14 Oct
Sun 		28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
2 Kgs. 5:14-17
Ps. 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
2 Tim. 2:8-13
Lk. 17:11-19
How To Pray With Shalom
Home Page of Shalom
Index of This Month
 

Naaman was grateful to the God of Israel who had healed him of leprosy. To remind himself of the miracle he brought back 2 bags of soil from Israel. Standing everyday on that bit of soil he would praise God. In the Gospel we meet another man who was similarly grateful to God for his healing from leprosy. Ten were healed but only he returned to thank and praise Jesus.

Sin is a leprosy of the soul. It damages and destroys our relationship with God. But one drop of Jesus' precious blood is enough to wipe out all sin, that we repent of. We are reminded in the institution narrative at our Eucharistic celebration, "This is my blood which will be shed for you and for all, that sins may be forgiven". We are a people blessed because we know Jesus is the only Saviour who can take away the sins of the world. Like the two lepers we too should continually praise and thank God for His great mercy to us through Jesus His Son.

Therefore with grateful hearts let us praise and thank God for the far greater favour He has done — He cleansed us from the leprosy of sin.


O God, we thank and praise You for all Your mercy and blessings. Amen.

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 we may recognise and revere the cultural and spiritual riches of the different ethnic groups and religious minorities present in every country.
Elaboration

- END -








P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : That we may recognise and revere the cultural and spiritual riches of the different ethnic groups and religious minorities present in every country.

This month we are invited to give thanks to God for the variety of gifts he has given to humankind. There is hardly a country in the world today which is not marked by the coming together of different cultural traditions. It ought to be recognised that religion has influenced cultures and is the soul of a particular culture. Vatican II also mentions the good that is to be found in the rites and customs of peoples, recognising this as having been sown by God's Word (LG 17). In fact, Christians belong to many different cultures which have been deeply marked by the Christian faith.

In order to appreciate these cultural and religious riches we are called to make an effort to understand and appreciate all that is good in another person and in that person's culture. We are invited to look upon our fellow human beings with the eyes of God who created man in his own image and likeness and who saw all that he had made and found it very good. We are therefore encouraged to consider prayerfully how God is at work in all peoples.

In this context our prayer will be that the ongoing dialogue between the Gospel message and cultures may produce fruits of true freedom, joy and peace for the whole of humanity.



- END -