Latest news with #Prayer
South Wales Argus
08-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
Faith matters: Heartfelt prayers make a difference
The words are so familiar that it is easy to say them without really pausing for thought, asking ourselves 'what is it we are actually praying for?' and 'do our prayers really make a difference?' Let me be up front: I do think prayers, heartfelt prayers, make a difference. They make a difference to us, and they make a difference to the world around us. Occasionally, the difference is dramatic, miraculous even, but more frequently, the difference takes place slowly and imperceptibly. Every year a period of nine days, running from Ascension Day to the feast of Pentecost, is set aside for reflection on the Lord's Prayer which includes the phrase 'Thy Kingdom come thy will be done, on Earth as in heaven.' If we are going to pray these words, from the heart, it strikes me that we need to understand the attributes or virtues that characterise God's Kingdom and will. In understanding these terms, we are given a glimpse into what heaven may be like, and what earth could be like. When we pray, one of the hoped-for outcomes is therefore that the gap between heaven and earth shrinks. In the words of the 1980's rock ballet singer Belinda Carlisle, heaven' becomes 'a place on Earth.' Fantasy? Possibly. Worth praying for? Definitely. So, what is God's will? Well, it's simple really: that our lives are characterised by love, love of God, and love of neighbour (see Matthew Chapter 22 verses 37-40). The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10, 25-37), however, makes it clear that Jesus' definition of neighbour extends way beyond those just like us, members of our natural affinity groups. Christian love should be both expansive and lavish. Christian love does not, or should not, discriminate. St, Paul wrote this in his letter to the Romans (chapter 14 verse 17): 'for the Kingdom of God is not food and drink but justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.' When we pray the Lord's Prayer, from the heart, we make a series of commitments. We commit to love God and neighbour and, we commit to pursue justice and peace. We make these commitments in the belief that in their enactment we will come to experience a deep sense of spiritual joy. Does prayer make a difference? Yes, I believe it does, both within and beyond ourselves. 'Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.' Andrew Lightbown is chaplain to the City of Newport, St Woolos Cathedral.
The National
06-06-2025
- General
- The National
Eid Al Adha around the world
Muslims gather next to Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, ahead of Eid Al Adha prayers. AP
Herald Malaysia
04-06-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Pope's June prayer intention: 'That the world might grow in compassion'
Pope Leo XIV releases his first monthly prayer intention for the month of June, inviting the faithful to pray "that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from His Heart, learn to have compassion on the world." Jun 04, 2025 By Deborah Castellano LubovPope Leo XIV's monthly prayer intention for June, the month traditionally dedicated to devotion to the Heart of Jesus, is "that the world might grow in compassion." The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month's The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network. For the first time since the Holy Father's election as 266th Successor of Peter on 8 May 2025, we hear Pope Leo XIV's voice presenting The Pope Video prayer intention. The Pope Video for June begins with hearing Pope Leo pray "that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from His Heart, learn to have compassion on the world." The video also presents an original prayer to the Sacred Heart. Prayer to the Sacred Heart A woman's voice leads the prayer, which begins, "Lord, I come to Your tender Heart today, to You who have words that set my heart ablaze, to You who pour out compassion on the little ones and the poor, on those who suffer, and on all human miseries." Next, it expresses the desire to know the Lord better, to contemplate Him in the Gospel, to be with Him, and to learn from Him and His charity. Remembering how Christ "showed us the Father's love by loving us without measure with Your divine and human Heart," the prayer implores, "Grant all Your children the grace of encountering You." With this sentiment, it asks for the Lord's closeness and involvement in our daily lives. "Change, shape, and transform our plans," the prayer continues, "so that we seek only You in every circumstance: in prayer, in work, in encounters, and in our daily routine." Finally, the supplication asks that the Lord, from this encounter, send us out on a mission of compassion and consolation for the world. The images accompanying this prayer were filmed in the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Rome, where one finds the famous image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Pompeo Batoni, the restoration of which will be completed by the end of the month; and the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Makati, in the Philippines, which is a popular religious destination for the Archdiocese of Manila. Sacred Heart at the heart of pontificates The Church has traditionally dedicated the entire month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The relevance of the Sacred Heart to the life of the Church is demonstrated both in popular devotion and in the fact that four Popes have dedicated an encyclical to the topic. Pope Leo XIII, whose name the current Pope took, wrote Annum Sacrum in 1899, in which he consecrated all of humanity to the Heart of Jesus. In 1928, Pope Pius XI, in Miserentissimum Redemptor, invited us to make reparation through acts of love for the wounds our sins inflict on the Heart of Christ. For his part, Pope Pius XII published Haurietis aquas in 1956, in which he explores the theological basis for devotion to the Sacred Heart. Most recently, Pope Francis wrote Dilexit nos in 2024, and proposed devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a response to the throwaway culture and the culture of indifference. The Pope Video The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father's monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 247 million views across all the Vatican's social networks, and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries. This video, produced by The Pope Video Prayer Network team, coordinated by Andrea Sarubbi, and created with the help of Coronation Media, is distributed with the help of the La Machi agency and the collaboration of Vatican Media. The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network is a Pontifical Society, with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church.--Vatican News
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Historic Downtown Palatka church demolished
The City of Palatka a few days ago announced the temporary closure of some sidewalks downtown because 'the church located at 913 Reid Street will be demolished,' a city social media post states. To some, like Mischa Johns, a Putnam County archivist, it's more than a church. 'So gently announced as 'a church,' but it's not just 'a church,'' she stated in a Facebook post. 'It's over a century of history in our African American community and it's being razed ... We have failed this beautiful old church, and my heart is broken for another lost piece of history.' >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The following is from Mt. Tabor Baptist Church's website Following the Civil War within the Reconstruction Era, the institution known as Mount Tabor First Baptist Church was officially established. The church was organized during a 'Wednesday Prayer Meeting,' on the 15th day of September, 1869, in Palatka, Florida. The original meeting place was in the 'Hudson Building' and the second meeting place was a nicely constructed 'Brush Arbor' (a rough, open-sided shelter constructed of vertical poles driven into the ground with additional long poles laid across the top as support for a roof of brush, cut branches or hay) built with the choicest shrubs. Within the first two years (1869-1871), three ministers, Reverend R. P. Bishop, Reverend Jones, and Reverend Samuel Small formed the ministerial council that ordained the first Deacons: Jackson Wright, Ned Hutchinson and James Arnold. Reverend William Bell served as the first regular pastor (1871-1889) and also served two subsequent pastorates (1896-1898) & (1900-1902). In 1887, during Reverend Bell's pastorate it became a reality for this band of Christian believers to leave the 'brush arbor' and the congregation relocated to a newly built wooden church edifice at 913 Reid Street in downtown Palatka, which was dedicated on May 18, 1888. In 1912, the church facility was rebuilt under the leadership of Reverend F.W. Wells. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mom, Who Was Accused of Murdering Her 3-Year-Old Daughter, Dies After Being Found Unresponsive in Jail Cell
Lauren Ingrid Flanigan, the Australian woman accused of fatally stabbing her 3-year-old daughter on May 26, has died The 32-year-old was found unresponsive in her jail cell on Friday, May 30, and died in a local hospital on Sunday, June 1 An investigation into the incident is currently underwayLauren Ingrid Flanigan, the Australian woman accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter, has died. Flanigan, 32, was found unresponsive in her cell at the Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre on Friday, May 30, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Officers provided "immediate assistance" before she was transported to the intensive care unit at a local hospital, according to ABC, which cited Queensland police. Flanigan died on the evening of Sunday, June 1, per the outlet. In a statement to PEOPLE, Queensland Correctional Service confirmed that an investigation into Flanigan's death is underway. The organization said they will assist authorities in preparing a report for the coroner, as 'is standard practice for all deaths in custody.' 'Support is being offered to the responding officers and their colleagues,' the Queensland Correctional Service added. Flanigan, a mother of three, was accused of fatally stabbing her eldest daughter, Sophia Rose, in the front yard of their Moore Park Beach home in Central Queensland on Monday, May 26. Queensland Police Chief Inspector Grant Marcus said authorities received several calls from neighbors, but the child was dead when emergency services found her just before 5 p.m. local time, per 7 News and 9 News. Flanigan was taken into custody and charged, while a knife that police allege was the murder weapon was also seized, the outlets reported. 'There were two other children at the address at the time, both younger — aged 1 and 2,' Superintendent Brad Inskip said, per 'Neither of them was injured in the incident yesterday, and they're currently being cared for by family members.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Inskip told 7 News that there were 'multiple attempts' to revive Sophia before she succumbed to her injuries. 'No doubt it was a horrific scene, it's a terrible, terrible incident for everybody, including the witnesses and the neighbors, including the emergency services police and ambulances who attended and investigators who are doing the ongoing investigation,' Inskip said, per 7 News. According to Sky News Australia, Flanigan had allegedly posted a number of eerie messages on social media in the days leading up to the fatal stabbing. She allegedly shared a video of a woman with bruises on her arm, captioned, 'Remember your pain as it fuels your purpose.' She allegedly included lyrics from the heavy metal group Disturbed's song 'Prayer,' which say, 'Another nightmare about to come true. Will manifest tomorrow. Another love that I've taken from you.' In other posts, Flanigan allegedly referenced training 'like it's war' and being a 'warrior of light,' according to She captioned a photo of her children 'my divine babies,' while other posts allegedly referenced past trauma. Read the original article on People
