10 May
Fri
6th Week of Easter
Acts 18:9-18
Ps. 47:2-3,4-5,6-7
Jn. 16:20-23
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When the Lord spoke in a vision to Paul, it is important that His first words were "Do not be afraid". We have noted before that these words are those most frequently attributed to God in the Bible. When we entered the new millennium, there was such a great hope in many people's heart that we might at last begin to move to a more just and more peaceful life on this planet Earth. That hope has been badly shattered. We need, then, once again to listen to the voice of the Lord calling to us and assuring us that we need not be afraid. When we experience the effects of terrorism, we must begin to realize that finally it is only God who can say to us: "Do not be afraid". If we use these words to console one another, they will only be effective in the measure in which we are people after God's own heart. If we wish to convey this message from God to others, we must first of all experience God in our own lives taking away all fear. Then, we must be people who will never do anything to cause others to be afraid. We must rather bring the joy and peace of the resurrection.



Lord Jesus, by Your resurrection teach us not to be afraid.

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 live their faith coherently and so be credible witnesses of the hope of the Gospel
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 Christians may live their faith coherently and so be credible witnesses of the hope of the Gospel

That we may live a "coherent faith" that is a faith which produces the testimony of good works is the ecumenical intention of the Holy Father. In the Joint Declaration on the doctrine of justification signed between the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation in 1999 it is stated that "only through grace, by means of faith in Christ and his salvific work, and not through any merit of ours, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit which renews our hearts, enabling us to perform and leading us to good works".

It has to be understood that no human effort is capable of buying salvation. It is fundamentally a gift of God for which we have a duty to respond and co-operate through "faith-in-action" or "practised faith".

Hence, the strengthening of one's inner faith through prayer and the sacraments will assist in the growth of charity which leads us to live the new commandment of love more fervently. Now is the time to look at charity in a new way. It is not a matter of doing the same thing in the same way. It is a time to seek and find new expressions of love for every human being. Then we become "credible witnesses of evangelical hope"




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