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God found King Belshazzar's life wanting. He was too busy acquiring wealth and praising the god of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. A vacuum existed in his life. He failed to take time to give glory to God, who is responsible for his very existence. We, too, frequently fail to take time to praise and be thankful to the God who created us. Instead we get caught up in our selfish selves and seek more and more of the material goods of this life (just as Belshazzar did). We do not concentrate on our actual needs. We seem to exaggerate our wants all the time. In this wanting and continual asking for more we neglect the Lord and become weak in the face of the challenges of life. In the Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples of the persecutions, hostilities and difficulties awaiting them as His followers. Jesus says they are to see these events as opportunities for them to give witness to our fulfilment in God who loves us. As Christians we face difficulties. We have choices to make and we can get caught up in the race for acquiring more wealth as we saw Belshazzar do, in the first reading. Nevertheless, we can make space for the Lord in our lives. Jesus assures us that He is with us at all times. We must be confident in facing life's struggles because endurance will prove victorious and only then can we experience the richness of Jesus Christ.Lord, let us be immersed more in Your love than in our desire for wealth and power. |
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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 holy and exemplary men and women may be our companions in proclaiming boldly the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
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"They began to proclaim the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31). The word "boldly" can also be translated as "audaciously" or with "forthrightness" in announcing the Christian message. The ideal agents of evangelisation should be "holy and exemplary persons". Though God could have spread His Kingdom without human collaboration, He has always sought human partners, who as suitable and free instruments, work for the salvation of humankind. The laity can evangelise chiefly through prayer, the testimony of life and the establishment of a temporal order inspired by the Gospel. Though preaching the Gospel is the competence and principal duty of those who have been ordained, lay people, who have the necessary theological training, can preach. Vatican II stresses the need for priests to be holy preachers. God ordinarily prefers to show his wonders through those men who are more submissive to the impulse and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because of their intimate union with Christ and their holiness of life, they are able to say with St Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). Let us therefore pray that all those who devote themselves directly to evangelisation may live a holy life that emphasises the credibility of the Christian message. | |
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