Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe,
Priest and Martyr
Lectionary: 414
Lectionary: 414
The Lord GOD said to me:
As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you:
be not rebellious like this house of rebellion,
but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.
It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me,
in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back,
and written on it was:
Lamentation and wailing and woe!
He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you;
eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel,
and speak my words to them.
As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you:
be not rebellious like this house of rebellion,
but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.
It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me,
in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back,
and written on it was:
Lamentation and wailing and woe!
He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you;
eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel,
and speak my words to them.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 119:14, 24, 72, 103,
111, 131
R. (103a) How sweet to my taste
is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
AlleluiaMT 11:29AB
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”
Meditation: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven"
Are you surprised to see the disciples discussing with
Jesus who is the greatest? Don't we do the same thing? The appetite for glory
and greatness seems to be inbred in us. Who doesn't cherish the ambition to be
"somebody" whom others admire rather than a "nobody"? Even
the Psalms speak about the glory God has destined for us. You have made
them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor (Psalm
8:5).
Whose glory do you seek?
Jesus made a dramatic gesture by placing a child next to himself to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of God. What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They were socially at the "bottom of the rung" and at the service of their parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants. What is the significance of Jesus' gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honor at his right side. It is customary, even today, to seat the guest of honor at the right side of the host.
Jesus made a dramatic gesture by placing a child next to himself to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of God. What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They were socially at the "bottom of the rung" and at the service of their parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants. What is the significance of Jesus' gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honor at his right side. It is customary, even today, to seat the guest of honor at the right side of the host.
The lowly of heart empty themselves of pride
Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of heart - who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant and child before God. The simple of heart know that they belong to God - he is their father, teacher, and provider - the one who shows them the way of peace, joy, and life everlasting. They are content to recognize their total dependence on God who is the source of all goodness and every good gift.
Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of heart - who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant and child before God. The simple of heart know that they belong to God - he is their father, teacher, and provider - the one who shows them the way of peace, joy, and life everlasting. They are content to recognize their total dependence on God who is the source of all goodness and every good gift.
Jesus restores us to the people he has made holy
What does Jesus' story about a lost sheep tell us about God and his kingdom? Shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God (Luke 15:7). Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
What does Jesus' story about a lost sheep tell us about God and his kingdom? Shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God (Luke 15:7). Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
"Lord Jesus, teach me your way of humility and
simplicity of heart that I may find perfect joy in you. May your light shine
through me that others may see your truth and love and find hope and peace in
you."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: What it means to become a child a God,
by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century)
"Here the Lord not
only repressed the apostles' thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers
throughout the whole world, so that he might be great who wanted to be least.
For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he had
been through his nature, we through our holy living might become - innocent,
like children innocent of every sin. For a child does not know how to hold
resentment or to grow angry. He does not know how to repay evil for evil. He
does not think base thoughts. He does not commit adultery or arson or murder.
He is utterly ignorant of theft or brawling or all the things that will draw
him to sin. He does not know how to disparage, how to blaspheme, how to hurt,
how to lie. He believes what he hears. What he is ordered he does not analyze.
He loves his parents with full affection. Therefore what children are in their
simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of
sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way
is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a person will
receive Christ." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION
OF THE GOSPELS 27)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, MATTHEW 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
(Ezekiel 2:8--3:4; Psalm 119)
(Ezekiel 2:8--3:4; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (v. 4).
TO KNOW: When one of Jesus' disciples asked him who was the greatest in God's reign, he answered with a living parable. He placed a small child in their midst to demonstrate that membership in God's kingdom was not measured by social status or power. The child represented those who trusted God for their needs in the way children depended upon their parents. Jesus' admonished his followers not to despise the insignificant members of the community as being unimportant. The angels in heaven interceded on behalf of God's little ones who were like lost sheep with no means to protect themselves. Jesus cautioned his disciples to be good shepherds who would watch over their flocks and guard them from every evil.
TO LOVE: Do I stand up for the rights of helpless children?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to come to you with childlike confidence.
MEMORIAL OF SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, PRIEST AND
MARTYR
Maximilian Kolbe was ordained in 1918 in Rome, and returned to Poland to teach history in the Crakow seminary. He founded a new monastery of Niepokalanow. By 1939 the monastery housed a religious community of nearly 800 men, the largest in the world in its day, and was completely self-sufficient including medical facilities. During World War II, Maximilian Kolbe and his brothers housed 3,000 Polish refugees, two-thirds Jewish. Their publications included materials considered anti-Nazi, and the congregation was suppressed, and the brothers dispersed. Maximilian was imprisoned in Warsaw, Poland. On 28 May 1941 he was transferred to Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. He was assigned to a group staffed by priests and supervised by abusive guards. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs available, and more beatings than anyone else. In July 1941 there was an escape from the camp, and ten men were to be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped prisoner. Francis Gajowniczek, a married man with young children was one of the ten chosen to die. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished - in service of Jesus Christ. Maximilian Kolbe was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982. "Greater love has no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
Tuesday 14
August 2018
St Maximilian Kolbe.
Ezekiel 2:8-3:4. Psalm 118(119):14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131.
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14.
How sweet to my taste is your promise—Psalm 118(119):14, 24, 72,
103, 111, 131.
‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’
As children, we are told that with age comes wisdom. Yet in
today’s Gospel Jesus is saying the opposite. This is because children are
curious beings, always searching for the truth. They can find wonder and
joy in the world around them.
We may have lost our sense of wonder. We possess so many things
and yet we are not happy. We are bored, and from boredom, we sin.
The challenge then is to recapture our sense of wonder so that
we might praise God in all places, times and things.
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Saint of the Day for August 14
(January 8, 1894 – August 14, 1941)
 |
| Stained glass in Our Lady of Czestochowa Grotto (Sorrowful Mother Shrine) | photo by Nheyob |
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s Story
“I don’t know what’s going to become of you!” How many parents
have said that? Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s reaction was, “I prayed very hard to
Our Lady to tell me what would happen to me. She appeared, holding in her hands
two crowns, one white, one red. She asked if I would like to have them—one was
for purity, the other for martyrdom. I said, ‘I choose both.’ She smiled and
disappeared.” After that he was not the same.
He entered the minor seminary of the Conventual Franciscans in
Lvív–then Poland, now Ukraine– near his birthplace, and at 16 became a novice.
Though Maximilian later achieved doctorates in philosophy and theology, he was
deeply interested in science, even drawing plans for rocket ships.
Ordained at 24, Maximilian saw religious indifference as the
deadliest poison of the day. His mission was to combat it. He had already
founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the
witness of the good life, prayer, work, and suffering. He dreamed of and then
founded Knight of the Immaculata, a religious magazine under
Mary’s protection to preach the Good News to all nations. For the work of
publication he established a “City of the Immaculata”—Niepokalanow—which housed
700 of his Franciscan brothers. He later founded another one in Nagasaki,
Japan. Both the Militia and the magazine ultimately reached the one-million
mark in members and subscribers. His love of God was daily filtered through
devotion to Mary.
In 1939, the Nazi panzers overran Poland with deadly speed.
Niepokalanow was severely bombed. Kolbe and his friars were arrested, then
released in less than three months, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
In 1941, Fr. Kolbe was arrested again. The Nazis’ purpose was to
liquidate the select ones, the leaders. The end came quickly, three months
later in Auschwitz, after terrible beatings and humiliations.
A prisoner had escaped. The commandant announced that 10 men
would die. He relished walking along the ranks. “This one. That one.”
As they were being marched away to the starvation bunkers,
Number 16670 dared to step from the line.
“I would like to take that man’s place. He has a wife and
children.”
“Who are you?”
“A priest.”
“Who are you?”
“A priest.”
No name, no mention of fame. Silence. The commandant,
dumbfounded, perhaps with a fleeting thought of history, kicked Sergeant
Francis Gajowniczek out of line and ordered Fr. Kolbe to go with the nine. In
the “block of death” they were ordered to strip naked, and their slow
starvation began in darkness. But there was no screaming—the prisoners sang. By
the eve of the Assumption, four were left alive. The jailer came to finish
Kolbe off as he sat in a corner praying. He lifted his fleshless arm to receive
the bite of the hypodermic needle. It was filled with carbolic acid. They
burned his body with all the others. Fr. Kolbe was beatified in 1971 and
canonized in 1982.
Reflection
Father Kolbe’s death was not a sudden, last-minute act of
heroism. His whole life had been a preparation. His holiness was a limitless,
passionate desire to convert the whole world to God. And his beloved Immaculata
was his inspiration.
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe is the Patron Saint of:
Addicts
Drug addiction
Drug addiction
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
18,1-5.10.12-14
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty and ever-living God,
your Spirit made us your children,
confident to call you Father.
Increase your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
your Spirit made us your children,
confident to call you Father.
Increase your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew
18,1-5.10.12-14
At this time the disciples came to Jesus
and said, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?' So he called a little
child to him whom he set among them. Then he said, 'In truth I tell you, unless
you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of
Heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the
greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. 'Anyone who welcomes one little child like
this in my name welcomes me.
'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that therein heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that therein heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
3) Reflection
• Here, in Chapter 18 of the Gospel of
Matthew begins the fourth great discourse of the New Law, the Discourse of the
Community. As has already been said before (on Monday of the 10th Week of the
Year), the Gospel of Matthew written for the communities of the Christian Jews
of Galilee and of Syria, present Jesus as the new Moses. In the Old Testament,
the Law of Moses was codified in the five books of the Pentateuch. Imitating
the ancient model, Matthew represents the New Law in five great Discourses: (a)
The Sermon on the Mountain (Mt 5, 1 to 7, 29); (b) the Discourse of the Mission
(Mt 10, 1-42); (c) The Discourse of the Parables (Mt 13, 1-52); (d) The
Discourse of the Community (Mt 18, 1-35); (e) The discourse of the Future of
the Kingdom (Mt 24,1 to 25,46). The narrative parts which are inserted among
the five Discourses describe the practice of Jesus and show how he practiced
and embodied the New Law in his life.
• The Gospel today gives the first part of the Discourse of the Community (Mt 18, 1-14) which has as key word “the little ones”. The little ones are not only the children, but also the poor persons, those who are not important in society and in the community, and also the children. Jesus asks that these “little ones” should always be the centre of the concern of the communities because “The Father in Heaven does not will that one of these little ones should be lost” (Mt 18, 14).
• Matthew 18, 1: The question of the disciples which provokes the teaching of Jesus. The disciples want to know who is the greater in the Kingdom. The simple fact of this question reveals that they had not understood anything or very little the message of Jesus. The whole Discourse of the Community, is in order to make them understand that among the followers of Jesus the spirit of service should prevail, the gift of self, of pardon, of reconciliation and of gratuitous love, without seeking one’s own interest and one’s own promotion.
• Matthew 18, 2-5: The fundamental criterion: the little one and the greater one. The disciples ask for a criterion so as to be able to measure the importance of the persons in the community: “Who is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus answers that the criterion are the littler ones! The little ones are not socially important; they do not belong to the world of the great. The disciples have to become children. Instead of growing up, to the heights, they must grow down and toward the periphery, where the poor and the little ones live. In this way, they will be the greater in the Kingdom! The reason is the following: “Anyone who receives one of these little ones receives me”. Jesus identifies himself with them. The love of Jesus for the little ones cannot be explained. Children have no merit. It is the complete gratuity of the love of God which manifests itself and asks to be imitated in the community of those who call themselves disciples of Jesus.
• Matthew 18, 6-9: Do not scandalize the little ones. These four verses concerning the scandal to little ones are omitted from today’s Gospel. We give a brief commentary on them. To scandalize the little ones means: to be the cause for them to lose their faith in God and to abandon the community. Matthew keeps a very hard phrase of Jesus: “Anyone who scandalizes even one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a mill stone tied around his neck and then be thrown into the sea”. It is a sign that at that time many little ones no longer identified themselves with the community and sought another refuge. And today, in Latin America, for example, every year, approximately three million persons abandon the historical Church and go toward the Evangelical churches. This is a sign that they do not feel at home among us. What is lacking in us? Which is the cause of this scandal of the little ones? In order to avoid the scandal, Jesus orders to cut the foot or take out the eye. This phrase cannot be taken literally. It means that we should be very firm, strict in fighting against scandal which draws the little ones away. We cannot, in any way, allow that the little ones should feel marginalized in our community; because in this case, the community would not be a sign of the Kingdom of God.
• Matthew 18, 10-11: The angels of the little ones are in the presence of the Father. Jesus recalls Psalm 91. The little ones take Yahweh as their refuge and make the most High their fortress (Ps 91, 9) and because of this: “No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; he has given angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go. They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone” (Ps 91, 10, 12).
• Matthew 18, 12-14: The parable of the one hundred sheep. According to Luke, this parable reveals the joy of God on the conversion of a sinner (Lk 15, 3-7). According to Matthew, it reveals that the Father does not want that not even one of the little ones be lost. In other words, the little ones should be the pastoral priority of the Community, of the Church. They should be in the centre of the concern of all. Love toward the little ones and the excluded should be the axis of the community of those who want to follow Jesus; because it is in this way that the community becomes the proof of the gratuitous love of God who accepts all.
• The Gospel today gives the first part of the Discourse of the Community (Mt 18, 1-14) which has as key word “the little ones”. The little ones are not only the children, but also the poor persons, those who are not important in society and in the community, and also the children. Jesus asks that these “little ones” should always be the centre of the concern of the communities because “The Father in Heaven does not will that one of these little ones should be lost” (Mt 18, 14).
• Matthew 18, 1: The question of the disciples which provokes the teaching of Jesus. The disciples want to know who is the greater in the Kingdom. The simple fact of this question reveals that they had not understood anything or very little the message of Jesus. The whole Discourse of the Community, is in order to make them understand that among the followers of Jesus the spirit of service should prevail, the gift of self, of pardon, of reconciliation and of gratuitous love, without seeking one’s own interest and one’s own promotion.
• Matthew 18, 2-5: The fundamental criterion: the little one and the greater one. The disciples ask for a criterion so as to be able to measure the importance of the persons in the community: “Who is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus answers that the criterion are the littler ones! The little ones are not socially important; they do not belong to the world of the great. The disciples have to become children. Instead of growing up, to the heights, they must grow down and toward the periphery, where the poor and the little ones live. In this way, they will be the greater in the Kingdom! The reason is the following: “Anyone who receives one of these little ones receives me”. Jesus identifies himself with them. The love of Jesus for the little ones cannot be explained. Children have no merit. It is the complete gratuity of the love of God which manifests itself and asks to be imitated in the community of those who call themselves disciples of Jesus.
• Matthew 18, 6-9: Do not scandalize the little ones. These four verses concerning the scandal to little ones are omitted from today’s Gospel. We give a brief commentary on them. To scandalize the little ones means: to be the cause for them to lose their faith in God and to abandon the community. Matthew keeps a very hard phrase of Jesus: “Anyone who scandalizes even one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a mill stone tied around his neck and then be thrown into the sea”. It is a sign that at that time many little ones no longer identified themselves with the community and sought another refuge. And today, in Latin America, for example, every year, approximately three million persons abandon the historical Church and go toward the Evangelical churches. This is a sign that they do not feel at home among us. What is lacking in us? Which is the cause of this scandal of the little ones? In order to avoid the scandal, Jesus orders to cut the foot or take out the eye. This phrase cannot be taken literally. It means that we should be very firm, strict in fighting against scandal which draws the little ones away. We cannot, in any way, allow that the little ones should feel marginalized in our community; because in this case, the community would not be a sign of the Kingdom of God.
• Matthew 18, 10-11: The angels of the little ones are in the presence of the Father. Jesus recalls Psalm 91. The little ones take Yahweh as their refuge and make the most High their fortress (Ps 91, 9) and because of this: “No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; he has given angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go. They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone” (Ps 91, 10, 12).
• Matthew 18, 12-14: The parable of the one hundred sheep. According to Luke, this parable reveals the joy of God on the conversion of a sinner (Lk 15, 3-7). According to Matthew, it reveals that the Father does not want that not even one of the little ones be lost. In other words, the little ones should be the pastoral priority of the Community, of the Church. They should be in the centre of the concern of all. Love toward the little ones and the excluded should be the axis of the community of those who want to follow Jesus; because it is in this way that the community becomes the proof of the gratuitous love of God who accepts all.
4) Personal questions
• Who are the poorest persons of our
neighbourhood? Do they participate in our community? Do they feel at home or do
they find in us a cause to withdraw?
• God the Father does not want any of the little ones to get lost. What does this mean for our community?
• God the Father does not want any of the little ones to get lost. What does this mean for our community?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your instructions are my eternal
heritage,
they are the joy of my heart.
I devote myself to obeying your statutes,
their recompense is eternal. (Ps 119,111-112)
they are the joy of my heart.
I devote myself to obeying your statutes,
their recompense is eternal. (Ps 119,111-112)
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