3 Dec Sun 1st Sunday of Advent Jer. 33:14-16 Ps. 24:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 1 Thes. 3:12-4:2 Lk. 21:25-28, 34-36 How To Pray With Shalom Home Page of Shalom Index of This Month        St Luke encourages us to be watchful and to pray. Then we can stand with confidence before the Son of Man. Jeremiah promised that Israel would dwell in confidence. But the confidence of the new Israel, the Church, is greater and stronger than any experienced before the coming of Christ. It is the advent of Jesus, the coming of Jesus as a human-being amongst us, that gives us the greatest reason for such confidence.     Christian confidence is part of the virtue of Christian hope. God speaks to us, reassuring us that all the divine promises will be fulfilled, and this reassurance grounds our hope. Confidence and hope are not merely human emotions: they are graces of the Lord which come to us as part of the fulfilment of all the promises made to Israel throughout its history.     It is only God who can confirm our hearts in holiness, giving us the confidence and trust that we need in order to keep ourselves free from the contaminations of the world. For our part, we open ourselves to God's strengthening power by watchfulness and prayer.      Lord, grant us the grace to be holy and blameless in Your presence. DAILY OFFERING Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen. PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH INTENTION That the celebration of the Jubilee may become the source of a new commitment in men and women of good will to protect and promote human life. MORE
- END - P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H     INTENTION : That the celebration of the Jubilee may become the source of a new commitment in men and women of good will to protect and promote human life. In the threshold of the year 2001, it is our duty to renew our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of the poor and marginalised and to recognise in a practical way the rights of those who have no rights. This is the spirit of the new millennium which presupposes the following: The basic right to life which is inviolable which involves a positive choice for life. The development of a culture of this kind embraces all the circumstances of life and ensures the promotion of human dignity in every situation. Recent developments in the field of genetic engineering present a profoundly disquieting challenge. In order that scientific research in this area may be at the service of the person, it must be accompanied at every stage by careful ethical reflection, which will bring about adequate legal norms safeguarding the integrity of human life. Life can never be downgraded to the level of a thing. To choose life involves rejecting every form of violence. In every circumstance, the right to life must be promoted and safeguarded with appropriate legal and political guarantees. Let us raise our voices on their behalf. - END -