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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen

and who feasted sumptuously every day.

And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus,

covered with sores,

who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table;

even the dogs would come and lick his sores.”

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– Luke 16:19-21 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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In my own comforts,

am I complacent about other people around me

who lack,

who suffer…?

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How truly Christian am I?

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QUOTE…

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“…a danger that all of us face. […]

The danger of complacency, comfort,

worldliness in our lifestyles and in our hearts,

of making our well-being the most important thing in our lives.

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Whenever material things, money, worldliness, become the centre of our lives,

they take hold of us,

they possess us;

we lose our very identity as human beings. […]

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The rich man in the Gospel has no name,

he is simply ‘a rich man’.

Material things, his possessions, are his face;

he has nothing else. […]

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Security in material things…ultimately rob us of our face, our human face.

This is what happens when we become complacent,

when we no longer remember God. […]

Life, the world, other people,

all of these become unreal, they no longer matter,

everything boils down to one thing: having.

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When we no longer remember God, we too become unreal,

we too become empty;

like the rich man in the Gospel, we no longer have a face.

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Those who run after nothing become nothing.”

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– Pope Francis

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PRAYER…

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Jesus,

my Teacher, my Mentor,

my Saviour, my Lord,

I so want to love You

and I know I cannot truly do so

unless I love and am charitable to my neighbour.

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Help me see You in every single person I come across;

help me find You in everyone,

especially in the poor, the sick, the lame, the less fortunate.

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Remove any misguided pride from deep inside of me,

and all prejudices I may harbour against others.

Take away my selfishness

and my fears,

and, Lord, use me as You will.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me share Your blessings, and Your love, with the needy.

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YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013

FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

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The principle of solidarity, also articulated in terms of “friendship” or “social charity,”

is a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.

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[CCC 1939]

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The differences among persons belong to God’s plan,

who wills that we should need one another.

These differences should encourage charity.

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[CCC 1946]

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Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue.

It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones.

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[CCC 1948]

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