Speaking of God, calling on him, imagining his shape and his activities – all this is part of our efforts to come to know him. In their sophisticated language, Bible scholars speak of ‘anthropomorphism’ – in simple words it means lending to God some of our human attributes and attitudes. All through the Bible, we find such language telling us of God’s eyes, arms, ears, etc. Some texts speak of his anger, his jealousy, his tenderness, his faithfulness, his love.
We believe that God is a Spirit but this is not easy for us to understand, so we compare him to… ourselves! We even assign to him some human functions: he works, then, he needs to rest (Gn.2:1-2). The prophet Jeremiah speaks of him as a potter (Jer.18:6). Isaiah says that he plays with us as a mother with her infant (Is.66:12). Amazingly, he can regret having done something (Gn.6:6), and he is even shown as changing his mind!
The first reading of this Sunday (24th, Year C – Ex.32:7-11,13-14) describes him doing exactly that: changing his mind about the punishment he was about to bring on his people. Moses intercedes for the people of Israel and we are told that God relents and will not bring disaster on them.
We know well (or, do we?…) that God does not change his mind but… he waits patiently that we change ours!
We are the ones who need to change our minds and our lives. It is up to us to change the direction we had been following up to now – this is exactly what CONVERSION is about! This is the attitude of the ‘repentant sinner’ described in today’s gospel (Lk.15:1-32) over whom God rejoices. Yes, amazingly (in anthropological terms!) we can give joy to God.
That very joy so well described by Jesus in the parable of the father welcoming his ‘lost’ son. The son changed his mind – the father did not need to do so, he had been waiting all along, checking whether the horizon would offer him the long-awaited sight… his beloved son on the way home.
Changing our minds… taking the way home where a Father will lavish on us more than we can ever dream of – this is ‘prodigality’ in its deepest sense.
The human body is remarkably easy to damage and break, and no more so than when participating in strenuous physical activity such as sporting or athletic activity.
poorest neighborhoods in the world. Although some people criticized her for not also challenging the injustices that kept so many people so poor and abandoned, her simple service touched the hearts of millions of people of all faiths.
It is obvious that the work of building requires knowledge and skill. And it demands also planning, if the venture is to be successful. Planning that involves not only the intervention of an architect but also the sound evaluation of the means of the owner – will he be able to afford the cost involved? 
We are called to become aware of what it means to be a follower of Christ. What is involved in being a Christian. We must be committed to building something, yes, something not made of bricks or mortar but as real and as solid: building a life of companionship with the Lord. And, we must be aware that this can be costly, indeed very costly at times…
Pope Francis has declared September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
Since nuclear weapons testing began in the mid-twentieth century, with the first test on 16 July 1945, nearly 2,000 have taken place. There has been little consideration of the devastating effects of testing on human life, let alone the understanding of nuclear fallout from atmospheric tests. Early on, having nuclear weapons was a measure of scientific sophistication or military might. Hindsight and history have shown us the terrifying and tragic effects of nuclear weapons testing, especially when controlled conditions go awry, and in light of today’s nuclear weapons which are far more powerful and destructive. Subsequent incidents world-wide have provided compelling reasons for the need to observe the International Day against Nuclear Tests – a day in which educational events, activities and messages aim to capture the world’s attention and underscore the need for a unified attempt in preventing further nuclear weapons testing.