9 Jul
Tue
14th Week in Ordinary Time
Hos. 8:4-7,11-13
Ps. 114:3-4,5-6,7-8,9-10
Mt. 9:32-38
How To Pray With Shalom
Home Page of Shalom
Index of This Month
 

Often people do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Hosea points out that we can be very busy about everything but God. By appointing kings and princes, the Israelites take more and more control over their own lives and rely less on God. The surrender of our hearts is what God seeks. He asks to be the director of our lives, not an occasional consultant! When we listen to Him and allow this to happen, marvellous things will follow.

The labourers are few - we have often seen that on vocation posters. But Jesus is not talking about numbers. He is speaking of those with prepared minds and hearts. People are in desperate need of companionship and guidance by those whose spiritual life is the result of struggle and search. Platitudes and pious answers are not helpful, nor are the sort of narrow-mindedness and cynicism displayed by the onlookers in the Gospel passage. Everyone needs the real wisdom of life's journey, and each of us has the capacity to provide this gift. It is not only for clergy and religious, but for all of God's faithful. Jesus challenges us to take our spiritual life seriously, and to share all that we have. The gifts and wisdom that God gives us is always to be shared with the community. It is important to believe in ourselves and exercise our rightful roles in God's church. There is someone waiting for words of life and encouragement from you today.



Lord, may I encourage someone else on his or her journey today.

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 artists may do all they can to help the men and women of today to discover the signs of God's providential love in creation.
Elaboration

- END -









P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : That artists may do all they can to help the men and women of today to discover the signs of God's providential love in creation.

The artist who can sculpt the stones of our heart to bring out the features of Christ is the Holy Spirit. However, he requires our responsiveness and docility. Conversion of heart is a work of an art jointly produced by the Spirit and our freedom.

Artists, accustomed to shaping the most diverse materials according to the inspiration of their genius, know well the daily effort required to improve their life that resembles artistic work. Through his artistic creativity the artist accomplishes the task of shaping the "material" of his own humanity and then having dominion over the universe. There is a remarkable similarity between the art of forming oneself and that which takes place in the transformation of matter.

God lets himself be glimpsed through the fascination of beauty. Artists can perceive a ray of supreme beauty among the many manifestations of the beautiful. It is then that art becomes a way to God and it spurs the artists to combine their creative talent with their commitment to a life of ever greater conformity to the divine law. Living profoundly their Christian faith, artists are encouraged to give birth to new "epiphanies" of the divine beauty reflected in creation.




- END -