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The readings are a warning of how easy it is to miss the signs that God gives us of His presence among us. In the days of Moses, in spite of all the signs that God had shown of His love and support, from the days when they were liberated from slavery in Egypt to the dramatic giving of God's Law on Mount Sinai, the people still turned away to the worship of idols made of base and lifeless metal. It is only through the intercession of Moses that the most terrible punishments do not befall them. In the Gospel Jesus upbraids His own people for failing to see in Him a clear sign of God's presence. They are experts in the scriptures yet cannot see how those same scriptures clearly point to Jesus. In Moses' time they looked to a golden calf, now in Jesus' time they look to Moses, even though it was of Jesus that Moses wrote. We, too, can so easily deceive ourselves. We can find reasons to turn away from Jesus or mould Him to fit our whims and fancies. It requires sensitive discernment and total openness to find the real Jesus, the true Way to God. Help us, Lord, at all times to listen to Your Word with open hearts and give us the strength to accept and do Your will in all things. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
| INTENTION : |
For the ecclesial organisations and groups engaged in social
action, that in their testimony they may proclaim strongly and consistently
the Gospel of Love.
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It is the Church's desire that all social-charitable initiatives might
always be inspired, in their implementation, by the immutable principles of
the Gospel. There is danger, however, that professional organisations
engaged in the social field risk losing the fundamental motivation for their
existence: that is bearing witness to Christ's charity which the Church has
the duty to communicate and to share with others. In order to be effective, then, continual spiritual formation is needed for voluntary co-operators who wish to devote themselves to social action. All these initiatives tend to develop the awareness that the foundation and centre of our action is Christ, in whom the God of love revealed himself and gave himself to men and women. Consequently all those who welcome Christ follow him and answer the call to be faithful witnesses to it. This awareness must totally imbue the hearts and minds of individuals so that it also inspires the Communities they set up for organised action in support of underprivileged persons and communities suffering from material and moral poverty. Being thus imbued and formed it becomes necessary that volunteers pray to draw Christ into their midst and have him accompany them. | |
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