21 Mar Wed 3rd Week of Lent Deut. 4:1, 5-9 Ps. 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20 Mt. 5:17-19 How To Pray With Shalom Home Page of Shalom Index of This Month        Moses taught the people that observance of God's law was the way to life and to possession of the land God intended for them. The law would bring them wisdom and understanding. Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets. He revealed their deeper inner significance. The Israelites were rewarded for their faithful observance of the law by possession of a tract of land - an outward reality. We, through our observance of the inner meaning of the law taught by Jesus, come to possess the inner land of our own being, life lived in Christ.      It took a long time to prepare the Israelites to receive the deep truths at the heart of outward observance. Like them, we too need to keep ourselves alert and to remember all that God has done for us, to keep the memory of His blessings in our hearts and to speak of them with gratitude and love.           Teach me, Lord, Your statutes that I may serve You lovingly. DAILY OFFERING Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen. PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH 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 Elaboration
- END - 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 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 - END -