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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time and World Day of the Poor Lectionary Reflection November 18, 2018

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Barb Born
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November 18, 2018: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time  and  2nd Annual World Day of the Poor
Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Declaration for FIRST WORLD DAY OF THE POOR

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

19 November 2017

 

Let us love, not with words but with deeds

 

1. “Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:18).  These words of the Apostle John voice an imperative that no Christian may disregard.  The seriousness with which the “beloved disciple” hands down Jesus’ command to our own day is made even clearer by the contrast between the empty words so frequently on our lips and the concrete deeds against which we are called to measure ourselves.  Love has no alibi.  Whenever we set out to love as Jesus loved, we have to take the Lord as our example; especially when it comes to loving the poor.  The Son of God’s way of loving is well-known, and John spells it out clearly.  It stands on two pillars: God loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:10.19), and he loved us by giving completely of himself, even to laying down his life (cf. 1 Jn 3:16).

Such love cannot go unanswered.  Even though offered unconditionally, asking nothing in return, it so sets hearts on fire that all who experience it are led to love back, despite their limitations and sins.  Yet this can only happen if we welcome God’s grace, his merciful charity, as fully as possible into our hearts, so that our will and even our emotions are drawn to love both God and neighbour.  In this way, the mercy that wells up – as it were – from the heart of the Trinity can shape our lives and bring forth compassion and works of mercy for the benefit of our brothers and sisters in need.

2. “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him” (Ps 34:6).  The Church has always understood the importance of this cry.  We possess an outstanding testimony to this in the very first pages of the Acts of the Apostles, where Peter asks that seven men, “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (6:3), be chosen for the ministry of caring for the poor.  This is certainly one of the first signs of the entrance of the Christian community upon the world’s stage: the service of the poor.  The earliest community realized that being a disciple of Jesus meant demonstrating fraternity and solidarity, in obedience to the Master’s proclamation that the poor are blessed and heirs to the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:3).

“They sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:45).  In these words, we see clearly expressed the lively concern of the first Christians.  The evangelist Luke, who more than any other speaks of mercy, does not exaggerate when he describes the practice of sharing in the early community.  On the contrary, his words are addressed to believers in every generation, and thus also to us, in order to sustain our own witness and to encourage our care for those most in need.  The same message is conveyed with similar conviction by the Apostle James.  In his Letter, he spares no words: “Listen, my beloved brethren.  Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?  But you have dishonoured the poor man.  Is it not the rich who oppress you, and drag you into court? … What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works?  Can his faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled”, without giving them the things needed for the body; what does it profit?  So faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead’ (2:5-6.14-17).

3. Yet there have been times when Christians have not fully heeded this appeal, and have assumed a worldly way of thinking.  Yet the Holy Spirit has not failed to call them to keep their gaze fixed on what is essential. He has raised up men and women who, in a variety of ways, have devoted their lives to the service of the poor.  Over these two thousand years, how many pages of history have been written by Christians who, in utter simplicity and humility, and with generous and creative charity, have served their poorest brothers and sisters!

The most outstanding example is that of Francis of Assisi, followed by many other holy men and women over the centuries.  He was not satisfied to embrace lepers and give them alms, but chose to go to Gubbio to stay with them.  He saw this meeting as the turning point of his conversion: “When I was in my sins, it seemed a thing too bitter to look on lepers, and the Lord himself led me among them and I showed them mercy.  And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness of mind and body” (Text 1-3: FF 110).  This testimony shows the transformative power of charity and the Christian way of life.

We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or of impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience.  However good and useful such acts may be for making us sensitive to people’s needs and the injustices that are often their cause, they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life.  Our prayer and our journey of discipleship and conversion find the confirmation of their evangelic authenticity in precisely such charity and sharing.  This way of life gives rise to joy and peace of soul, because we touch with our own hands the flesh of Christ.  If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist.  The Body of Christ, broken in the sacred liturgy, can be seen, through charity and sharing, in the faces and persons of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.  Saint John Chrysostom’s admonition remains ever timely: “If you want to honour the body of Christ, do not scorn it when it is naked; do not honour the Eucharistic Christ with silk vestments, and then, leaving the church, neglect the other Christ suffering from cold and nakedness” (Hom. in Matthaeum, 50.3: PG 58).

We are called, then, to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude.  Their outstretched hand is also an invitation to step out of our certainties and comforts, and to acknowledge the value of poverty in itself.

4. Let us never forget that, for Christ’s disciples, poverty is above all a call to follow Jesus in his own poverty.  It means walking behind him and beside him, a journey that leads to the beatitude of the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:3; Lk 6:20).  Poverty means having a humble heart that accepts our creaturely limitations and sinfulness and thus enables us to overcome the temptation to feel omnipotent and immortal.  Poverty is an interior attitude that avoids looking upon money, career and luxury as our goal in life and the condition for our happiness.  Poverty instead creates the conditions for freely shouldering our personal and social responsibilities, despite our limitations, with trust in God’s closeness and the support of his grace.  Poverty, understood in this way, is the yardstick that allows us to judge how best to use material goods and to build relationships that are neither selfish nor possessive (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 25-45).

Let us, then, take as our example Saint Francis and his witness of authentic poverty.  Precisely because he kept his gaze fixed on Christ, Francis was able to see and serve him in the poor.  If we want to help change history and promote real development, we need to hear the cry of the poor and commit ourselves to ending their marginalization.  At the same time, I ask the poor in our cities and our communities not to lose the sense of evangelical poverty that is part of their daily life.

5. We know how hard it is for our contemporary world to see poverty clearly for what it is.  Yet in myriad ways poverty challenges us daily, in faces marked by suffering, marginalization, oppression, violence, torture and imprisonment, war, deprivation of freedom and dignity, ignorance and illiteracy, medical emergencies and shortage of work, trafficking and slavery, exile, extreme poverty and forced migration.  Poverty has the face of women, men and children exploited by base interests, crushed by the machinations of power and money.  What a bitter and endless list we would have to compile were we to add the poverty born of social injustice, moral degeneration, the greed of a chosen few, and generalized indifference!

Tragically, in our own time, even as ostentatious wealth accumulates in the hands of the privileged few, often in connection with illegal activities and the appalling exploitation of human dignity, there is a scandalous growth of poverty in broad sectors of society throughout our world.  Faced with this scenario, we cannot remain passive, much less resigned.  There is a poverty that stifles the spirit of initiative of so many young people by keeping them from finding work.  There is a poverty that dulls the sense of personal responsibility and leaves others to do the work while we go looking for favours.  There is a poverty that poisons the wells of participation and allows little room for professionalism; in this way it demeans the merit of those who do work and are productive.  To all these forms of poverty we must respond with a new vision of life and society.

All the poor – as Blessed Paul VI loved to say – belong to the Church by “evangelical right” (Address at the Opening of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 29 September 1963), and require of us a fundamental option on their behalf.  Blessed, therefore, are the open hands that embrace the poor and help them: they are hands that bring hope.  Blessed are the hands that reach beyond every barrier of culture, religion and nationality, and pour the balm of consolation over the wounds of humanity.  Blessed are the open hands that ask nothing in exchange, with no “ifs” or “buts” or “maybes”: they are hands that call down God’s blessing upon their brothers and sisters.

6. At the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy, I wanted to offer the Church a World Day of the Poor, so that throughout the world Christian communities can become an ever greater sign of Christ’s charity for the least and those most in need.  To the World Days instituted by my Predecessors, which are already a tradition in the life of our communities, I wish to add this one, which adds to them an exquisitely evangelical fullness, that is, Jesus’ preferential love for the poor.

I invite the whole Church, and men and women of good will everywhere, to turn their gaze on this day to all those who stretch out their hands and plead for our help and solidarity.  They are our brothers and sisters, created and loved by the one Heavenly Father.  This Day is meant, above all, to encourage believers to react against a culture of discard and waste, and to embrace the culture of encounter.  At the same time, everyone, independent of religious affiliation, is invited to openness and sharing with the poor through concrete signs of solidarity and fraternity.  God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none excluded.

7. It is my wish that, in the week preceding the World Day of the Poor, which falls this year on 19 November, the Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Christian communities will make every effort to create moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance.  They can invite the poor and volunteers to take part together in the Eucharist on this Sunday, in such a way that there be an even more authentic celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on the following Sunday.  The kingship of Christ is most evident on Golgotha, when the Innocent One, nailed to the cross, poor, naked and stripped of everything, incarnates and reveals the fullness of God’s love.  Jesus’ complete abandonment to the Father expresses his utter poverty and reveals the power of the Love that awakens him to new life on the day of the Resurrection.

This Sunday, if there are poor people where we live who seek protection and assistance, let us draw close to them: it will be a favourable moment to encounter the God we seek.  Following the teaching of Scripture (cf. Gen 18:3-5; Heb 13:2), let us welcome them as honoured guests at our table; they can be teachers who help us live the faith more consistently.  With their trust and readiness to receive help, they show us in a quiet and often joyful way, how essential it is to live simply and to abandon ourselves to God’s providence.

8. At the heart of all the many concrete initiatives carried out on this day should always be prayer.  Let us not forget that the Our Father is the prayer of the poor.  Our asking for bread expresses our entrustment to God for our basic needs in life.  Everything that Jesus taught us in this prayer expresses and brings together the cry of all who suffer from life’s uncertainties and the lack of what they need.  When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he answered in the words with which the poor speak to our one Father, in whom all acknowledge themselves as brothers and sisters.  The Our Father is a prayer said in the plural: the bread for which we ask is “ours”, and that entails sharing, participation and joint responsibility.  In this prayer, all of us recognize our need to overcome every form of selfishness, in order to enter into the joy of mutual acceptance.

9. I ask my brother Bishops, and all priests and deacons who by their vocation have the mission of supporting the poor, together with all consecrated persons and all associations, movements and volunteers everywhere, to help make this World Day of the Poor a tradition that concretely contributes to evangelization in today’s world.

This new World Day, therefore, should become a powerful appeal to our consciences as believers, allowing us to grow in the conviction that sharing with the poor enables us to understand the deepest truth of the Gospel.  The poor are not a problem: they are a resource from which to draw as we strive to accept and practice in our lives the essence of the Gospel.

From the Vatican, 13 June 2017

Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua

Francis

 

Readings

First Reading: Daniel 12:`-3

Psalm: 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

Gospel: Mark 13:24-32

Catechism of the Catholic Church

For man, this consummation will be the final realization of the unity of the human race, which God willed from creation and of which the pilgrim Church has been “in the nature of sacrament.”  Those who are united with Christ will form the community of the redeemed, “the holy city” of God, “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” She will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly community.  The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion. (1045) From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

The Lord shows us the path to life.  A path where we do not know the hour or day it will end gives us the initiative to immerse ourselves in the journey.  A trek where we abide in confidence, with glad hearts and souls rejoicing, for we trust the journey will not lead to an abyss separating us from God, but only to a fuller embodiment.  With vigilant attentiveness and strength from prayer, we set our sights on the Lord.  Drawing upon HIs words that will never pass away, we garner enthusiasm for our call.  Words prioritizing the poor not piety and sacrifice.  For all people’s paths are woven with the path off the poor.  Until we comprehend the dimensions of the poor, we never will fathom the meaning on the path of life.  We only live in a bubble or look thru life with lens tinted to our endowment.  To look and listen to poverty is a multi faceted encounter in our earthly existence. Physical poverty lacking the basic necessities of life.  Opportunity poverty nurtured by lack of education.  Discrimination poverty fostered by deference to skin color or country of origin.  Gender poverty rendering lack of opportunity for women to fully use their God given gifts.  Spiritual poverty when people fail to acknowledge their connection to the Divine.  Many faces of poverty that left unmitigated diminish the potential for people to fully experience and participate on the path of life.  All poverty roots itself in a lack of the fundamental acknowledgement that every person is made in the image and likeness of God and nothing less.  But humanity creates poverty with asterisks of human notation written in words and structures by those in power, control and often with fiscal means.  Poverty created by governments, social paradigms, organizations, business practices and even the Church.  As followers of Jesus, we must not let His words pass from our lips and actions but walk the path of life to address the sin of poverty in all corners of our world.
Individual Reflection: Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

How will you respond to the declaration for the Second Annual World Day for the Poor?

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/poveri/documents/papa-francesco_20180613_messaggio-ii-giornatamondiale-poveri-2018.html
Family Reflection: Mark 13:24-32

Why forms of poverty does your family most frequently encounter?  How do you respond to them?  What ways should you respond to them as a follower of Jesus?
Prayer: A prayer for World Day of the Poor 2018 from CRS

https://www.crs.org/get-involved/learn/resource-center/world-day-poor-resources
Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

https://smrep.wordpress.com/

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters
Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites
By Barb  Born  November 4, 2018 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Catholic Social Teaching Prayer, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Social Justice Prayer, Uncategorized, worship aid, worship materials | Tagged asterisks, Church, discrimination, education, gender poverty, image and likeness of God, path of life, poverty, racial discrimination, World Day of the Poor | Leave a reply

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection August 7, 2016

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Barb Born
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August 7, 2016: Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community and Participation

Only the recognition of human dignity can make possible the common and personal growth of everyone (cf. Jas 2:1-9). To stimulate this kind of growth it is necessary in particular to help the least, effectively ensuring conditions of equal opportunity for men and women and guaranteeing an objective equality between the different social classes before the law.

Also in relations between peoples and States, conditions of equality and parity are prerequisites for the authentic progress of the international community. Despite the steps taken in this direction, it must not forget that there still exist many inequalities and forms of dependence.

Together with equality in the recognition of the dignity of each person and of every people there must also be an awareness that it will be possible to safeguard and promote human dignity only if this is done as a community, by the whole of humanity. Only through the mutual action of individuals and peoples sincerely concerned for the good of all men and women can a genuine universal brotherhood be attained; otherwise, the persistence of conditions of serious disparity and inequality will make us all poorer.  (145) Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

 

Readings

First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9

Psalm: 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

Gospel: Luke 12:32-48

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In Jesus “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” He calls his hearers to conversion and faith, but also to watchfulness. In prayer the disciple keeps watch, attentive to Him Who Is and Him Who Comes, in memory of his first coming in the lowliness of the flesh, and in the hope of his second coming in glory. In communion with their Master, the disciples’ prayer is a battle; only by keeping watch in prayer can one avoid falling into temptation. (2612)

From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

 

Reflection

Jesus said to his disciples and to us, “Do not be afraid any longer…for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”  God does not act begrudgingly, but is pleased to give us the kingdom at the dawn of each day, a gift without a credit card charge or monthly loan payment.  But do we act like it is a scam and fearfully avoid God’s generosity?  Do we think what we own is more valuable to hold onto?  Are we afraid to act generously, as God does, so we struggle to pry alms from our palms to give to those in need?  Can we part with belongings, trivial in meaning, to free ourselves from clutter, the freeing from moving beyond possessing to living simply? Learning to live with true wealth, moneybags filled with spiritual treasures, the joy of service, the love in helping an alien, the hope of transformation in a homeless person.  A spirit of blessedness awaits those disciples of Jesus, God finds doing His will.  If we piddle our time, thinking tomorrow is another day to do good, I need to keep planning to make a project perfect, my desires are more important to accomplish or we plot to exploit fellow sojourners into us submission, we deny God’s gift.  We punish ourselves by not prioritizing reception of God’s generosity.  How will we use artistic talent, craftsman skills, education, leadership, hearts of compassion, minds of creativity, visions of hope, hands welcoming inclusion or ears listening to discern deliberations of equality?  We have been entrusted as stewards with so much of the bountiful kingdom. Do we use it or peruse it, share it or hoard it?

 

The faith displayed by Abraham to trust in the pleasure of God to give him his inheritance of the kingdom, should give us courage to trust God’s word.  To realize movement from a place of security requires faith, the realization of what hoped for, the endurance of things not seen.  A praxis of peace encoded with seeking leads us further down the path of faith, so perpetual seeking ends allowing service to begin.  Bedazzled by the kingdom, we become light in the world.  The spark of faith leads us to be disciples that ignite others.  Our destiny comes woven from Abraham into the lineage of billions of disciples through the millenniums, acclaimed by countless saints and will continually be woven into our journey to eternity.

 

Individual Reflection: Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

Share the resources from USCCB’s We are Sal and Light with you friends and parish:

http://www.wearesaltandlight.org/

 

http://www.wearesaltandlight.org/Family Reflection: Luke 12:32-48

Discuss what is in your spiritual moneybags.

 

Prayer: Dear God we praise you for your generosity, even when our eyes are closed to seeing it, our hands closed to touching it, our feet walking us away from it. For we know in your love you will help us to open our eyes and hands and walk toward the beauty of your kingdom.  Dispel our doubt and fear to journey towards our spiritual inheritance, so we may have the faith of Abraham. Help us discern how to best use the gifts you have given us to be your servants. When we catch a glimmer of your kingdom, we are blessed in ways our agenda can never satisfy or sustain us.  We thank you for being our generous and loving Father.  In your dear Son’s name we pray, Amen.

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born  July 25, 2016  Feast of St James.  St James, Pray for us. The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Uncategorized, worship materials | Tagged artistic talent, call to family community and participation, compassion, craftsman skills, education, faith of Abraham, hearts of compassion, leadership, moneybags, security, seeking, spiritual treasure | Leave a reply

Third Sunday of Easter Lectionary Reflection April 19, 2015

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Barb Born
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April 19, 2015: Third Sunday of Easter

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community and Participation

“The sacredness and dignity of human life exists not in isolation, but affirmed through individuals growing in community and seeking together the well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.”   Read more at:  https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Readings

First Reading: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

Psalm: 4:2, 4, 7-8,9

Second Reading: 1st John 2:1-5a

Gospel: Luke 24: 35-48

Catechism of the Catholic Church

He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness. Having matured in grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory of heaven. (1709)  From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

Luke 24:36

The promise of peace that runs through the entire Old Testament finds its fulfilment in the very person of Jesus. Peace, in fact, is the messianic attribute par excellence, in which all other beneficial effects of salvation are included. The Hebrew word “shalom” expresses this fullness of meaning in its etymological sense of “completeness” (cf. Is 9:5ff; Mic 5:1-4). The kingdom of the Messiah is precisely the kingdom of peace (cf. Job 25:2; Ps 29:11; 37:11; 72:3,7; 85:9,11; 119:165; 125:5, 128:6; 147:14; Song 8:10; Is 26:3,12; 32:17f.; 52:7; 54:10; 57:19; 60:17; 66:12; Hag 2:9; Zech 9:10; et al.). Jesus “is our peace” (Eph 2:14). He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility among people, reconciling them with God (cf.Eph 2:14-16). This is the very effective simplicity with which Saint Paul indicates the radical motivation spurring Christians to undertake a life and a mission of peace.

On the eve of his death, Jesus speaks of his loving relation with the Father and the unifying power that this love bestows upon his disciples. It is a farewell discourse which reveals the profound meaning of his life and can be considered a summary of all his teaching. The gift of peace is the seal on his spiritual testament: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (Jn 14:27). The words of the Risen Lord will not be any different; every time that he meets his disciples they receive from him the greeting and gift of peace: “Peace be with you” (Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19,21,26). (491)

Luke 24:46-49

God, in Christ, redeems not only the individual person but also the social relations existing between men. As the Apostle Paul teaches, life in Christ makes the human person’s identity and social sense — with their concrete consequences on the historical and social planes — emerge fully and in a new manner: “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ” (Gal 3:26-28). In this perspective, Church communities, brought together by the message of Jesus Christ and gathered in the Holy Spirit round the Risen Lord (cf. Mt 18:20, 28:19-20; Lk 24:46-49), offer themselves as places of communion, witness and mission, and as catalysts for the redemption and transformation of social relationships. (52)

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

The author of life was put to death by those who handed Him over to crucifixion, even when they had the opportunity to not deny His identity.  An action of ignorance, but the truth would be revealed.  How significantly does ignorance contribute to strife in our world today?  A limited awareness to understand social and economic complexities hinder dialogue, leading to distancing of people that should be interacting.  The abyss of unknowing can shrink so acuity sharpens to define challenges.   Solutions come into a clear perspective as ignorance crumbles when mirrors of illusions shatter under the weight of education that does not paint mirages, but informs of the reality.  But are people afraid of education—not just book knowledge, but an education of the senses to see the dynamics of struggles first hand.  Eyes open for a compassionate response, not a fleeting glance searching for paths of comfort.  Ears attentive to deep yearnings in lives that maybe invisible.  Education can also dispel fear rooted in ignorance, to cease brandishing stereotypes as weapons of hate.  Ignorance leaves someone snoozing in a hammock, suspended in thin air, day dreaming, but education engages heartfelt solutions.  Where the quest for peace does not startle or terrify us of embracing enemies fostered in indifference.  Ignorance of earthly realities separates us ultimately from the Divine reality.  For not looking at the hands and feet, touching those distanced from us by ignorance, that encounter of humanity, we fail to move beyond a superficial faith to grasp that the words of the prophets and psalms have been fulfilled.  To come to an understanding of the Scriptures, beyond book knowledge, where one comes to an education of the heart.  For when we truly believe our sins are forgiven and live in that freedom, we attentively preach in deed and witness by our lives what we have had made known to us in the breaking of the bread.

Individual Reflection: Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19

How might you become involved in your diocese’s restorative justice program to offer hope and healing to those handed over to incarceration?  What are their needs for education, counseling, job skills and spiritual enrichment where you might share your gifts?

Family Reflection: Psalm 4:2, 4,7-8, 9

How might your family support shelters that give those without a home a peaceful place to sleep?

Prayer

Reflect on the words of the song Open My Eyes Lord

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb  Born, April 11, 2015  The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, worship materials | Tagged breaking of the bread, dialogue, economic, education, eyes opened, hands and feet, ignorance, restorative justice, Scriptures, sins forgiven, solutions | Leave a reply

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