31 Jan Wed 4th Week in Ordinary Time St John Bosco, priest Heb. 12:4-7, 11-15 Ps. 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18 Mk. 6:1-6 How To Pray With Shalom Home Page of Shalom Index of This Month        From time to time Mark reminds us of the unwillingness of people to recognise and accept Jesus for who He is. In today's instance Jesus is found to be unacceptable to His own townsfolk. They respond to His teaching with feelings of prejudice, resentment and disbelief. Accordingly Jesus can neither reach their hearts nor cure their ailments. Leaving them with the burden of their hard-heartedness He searches out 'a few sick people' who know their need of Him. The extent to which we are willing to welcome Jesus into our lives is the extent to which He can help us. This is to grow in the compassion of God's love. The first reading teaches us the journey of Jesus who was hurt, misunderstood and even separated yet He loved all. May the misunderstanding, the hurts, the separations and the deaths we experience in the course of our lives teach us compassion for ourselves and others.      Lord, teach us compassion and love. 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 Christians may favour the evangelisation of the new generations through the constant search for the unity wanted by Christ. Elaboration
- END - P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H     INTENTION : That Christians may favour the evangelisation of the new generations through the constant search for the unity wanted by Christ. The question of full Christian unity and evangelisation led to the beginnings of the ecumenical movement. The Holy Father decries the negative consequences of division among Christians and calls them to search for full Christian Unity as inspired by the Lord's Prayer. As evangelisers we must offer Christ's faithful an image of people who are mature in faith and capable of finding a meeting point beyond all tensions. The destiny of evangelisation is bound up with the witness of unity given to the Church. The urgency of preaching and displaying unity to the world arises from the fact that Christians can impair the vitality of proclaiming the Gospel and even become a scandal to the world, particularly when the churches appear to proclaim "a kingdom against itself". It is clear that the proclamation of the Gospel by divided Christians becomes counter- itness. As Christians we ought to give collaborative common witness which is founded in the common baptism in Christ and faith in the Triune God. Pray for the courage to work positively with other Christians for the purpose of promoting evangelisation. - END -