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When Joshua complained to Moses that two outsiders were prophesying in the camp, Moses' replied, "If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!" The Gospel, too, reminds us that God's work is not just confined to Christians. John - one of the "Sons of Thunder" - also complained that a man "who was not one of us" was casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. Jesus told John firmly that "anyone who is not against us is for us". In other words, God can and does use anyone to be His voice and His agent. As the First Letter of John tells us, "Where there is love, there is God." We need to be ready, then, to recognise God working among us in all kinds of people, whatever their origin, whatever their religious belief - or even non-belief. On the other hand, Jesus has very severe warnings for those, supposedly His followers, who block God's work, who prevent God's love from reaching out to people of faith, especially the simple and easily influenced. Help me, loving Lord, to meet You at every moment of every day in all the people, situations and places in which I find myself. And may I be, for all those I meet today, a channel of Your love. |
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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 young married couples may be sustained by the example and assistance of their parents and other families
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The testimony and help that parents and other families must offer to sustain young married couples finds its place in the ambit of post-matrimonial pastoral care. Parents and other families are the most suited to offer this assistance to young spouses because clearly they have lived personally the values which they must transmit. These parents show faithfulness through living in the best possible way the commitments assumed during their marriage. One could ask, but why is it necessary for young couples to be sustained by the testimony of their parents and other families? The answer is, because today there are many negative attitudes which scandalise and discourage young people. Being new to the condition of matrimonial life they need advice, encouragement, moral support, correction and prayer. They cannot be left alone or abandoned in this phase of their lives. Couples need to take advantage of the wealth of the experience and wisdom of their parents. "The pastoral action of the Church must be progressive, also in the sense that it must accompany the family, following it step by step in the various stages of its formation and development," (Familiaris Consortio n65, 69). | |
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