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"Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and anyone who humbles
himself will be exalted". This is the humility that Jesus speaks strongly about and is directed at the Scribes and Pharisees who put emphasis on the 'externals' e.g. status, position and honour. We know that it is only God who can give us honour (Lk. 14:11) and not those who selfishly seek it. Honour is not achieved by manipulation or by what one selfishly does for one's own sake, but is from others who recognize in us our worth. Similarly, status-seeking is diametrically opposed to the 'humility' that Jesus speaks of. The Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading also says that God will not accept worship from those who oppress and mistreat the poor and helpless. Such worship will result in punishment "...the sword shall eat you instead." True humility is to be lived by all who pledge to follow Jesus as His disciples. This is particularly important in today's modern world where status, position, wealth are considered as real assets to one's position in society. Lord, help us to be Your humble servants here on earth. Teach us to be committed to the Kingdom values and live as You want us to live. |
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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, with the committed help of all believers, the
scourge of poverty may come to an end, eliminating the
intolerable social and economic inequality in the world
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One might also say that poverty is the negation of economic and
social rights and that the poor who suffer from absolute poverty
are denied the most fundamental right which is the right to life.
The international community too is becoming progressively more
aware of the gravity of the problem and has declared solemnly to
fight and reduce extreme poverty by 2015. Besides, how can we not
realise the situation growing worse in spite of the increase in
available resources. The problem of unequal distribution of resources in its correct setting is an ethical one, since it is a problem of justice: the poor are in the first place victims of injustice. In the era of globalisation we can no longer tolerate a world in which the very rich live side by side with the poor, the property less who lack even the essentials with people who shamelessly waste what others desterately need. One of the more evident worrying consequences of this phenomenon is in fact the progressive increase instead of the decrease of inequalities, in both poor countries and rich countries, and between the North and South. Let us pray that the scourge of poverty may come to an end | |
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