“Lord, cut us to the heart. Grace us to
repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt generation; let us follow Jesus
our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him. Alleluia!”
The challenges
humanity currently faces are considerable: wars and conflicts, hunger and
famine, the gap between rich and poor, our troubled and threatened environment,
political and economic discords, divisions among Christian churches, pressures
from work on married couples, parents, and families, various forms of abuse, and
personally, uncertainties, sufferings, frustrations, fears, and confusions. As
Jesus did in his day, now Pope Francis does not necessarily propose specific
solutions, but like the Lord Jesus, Francis invites all of humanity to
collaborate for the common good, and in forgiveness and fraternity.
“Lord,
cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt
generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him.
Alleluia!”
At the level of the
human person and of each individual, we all face challenges from the demands of
life, of health, and of aging, from poverty and waste, between pleasure and
pain, from the balance between my good and the good of others, between truth and
justice, but most of all, the challenge of maturation, moral development, and
conscience. In all this mess, the ways of the Lord are not our ways. Jesus did
not try to reform the Roman Empire, nor the Temple, nor the Council of the
Sanhedrin. No, Jesus came to bring the Good News to people, to individuals of
all ages. Jesus still seeks to touch our hearts. If we recognize his voice and
follow Him, we will be saved. Eternal life begins the moment we welcome within
us God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
“Lord,
cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt
generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him.
Alleluia!”
In his passion,
Jesus gives us the perfect example of the child of God who, in every trial of
life, completely trusts in God the Father. Each sorrow, each temptation, each
trial permitted by God our Father, by our faith, purifies the intentions of our
heart, strengthens us, and makes us realize that, in life, all is gift. Yes, we
make efforts, we take decisions, we realize tasks, but all that is good comes
to us from the hand of God and comes to us gratuitously. The Father loves us,
and He deserves our trust. This is how hope arises within us, and the Holy
Spirit enables us to breathe, in the peace which He gives.
“Lord,
cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt
generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him.
Alleluia!”
When I accept to
endure my own reactions in frustration and anger, there
is an offering agreeable to God! When I forgive others their defects and
their faults, and when I pray for my enemies, there is an offering agreeable to
God!
“Lord,
cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt
generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him.
Alleluia!”
When I open my eyes, my
ears, my thoughts, and my heart to the difficulties of others, there is an offering agreeable to God!
When I do something to care for our common home – the natural environment –
there is an offering agreeable to God! When I take care of the little ones, the
elderly, widows and orphans, there is an offering agreeable to God! When I take
care of the sick or the lonely, there is an offering agreeable to God! When I
visit prisoners, or when I come to the aid of refugees, of itinerants, of
strangers, or of people who are ignored or counted as nothing, there is an
offering agreeable to God!
Still today, Jesus says to us: “Come
to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Then, nourished and
strengthened by Him, in the second movement, Jesus sends us all out: “Go
and proclaim the good news, and make disciples. You have received freely; now,
give freely.”
“Lord,
cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt
generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him.
Alleluia!”
“Lord Jesus, we are sinners, we are poor, and we are
weak. You, our Good Shepherd, in your great and divine mercy, forgive our sins,
repair our defects, heal our wounds, strengthen our weaknesses, and fill us
with your Holy Spirit. Send us out and accompany us as we go to the people of
our time; help us to share with them the Good News that You rose from the dead;
You are the Son of God; You love them and You offer them a new life which will
lead them and us into eternal life. Come, Lord Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You.”
“Lord,
cut us to the heart. Grace us to repent. Move us to turn away from this corrupt
generation; let us follow Jesus our Good Shepherd. Let us trust and follow Him.
Alleluia!”
“Mary
Mother of God, St. Joseph, walk with us in
the steps of Jesus. O my
Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the
Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
In silence now, the Holy
Spirit helps us to lay down our offering together with that of Jesus….
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