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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? | family prayer
After hearing the sermon "Let your light shine," little Jane only fully grasped its meaning when her mother explained that it meant being good, obedient, and cheerful. Later that day, after misbehaving with her friends, Jane returned to her mother and said, "Ma, sorry I have blown myself out! Can you light me again?" This heartfelt request serves as a reminder that every Christian is called to be a beacon of light in the world, shining a light on the darkness around them. Jane's simple yet profound question encourages us to contemplate the Light of Christ that we receive at Baptism. We are not only called to preserve this light, but also to nurture it and keep it burning brightly throughout our lives.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray? | family prayer
Once upon a time, two families came to a Rabbi, wanting him to settle a dispute over boundaries over their land. He listened to the members of one family as they recounted how they had received this land as their inheritance from their ancestors and how it had been in their family for generations. They had maps and papers to prove it. Then, the Rabbi listened to the other family. Its members described how they had lived on the same land for years, working and harvesting it. They claimed that they knew the land intimately and that it was their land. They didn't have papers to prove it, but they had calluses and sore backs and the harvest and the produce of the land. The Rabbi looked at them both and backed away from between them. They turned on him and said, "Decide, Rabbi, who owns this land."
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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.
A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. One morning, while they were having breakfast, the woman noticed her neighbor hanging laundry outside to dry. “That laundry is not very clean,” she commented. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on but remained silent. Every time the neighbor hung clothes to dry, the woman repeated her observation about the dirty laundry. One month later, the woman was surprised to see clean clothes on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has finally learned how to wash her clothes properly. Her husband responded, “I was up early this morning and cleaned our windows! ”
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"I'll pray for you; keep me in your prayers." So often, those phrases are tossed out during a casual goodbye or especially when trouble is on the loose, or when some worry hovers in the air. They are perhaps forgotten as soon as the next person or crisis pops into our minds.
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Healing the family | Why pray?
I recently read an article (Washington Examiner) about the Governor of Virginia issuing guidance that would have students drop off their cell phones at the beginning of the school day and pick them up after their final class concluded. The catalyst for this plan is the link between student’s cell phone use during and between classes and negative consequences such as inattention to instruction and anxiety and depression. Research shows that students receive more than two hundred notifications on their cell phones a day and two thirds report being distracted by them.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Why pray?
Catherine Booth, co-founder with her husband, William Booth, of the Salvation Army, was an electrifying preacher. Wherever she went, crowds of people came to hear her message of hope: princes and nobles, beggars, and homeless people. One night, after preaching in a certain city, a certain well-placed lady invited Mrs. Booth to dinner. The lady's words of welcome as she arrived were: "My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was so dreadful." "What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Booth. "Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible that many of them were homeless. I do not think I shall sleep tonight!" "Why, dear, don't you know them?" Mrs. Booth asked. "Certainly not!" the host replied. "Well, that is interesting," Mrs. Booth said. "I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!" The lady who had invited Mrs. Booth to dinner understood her "neighbor" was not to be limited only to those on her social and economic level.
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