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Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, "Prayer is the expression of my will, worship is the acceptance of God's will." The Psalmist of Psalm 88 says, "Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord" and he then complains of being rejected. Similarly, Job in chapter 3 launches into a beautiful poetic expression of his bitter despair at God's treatment of him. Both the Psalmist and Job are giving vent to their internal struggles with accepting God as a just deity, who rewards the good and punishes the sinner in this life. This kind of thought-process limits God, but it was conditioned by the popular orthodox belief of the time. The Psalmist and Job have struggled the way we do when beset by pain and suffering. They and we feel a sense of rejection by a God who is one of our own making. The Gospel passage of today shows us examples of a similar lack of understanding, first on the part of the Samaritan villagers and then by James and John in wishing to curse them. None can see that the journey to Jerusalem is God's way, that the journey is the bridge between the promises of the past and their fulfilment. The rejection, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are part of God's plan for our salvation. Acknowledgement of our sufferings as a small part of God's plan is needed in order to understand the message of today's readings, and to worship God as He intended us to. Lord, as the Gospel acclamation says, "Bend my heart to Your will, O Lord." Amen. |
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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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