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When God made the world He placed in it His own image and likeness. That image and likeness was a family, not a woman on her own or a man on his own for "it is not good for the man to be alone", but a woman and a man who were the image of the loving community of the Blessed Trinity. What held them together was God. And family needs woman, man and love; and "God is love". That love is creative, and God's command to that first family was "Be fruitful and multiply". For St Paul, Christ is the foundation upon which the family relationships must be built. In today's psalm it is clear that all the family blessings a man may have are predicated upon his fearing Yahweh and following his paths. The husband or father's primary duty is to attend to God and all things will flow from that. This is what St Joseph is doing in today's gospel. He is listening to what God demands and doing it right away "to fulfil what the Lord has spoken". Every time we hear Joseph mentioned He is doing what God wants and every time God is asking him to put himself out for his family. In many countries it has become a practice to leave the religion of the family in the hands of the mother; that is not the way things were in the Holy Family. Lord, keep us united as a family. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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That the celebration of the Jubilee may become the source of a new commitment in men and women of good will to protect and promote human life.
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In the threshold of the year 2001, it is our duty to renew our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of the poor and marginalised and to recognise in a practical way the rights of those who have no rights. This is the spirit of the new millennium which presupposes the following: The basic right to life which is inviolable which involves a positive choice for life. The development of a culture of this kind embraces all the circumstances of life and ensures the promotion of human dignity in every situation. Recent developments in the field of genetic engineering present a profoundly disquieting challenge. In order that scientific research in this area may be at the service of the person, it must be accompanied at every stage by careful ethical reflection, which will bring about adequate legal norms safeguarding the integrity of human life. Life can never be downgraded to the level of a thing. To choose life involves rejecting every form of violence. In every circumstance, the right to life must be promoted and safeguarded with appropriate legal and political guarantees. Let us raise our voices on their behalf. | |
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