World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
God teaches us in many different ways and places. Back when I lived in Taunton at St. Mary’s I used to go for walks around the neighborhood and it wasn’t long before I noticed all the Our Lady of Fatima statues with the three kneeling children in so many front yards. Now, this was a new thing for a guy from Quincy where the Irish who had a statue of the Blessed Mother kept her in the back yard all to ourselves! Because Quincy was mostly Irish and Italian, we focused on Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Knock. So, there I was walking through a new experience of faith and one that wasn’t in backyards but right out front.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Do you believe in miracles? Listen to the compelling homily from Father Jomon Kalladanthiyil, C.S.C., as he shares powerful insights into the lives of Saint Andre Bessette and Venerable Patrick Peyton. Prayer is essential to a life of faith, as was also illustrated in the life of our Father in faith, Abraham.
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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?
Right around now, the last two weeks before Easter, it’s not hard to lose our focus on Lent. It’s been about four weeks since Ash Wednesday and human nature being what is it is we can start to trail off in our prayer, fasting and charitable works. So, today’s gospel from John is perfectly placed on our Lenten journey, our preparation for the great celebration of Easter; in it, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and now us about His divine origin and mission.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Today’s reading from the book of the prophet Daniel is gripping — like something out of a courtroom drama. Two respected elders, full of deceit, attempt to destroy the reputation and life of a virtuous woman. Susanna is cornered not just by their lust but by the terrifying weight of injustice. Imagine this: a young girl, falsely accused, standing in the center of a circle, condemned by powerful men. Her voice is trembling, her hands shaking, but her heart is rooted in something unshakable — truth when truth hangs in the balance. And yet, she stands firm, even when no one believes her. She cries out not to the world but to God. And God hears. That’s Susanna’s story — truthfully, it could be ours, too. Susanna’s story is not ancient history. It’s happening every day — when character is questioned, when assumptions are made, and when the voices of the innocent are too soft to be heard over the noise of pride, gossip, and power.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Many of us own a bathroom scale or use one at a gym, it gives us an indication on how we’re doing with our diet and exercise programs…even our general health. But sometimes, we need to take a deeper look, maybe a blood test, MRI or cardiac ultrasound. Lent is a special time when we take a deeper look into our hearts and souls…to see what drives us…and what we place first in our lives and why….?
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
“My Father goes on working and so do I”. (John 5:17) In two weeks, we will be in Holy Week! Each year I make it a practice, sometime during this last part of Lent, to watch Mel Gibson’s great film, “The Passion of the Christ”. I understand that it’s a very graphic film and some people find it too difficult to watch, and that’s really OK, but if it’s not too hard for you, I highly recommend seeing it as a way of helping you enter into Holy Week. You can find it on Netflix and Amazon and other platforms…
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