Monday of the 7th week of Eastertide
May 17th, 2010
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me For Yahweh has sent me to bring good news to the poor"
Isaiah 61 : 1
Jesus came for sinners, for the poor and the oppressed. He sat at table with them. So, the Pharisees accused Him of “eating and drinking with sinners and publicans” Mt. 11 : 16-19. He made friends with the hated tax collectors. Some were scandalised at the love and concern He showed for prostitutes. They called Him “a drunkard and a glutton” Mt. 11 : 19. Jesus displayed extraordinary courage. He feared no one. He trusted in God, His Father. Befriending the poor and the outcasts of society was one of the roads that led to Calvary.
Oscar Romero was considered by the Government of San Salvador to be a “safe” Archbishop, one who would uphold the status quo. He soon realised how the poor were being oppressed. Government troops were constantly harassing them. Then, one day, one of his priests and several parishioners were murdered by order of the Government.
The Archbishop attended their funerals and then realised fully how the poor were being exploited. From then on he was unequivocally on the side of the poor. In his sermons and on the air, he condemned every injustice done to them. He incurred the wrath of the Government and was shot dead while saying Mass in the hospital Chapel. “The disciple is not above his master” Mt. 10 : 24-25. The death of Romero was the catalyst necessary to bring about change in South America. When the time is ripe God raises up prophets to initiate reform and promote justice. “Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of right, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” Mt. 5 : 10.
Prayer
Prayer : Lord of heaven and earth, giver of all good things, touch our hearts with a greater understanding and compassion for the poor who go hungry and lack the basic necessities for ordinary living. May we have the courage to defend the rights of all who are victims of injustice and exploitation. This we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
