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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?
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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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Sometimes, like the people in the time of Hosea, we need to have the Lord call out to us to come back to Him to change our ways with the promise of a better life. The Lord speaks to us through His Word (as we have just heard proclaimed), our times of silent prayer and meditation, our times in Eucharistic Adoration, and all forms of prayer, including our meditations upon the Rosary. The Lord can certainly speak to us through the words and actions of others. On Wednesday afternoon, as I stood impatiently waiting for someone to come to the coffee shop counter to take my order, I turned around to see a young man in line behind me. I asked if they still took your order there or if you needed to use the tablet on the counter.
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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.
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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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Come with me to a small town that had been "dry" for years—i.e., 'without any bars or pubs or alcohol consumption.' Eventually, some of the businesspeople decided to build a bar in that town. The local Christian group was alarmed and concerned at this latest development. They decided to have an all-night prayer to ask God to intervene. Work on the construction of the bar progressed until the week before opening, when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground!
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Last night, I had an interesting experience. First, I was interviewed via a Zoom call by a Dominican seminarian named Br. Finbar about Venerable Patrick Peyton’s Cause for Sainthood and Father Peyton’s important message to families—to pray together, especially the Rosary. And, the second part of the night involved watching the presidential debate between the two presumed nominees.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
In 1174, Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on a 185-foot bell tower for the Cathedral in Pisa, Tuscany, in west-central Italy. There was just one little problem—even before it was completed, the builders discovered that the soil was much softer than anticipated and the whole structure began to tilt. The project lasted for 199 years and was plagued with interruptions, as engineers sought solutions to the leaning problem until they finally realized that nothing could be done to straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The problem wasn't bad design, poor workmanship, or inferior materials. Instead, the issue was unstable sandy soil underneath the city of Pisa where the famous monument was built. Interestingly, the word "Pisa" means "Marshy Land," which explains the issue. This teaches us that a faulty foundation can cause problems not just in buildings but in our lives as well.
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