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?
Depending on the day, hour, and amount of coffee we have—we’re all subject to forgetting things and even people. But as we know, there are different levels. For instance, getting out of your car without your umbrella, forgetting where you put your keys, or being unable to recall an elementary classmate's name when you run into them at the coffee shop! Then there are the bigger items, like remembering your husband or wife’s or other loved ones' birthdays or your wedding anniversary. These situations have something in common—distraction and a focus on something (or someone) else.
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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.
Wouldn't life be simpler if God granted our every prayer request? While that might seem appealing, the truth is that God's answers often come in unexpected ways, sometimes even through silence. The readings teach us the power of persistent prayer, a lesson beautifully illustrated by the Canaanite woman's encounter with Jesus.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Today's Mass readings offer a profound message of hope and reassurance, especially for our families. They remind us of a fundamental truth: God's love for us is unwavering and unconditional. It's a love that never falters, even when we stumble or stray. God's mercy remains steadfast, always inviting us back into His loving embrace.
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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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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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