29 May
Wed 		8th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Pt. 1:18-25
Ps. 148:12-13,14-15, 19-20
Mk. 10:32-45
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Events were catching up on the disciples. Things were moving so fast "they were in a daze". This was not quite what they expected when they first decided to become companions of Jesus. For the third time He begins to tell them about what is going to happen to Him. It does not make sense. How could their religious leaders do these things to their Master, who was doing so much good everywhere? Two of them thought they might be able to salvage something from the coming disaster. Whatever He meant by 'rising again', could they perhaps get something out of it? "Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory." They still had not understood what Jesus had told them so often. There are no short cuts to the Kingdom. The only way is the way of the cross together with Jesus. And the way of total service rather than backdoor entry to positions of power and privilege. They must be like their Master who, though the very Son of God, came to serve and not to be served. Have we really learnt this lesson ourselves yet? How much time do we spend seeking position, status, influence? Do we really have a spirit of service with everyone we meet?


Help us, Lord, to understand that it is not what we can get that makes us great but how much we can give of ourselves to others and their needs.

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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