Monday, June 20, 2016
Luke, Chapter 12,
Verse 7
Even the hairs of your head have all been
counted. Do not be afraid. You are
worth more than many sparrows.
When I read this passage I
get the idea that I indeed must be the least of those in the Kingdom of God. I
as a young man had handsome strawberry blond hair and I gained the attention of
many a young lady. Yet, as time went on it all fell out. At first I rebuked:
No, I will not take this and I used various elixirs in an attempt to keep the
hair. As it thinned I did the comb over and then one day I said screw it and
shaved my head. Vanity all is vanity.
As life went on the
challenges of everyday life I lost more than my hair and every day I struggled
to retain the joy of life against insurmountable odds in which I lost more than
my hair. (Divorce, single parenthood, angry children, unemployment, bankruptcy,
sickness) Bravely I continued but ever so slowly I found my joy of life was
falling out and anger was replacing it. Yet, by the grace of God: I still trust
in Him and trusting is Him I find my anger replaced with resolve to do His
will.
The patient man finds a cleansing
purgatory in this earthly life. When others wrong him, he is sorrier that evil
is done than that he has been wronged. He forgives the evil-doer from the
bottom of his heart. He is not slow to ask pardon when he himself has hurt
others. He is more easily moved to pity than to anger. He frequently disregards
his feelings and tries to live above them, according to his intelligence and
God’s grace.[1]
Amoris Lætitia[2] Looking to Jesus: The Vocation
of the Family- The family in the documents of
the Church (66-70)
The covenant of love and
fidelity lived by the Holy Family of Nazareth illuminates the principle which
gives shape to every family. On this basis, all families, despite their weaknesses,
can become a light in the darkness of the world.
True love between husband
and wife’ involves mutual self-giving, includes and integration the sexual and emotional
regard for one another. In the incarnation Christ assumed human love and purifies
it and brings it to fulfillment. By his Spirit, he gives spouses the capacities
to live that love, permeating every part of their lives of faith, hope and charity.
Additionally the Church, in order fully
to understand her mystery, looks to the Christian family, which manifests her
in a real way.
Married love requires that
husband and wife become fully aware of their obligations in the matter of
responsible parenthood, which today, rightly enough, is much insisted upon, but
which at the same time must be rightly understood… The exercise of responsible
parenthood requires that husband and wife, keeping a right order of priorities,
recognize their own duties towards God, themselves, their families and human
society.
In church documents the
Pope St. John Paul II defines the family as ‘the way of the Church. In
particular, by treating conjugal love, he described how spouses, in their
mutual love, receive the gift of the Spirit of Christ and live their call to
holiness.
Thus marriage based on an
exclusive and definitive love becomes an icon of the relationship between God
and his people, and vice versa. God’s way of loving becomes the measure of human
love. Moreover, in the Encyclical Caritas in
Veritate, he highlighted the importance of love as a principle of
life in society, a place where we learn the experience of the common good.
World Refugee Day[3]
World Refugee Day serves
to commemorate the strength, courage and resilience of millions of refugees
that have been forced to flee their homes out of fear of persecution or to
escape disasters. The day also aims to recognize refugees for their
contribution to the world. According to the United Nations, there are more than
50 million people displaced by war and violence, of which 33 million are
internally displaced while the other 17 million are refugees, mostly in
neighboring nations.
The United Nations General Assembly designated World Refugee Day in December 2000. It is celebrated every June 20th, a day chosen in order to coincide with Africa's previously celebrated Refugee Day.
The United Nations General Assembly designated World Refugee Day in December 2000. It is celebrated every June 20th, a day chosen in order to coincide with Africa's previously celebrated Refugee Day.
Full Strawberry Moon
According to the almanac
today we are having a Full Strawberry Moon; plan to spend make homemade
strawberry ice cream and share with your children or grandchildren. Teach them
the value of not saying a bad word about others.
Today is the summer solstice.
Comments
Post a Comment