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The story of the Tower of Babel is a dramatic presentation of the most
basic form of all sin, a wish to be independent of God. The men who
planned the Tower wanted to make a name for themselves by building a tower
which would reach the sky. In other words, they wanted to make a heaven
for themselves without God. The result was disastrous. They brought confusion and disunity upon themselves which lead to conflict, desension and war. Jesus was sent to reverse the trend. In the Gospel He gave His formula for happiness and harmony. He tells us that we must forget ourselves and our own selfishness. In complete unselfishness Jesus gave His life on the Cross and through this act He won for us the gift of the Holy Spirit - a Spirit of love and unity. Yes, what God wants from us is a Spirit of harmony and mutual cooperation. That requires unselfishness, a willingness to take up the Cross with Jesus whereby we surrender our own interests for the sake of others - that is the way to happiness and to begin heaven here on earth. O Lord, help me to carry my Cross and let me generously pour myself out in acts of kindness to others. 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
| INTENTION : |
That children will never again be obliged to participate in
any war, but may be freed from hatred and violence and may live, as
children should, enjoying friendship in their family, school and society.
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The international community is increasingly recognising the
vulnerability of displaced children in refugee camps. They are at particular risk
of being exploited by armed groups. As recruited soldiers children
suffer disproportionately from the general rigours of military life.
Younger children may have deformed backs and shoulders, the result of
carrying loads too heavy for them. Malnutrition, respiratory and skin
infections and other ailments are frequent, as are sexually transmitted
diseases, including AIDS. The use of child soldiers also has repercussion on other children who remain in the conflict area. The risk, is that children will be killed, detained interrogated, or subject to pre-emptive recruitment. We must not close our eyes to the fact that child soldiers are not victims and perpetrators. No matter what the child is guilty of, the main responsibility lies with us, the adults. To stop this abuse, no child under 18 should be recruited for or participate in war. There is simply no excuse, no acceptable argument for arming children. | |
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