Friday after Epiphany
Leviticus, Chapter 19, verse 32
Stand up in the
presence of the aged, show respect for the old, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
A people or Nation is known by how it treats its most
vulnerable persons. Are the most vulnerable; the young, including the unborn
and aged treated with dignity and honor. Are these people whom are created of
and by God treated by us as an object; as a vehicle to obtain something, or as
a wall that blocks us from what we want or are they seen as useless and
unimportant? We must avoid identifying with the culture of death.
I encourage each of you to live with serenity the years that the Lord has granted you, I feel a spontaneous desire to share fully with you my own feelings at this point of my life, after more than twenty years of ministry on the throne of Peter and as we await the arrival, now imminent, of the Third Millennium. Despite the limitations brought on by age, I continue to enjoy life. For this I thank the Lord. It is wonderful to be able to give oneself to the very end for the sake of the Kingdom of God! At the same time, I find great peace in thinking of the time when the Lord will call me: from life to life! And so I often find myself saying, with no trace of melancholy, a prayer recited by priests after the celebration of the Eucharist: In hora mortis meae voca me, et iube me venire ad te – at the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you. This is the prayer of Christian hope, which in no way detracts from the joy of the present, while entrusting the future to God's gracious and loving care. “Iube me venire ad te!” this is the deepest yearning of the human heart, even in those who are not conscious of it. Grant, O Lord of life, that we may be ever vividly aware of this and that we may savor every season of our lives as a gift filled with promise for the future. Grant that we may lovingly accept your will and place ourselves each day in your merciful hands. And when the moment of our definitive “passage” comes, grant that we may face it with serenity, without regret for what we shall leave behind. For in meeting you, after having sought you for so long, we shall find once more every authentic good which we have known here on earth, in the company of all who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and hope. Mary, Mother of pilgrim humanity, pray for us “now and at the hour of our death”. Keep us ever close to Jesus, your beloved Son and our brother, the Lord of life and glory.
Human
Trafficking Awareness Day is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual slavery
and human trafficking worldwide. Today, there are between 21-30 million
people enslaved in the world, more than at any time in human history. Every
day, modern slavery can be recognized: children
become soldiers; young women are forced into prostitution and migrant
workers exploited in the workforce. Human Trafficking Awareness Day
seeks to end this slavery, return rights to individuals and make the world a
safer place for all inhabitants. Human Trafficking Awareness Day started in
2007, when the U.S. Senate designated January 11th as National Human
Trafficking Awareness Day in the hopes of raising awareness to combat human
trafficking. It began as a U.S. initiative, and the United Nations
has started to highlight this topic and work towards global awareness with days
such as International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.
Human Trafficking
Awareness Facts & Quotes
·
The
most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation, accounting for
79% of human trafficking victims. These victims of sexual exploitation are
predominantly women and girls.
·
According
to UNICEF, 2 million children are estimated to be trafficking victims of sex
trade each year. 20% of traffic victims are children.
·
The
average age of a girl being forced into the US domestic sex slavery market is
13.
·
The
average cost of a slave around the world is $90.
·
It
is slavery in the modern age. Every year thousands of people, mainly women and
children, are exploited by criminals who use them for forced labor or the sex
trade. No country is immune. Almost all play a part, either as a source of
trafficked people, transit point or destination. - United Nations
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
Human Trafficking
Awareness Top Events and Things to Do
§
Talk
to children about strangers and make sure they memorize important addresses and
phone numbers.
§
Save
888-373-7888 to your phone. This is number to the National Human
Trafficking Resources Hotline.
§
Make
a donation to an organization fighting human trafficking.
§
Learn
the signs and indicators of human trafficking so that you can learn to recognize
it and report it. US
Homeland Security offers a training online free of charge.
·
Watch
a movie about human trafficking. Our picks: Taken (2008), Trade (2007), Human
Trafficking (2005), The Pink Room (2011), Nefarious (2011) and Lilya 4-ever
(2002).
Know the Signs[3]
Recognizing indicators of
human trafficking is key to identifying victims and helping them find
assistance.
Look for someone who:
Look for someone who:
1. Is not free to
leave or come and go as he/she wishes
2. Is unpaid, paid
very little, or paid only through tips
3. Works excessively
long and/or unusual hours
4. Is not allowed
breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions at work
5. Owes a large debt
and is unable to pay it off
6. Was recruited
through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his/her work
7. High security
measures exist in work and/or living locations (e.g. opaque windows, boarded-up
windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)
8. Is fearful,
anxious, depressed, submissive, tense or nervous/paranoid
9. Exhibits unusually
fearful or anxious behavior after mention of law enforcement
10. Avoids eye contact
11. Lacks health care
12. Appears
malnourished
13. Shows signs of
physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement or torture
14. Has few or no
personal possessions
15. Is not in control
of his/her own money, has no financial records or bank account
16. Is not in control
of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport)
17. Is not allowed or
able to speak for themselves (a third party may insist on being present and/or
translating)
18. Claims of just
visiting and inability to clarify where he/she is staying/address
19. Lack of knowledge
of whereabouts and/or do not know what city he/she is in
20. Loss of sense of
time
21. Has numerous
inconsistencies in his/her story
Your Marriage, Centered on Jesus
Christ
51.
But marriage is hard! Those who glimpse the plan that God has for marriage may
well agree with the words of G.K. Chesterton when he said, “it is not that
Christianity has been tried and found lacking; it is that it has been found
difficult and left untried.” No matter our vocation, these words ring true! It
is often thought that faithful, chaste, committed, life-long married love is
just too difficult. As your shepherd, I want you to remember the angel’s
message to Mary, whose unique mission in history likely sounded impossible when
she heard it, “nothing will be impossible for God.” (Lk. 1:37)
49 Godly Character Traits[4]
During
this New Year let us take up the nature of God by reflecting on these traits
that make us a model for our children and our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Today reflect on:
Thriftiness vs. Extravagance
Not letting myself or others spend that which is not necessary (Luke 16:11)
1835 Prudence disposes
the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to
choose the right means for achieving it.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Tender, soft, flabby...: that's not the way I want you. It's about
time you got rid of that peculiar pity you feel for yourself
Daily Devotions
[1]http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_01101999_elderly.html
[4]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-Tcharacter-qualities/
[5]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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