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The prophet Isaiah speaks of a vision where the Temple of Jerusalem will tower over all and become the focal point of all the nations. But it will not be as a symbol of power and conquest but rather as one giving light and wisdom and true vision to the peoples of the world. It will be a symbol of God himself giving guidance to people everywhere. The result will be the end of wars as weapons are melted down into peaceful instruments of agriculture. 'Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war.' The gospel illustrates this taking place as a Roman soldier, presumed to be a non-believer, approaches Jesus, the Light of the World, in search of healing not for himself but for his slave. He does not even need that Jesus come to his house: Jesus' word - He is the Word of God - is enough. The soldier's faith and trust represent that of the millions who in the ensuing ages have come in search of the Truth and Light and Love of God that is to be found in Jesus, whose coming we begin to prepare for in these four weeks of Advent. Help us, Lord, in these coming weeks to prepare in a fitting way to welcome You into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour. |
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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 Christians may free themselves from the subtle forms of cultural conditioning which prevent them from recognising the dignity and rights of others
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Our vocation and mission as Christians is to bring the light of Christ to the world in order to preserve the world from corruption by permeating it with the values of the Gospel. We need, ourselves, first and foremost to be enlightened by Christ. We do not generate light, we only refract, reflect and radiate. It is His light that we must cast on the world. The more transparent our lives are with the values of the Gospel, the better is the light of Christ reflected and the less we are seen. The world in which we live is mixed with wheat and weeds. There is good and evil. Consumerism is but the logical sequence of a materialistic way of life. Spiritual values are forgotten. Our wants are made to appear as our needs and we are forced to get so immersed in the joys of this world as to forget the joys of the world to come. We are admonished to be aware lest we be trapped by these and other forms of cultural conditioning that mark this world. Awareness is the first step to change. We pray that this awareness may help us to be delivered from the cultural conditioning that hinders and hampers our vision and prevents us from recognising the dignity and the rights of others. | |
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