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Jesus' attitude to children contrasts sharply with Herod's. Herod saw them as expendable - to be ruthlessly cut down when they threatened his plans and stood in his power-hungry path. Jesus saw them as precious, calling them to Himself and letting them affect His plans. So much are innocent children close to the heart of God that Jesus, God's only Son, came among us as a child. He gave to childhood a dignity that we ignore at our peril. There is a deep mystery at the centre of the childhood of God: God who entered the world not with showy power to compel our love but with infant powerlessness to invite it. Jesus shared in the powerlessness of children; Herod exploited it. This feast challenges us to listen to children, to include and welcome them as Jesus did. They are often the voiceless victims of today's Herods, unprotected on the streets, tricked with counterfeit love, cast aside for the convenience of others - sometimes even before birth. To strike at Jesus, Herod killed the innocents; to love Jesus, we must protect them. Lord, make us sensitive to the needs of children, that we might build a world that would be a fitting Bethlehem for You. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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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.
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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. | |
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