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As a human being, Jesus lived in a family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. Thus, He was related to many other people. These relatives were ordinary Jews, probably no better or no worse than anyone else. We must accept this painful fact about them, that they did not understand Jesus and what He was doing. Some of them came to the conclusion: "He is out of his mind." Let us not be too quick to condemn these relatives of Jesus. There were many other people at that time who did not immediately believe in Him. No doubt some were malicious when they accused Him of working miracles in the name of the devil. Yet, not all of them were malicious. As in any group of human beings facing any situation, there was certainly a whole range of different emotions guiding their reactions. If there is a lesson here for us, it may be a call to remember that not everyone can come to faith so easily. If we believe in Jesus, that is a grace for which we must be grateful. If our own relatives and friends do not believe, let us not condemn them but rather pray that grace may move their hearts. Let us pray, too, for a strengthening of our own faith. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. |
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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.
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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. | |
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