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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Like St. Peter and the other Apostles, St. Stanislaus is an exemplary role model for courageous trust in Jesus. Born in Poland, Stanislaus lived in the 11th century and served as a priest and then bishop in Krakow. He was a gifted preacher, a compassionate benefactor of the poor, and a proponent of clerical reform. Like the Apostles, he faced opposition, in his case from the King of Poland, Boleslaus II, during his time as bishop. And, like the Apostles, Stanislaus refused to compromise his adherence to Jesus' teachings, which resulted in his being killed during the celebration of the Mass. Stanislaus knew the risk to his life and yet held to what Peter said in today's first reading: "We must obey God rather than men."
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
The Greek word for wind, "pneuma," is also used for the word Spirit. So, in this Gospel from John, Jesus links His teaching between the natural and supernatural worlds through His word choice connecting to both realities. But, just like yesterday's eclipse of the sun, at times, we only have a partial understanding of our natural world. This is the point that Jesus is making with Nicodemus when He says, "The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes…"
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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.
It’s hard to comprehend how Judas Iscariot could be so close to Jesus and betray Him … that is until we think about how many times we’ve gone to Mass and then, less than twenty-four hours later, have fallen into sin.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
“If today, you hear His voice harden not your hearts.” Psalm 95 speaks to the human condition of how we react to God’s “voice.” In the times that are cited in the Psalm, the people had heard the voice of God through Moses, and they, like we at times, had complained and thought they knew better than God.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
I've got a question for you. After looking over Luke's Gospel, what's your window of opportunity? Hold that thought for a bit. You've got to love the Old Testament for its ability to get your attention with vibrant language and imagery. Likewise, today's gospel of Lazarus and the rich man should be a wake-up call to emulate Christ's love with those we see every day—while we have the chance.
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Healing the family | Why pray?
Within the scope of today’s first reading and gospel are tragedy and grief and faith and healing … all parts of the lived experience for each of us to one degree or another. In the first reading, we hear of King David’s son, who had betrayed him, ultimately falling prey to Joab.
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