What cannot end, if you are a follower of Jesus, is being faithful each day to the work of love. Jesus knew it would always be something whether it was a big terrible setback or a minor inconvenience, our faith will be tested.
All around the world there can be signs of trouble and difficulty. The answer for those who are followers of Jesus is to become a mighty sign. While everyone else might be complaining or be stressed out, or indifferent or self-absorbed, we are called to be mighty signs of hope, people who believe the answer is not tin giving up, but rather standing with each other.
I watched a show the other day where the family said that for several years now they had stopped making Christmas about presents and “what I want”; they would choose this time of year to serve others. Their teenage son died tragically this year; and yet they are still going this year to Ecuador to help build a school. But the school will now be named for their son. And as I watched these people who have stuck with God and kept working, I thought what a mighty, mighty sign.
Reflection based on Matthew 7:21, -24-27
Father Gregory E. S. Malovietz
The word pity is often avoided because of its negative connotation. To pity others is seen as judging them! In Webster’s Dictionary, the word pity is defined as “feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the sufferings of others.”
When Mother Teresa walked the streets of Calcutta, she took pity on the poor but she didn’t stop there. She went right up to them and helped them! She washed their wounds, fed their stomachs, and bathed their bodies. If pity is just a feeling, it’s a negative because it doesn’t do anyone any good!
But if in our pity for others we are motivated to reach out and help them, then pity becomes a positive, and through it others are helped! Let us keep in mind that Jesus has a special place in his heart for the poor, and for all those who minister to them. “Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!”
Reflection based on Matthew 9:21, 27-31
Molly Kelly