|
|
||||||
|
There are times when our desire to do good brings up negative reactions in others. We may be misunderstood or our motives questioned. The question is whether we are going to bow down to the pressure that we face. Are we instead going to be heedless of what people might think or say and just go ahead and do the right thing? Jesus in His own time found opposition from those who were small-minded and who wished to follow the letter of the law with regards the Sabbath without recognizing that its spirit invites us to do good and to save life, yes even on the Sabbath! Yet, He remained steadfast to the mission that had been entrusted to Him by His Father. We too may find ourselves in situations when we, like Jesus, may feel angry at those who would be stumbling blocks to our good work. The pressure to conform to their way of thinking may be great. Yet we are called to be prophetic in our actions and be guided by God's Spirit rather than human aspirations. Of course we need to be aware that we are not going to win in any popularity stakes. In fact, the opposition that we face may be a sign to us that we are indeed doing the right thing. The ways of the world are certainly seldom God's ways! Lord, in doing Your Will, may I not be swayed by the ways of the world. |
|
- END -
P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
| INTENTION : |
That Christians may favour the evangelisation of the new generations through the constant search for the unity wanted by Christ.
|
|
The question of full Christian unity and evangelisation led to the beginnings of the ecumenical movement. The Holy Father decries the negative consequences of division among Christians and calls them to search for full Christian Unity as inspired by the Lord's Prayer. As evangelisers we must offer Christ's faithful an image of people who are mature in faith and capable of finding a meeting point beyond all tensions. The destiny of evangelisation is bound up with the witness of unity given to the Church. The urgency of preaching and displaying unity to the world arises from the fact that Christians can impair the vitality of proclaiming the Gospel and even become a scandal to the world, particularly when the churches appear to proclaim "a kingdom against itself". It is clear that the proclamation of the Gospel by divided Christians becomes counter- itness. As Christians we ought to give collaborative common witness which is founded in the common baptism in Christ and faith in the Triune God. Pray for the courage to work positively with other Christians for the purpose of promoting evangelisation. | |
|
- END - | |