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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?
A pastor asked his parishioners to pray for rain since there was a serious drought. As they were praying the pastor looked around and began criticizing the group for what he called their lack of faith. One parishioner sheepishly spoke up and said, "but father we do have faith, we showed up, didn’t we?" To which the pastor replied, "Why didn’t anyone bring an umbrella?"
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
What do you do when you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep? It was 3:30am, made a cup of tea, sat on my screened in porch taking in the silence, retired to my room, and gave some thought to this homily. In the today's reading from Genesis, Abraham's wife, Sarah, dies, and Abraham seeks to find a place for her burial. The scene resurrects thoughts of their marriage; and the playful exchange about her conceiving a child in her old age.
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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.
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
A teenager refused to go home for weeks to punish his parents and two brothers, causing them to worry and become angry. When he finally returned, it took only minutes of conversation for his parents to forgive, hug, and welcome him home. However, his brothers didn’t get over their anger, and it grew as weeks passed. The mother sensed their attitude and asked, "Why can’t you welcome him back?"
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Today’s readings caused me to think about being vigilant in our faith life and at times regaining our spiritual balance. They also brought me back to last week when my Mom and I were walking our dog and came upon a neighbor who lost her balance and suddenly hopped out of her sandals. I offered to help and as she steadied herself using my arm as a support, our dog, Erin, gave a warning bark.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Prayer is the most powerful force in Heaven and on earth. The British poet Tennyson wrote, "More things wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." A little book called "The Way of the Pilgrim" tells how continuous prayer changed the life of a nineteenth-century Russian peasant.
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Strengthening family unity | Why pray?
"Don’t perform righteous deeds to others will see them. Don’t show off that you are fasting. Don’t pray to be seen. Rather pray in your inner room."
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