
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Today’s readings invite us to consider the surprising ways God reveals Himself. In the book of Isaiah, we encounter a powerful image of God's sovereignty over nations and rulers. Yet, amidst this powerful display, God's ultimate concern is for the humble and oppressed. This echoes the heart of today's Gospel, where Jesus praises His Father for revealing divine wisdom to the childlike.
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Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
Imagine a family dinner. Laughter fills the room as stories are shared, connections are made. But what happens when the conversation stops? When the busyness of life pushes family time aside? Today's reading from Hosea speaks to that reality, a reality where families drift apart, not just from each other, but also from their faith.
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