Shalom

25 Jun Mon	12th Week in Ordinary Time
	Gen. 12:1-9 Ps. 33:12-13, 18-19, 20, 22 Mt. 7:1-5

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"From heaven the Lord looks down, he sees all mankind". How often such a sentiment frightens us! God is watching us. Since God is watching us, we should never sin, for we will always be caught! The intention of the Word of God cannot be to frighten us, to make us lead good lives through fear. Every word of Scripture is rather for our consolation. St Ignatius of Loyola defines consolation as every increase of faith, hope and love, and joy in the things of the Lord (Spiritual Exercise #316). Our lives, then, should always be filled with God's consolation. We should continually grow in faith, in hope, and in love. We should live in such a way that joy in the things of the Lord is an ever more powerful source of spiritual energy and strength.

Scripture, God's word of revelation, must then be designed to further this consolation. "From heaven the Lord looks down, he sees all mankind". The Psalmist who wrote these words obviously intended that we should see this as a sign of God's providential care. It is a reason for hope rather than a reason for fear.

Lord, look down from heaven, see our need of Your strength and Your grace. Increase our faith, our hope, our love and our joy in Your presence.

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 our every activity may have its beginning and its end in Christ present in the Eucharist
Elaboration

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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 our every activity may have its beginning and its end in Christ present in the Eucharist
In this month, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, we are encouraged to contemplate the Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist. It will spur us to seek in that Heart the inexhaustible mystery of the priesthood of Christ and of the Church. It will enable us to taste the spiritual sweetness of charity at its very source. It will make us rediscover our baptismal promises and thus be made more aware of having to live our apostolic dimension by spreading love and participating in the mission of evangelisation. We pray the Lord of the harvest to grant the Church "shepherds after His own Heart" who will be ready to go out into the highways of the world to proclaim that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We pray that today's young people, docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit, will let the great expectations of the Church and of humanity resonate in the depths of their hearts and respond to Christ's invitation to consecrate, themselves enthusiastically and joyously with Him "for the life of the world". The entire devotion to the Heart of Jesus is rooted and finds its summit in participation in the Holy Mass where we fraternally assembled, listen to the Word of God and learn to offer with Christ our lives.
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