In the prayer he wrote for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis mentions a number of people who have had a first-hand experience of God’s mercy in Jesus. Zacchaeus is one of them, as the text says: « Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus… »
In the following video, he tells us what happened…
Looking at the gospel for this 1st Sunday of Lent, someone said : “Oh, it’s the 1st the Sunday of Lent : it’s ‘Temptation Sunday’! ”
To which the other person in the room, without lifting his eyes from the newspaper, replied: “Well, for me its… ‘Everyday, Temptation Day’!”
Sarcastic? Pessimistic? Not really, rather… realistic. Is it not true that every day brings its share of… yes, temptation?
But what is a temptation if not a test? A test of what I am, what I can do, what I can become.
The threefold temptation of Jesus is meant to illustrate this.
Was he going to choose the easy way out?
Was he going to cut corners? as we say.
Was he going to rely on himself or on God?
Our own temptations may not come in the manner which Jesus has lived his, but they will be a similar experience.
We may receive them under familiar expressions:
– ‘What’s the use? I’ve tried so often…’
– ‘I’ll do this tomorrow…’
– ‘I just can’t, it’s too much for me!’
– ‘It’s good enough as it is!’
– ‘If only I were another kind of person…’
This fight against the easy-going stance, the selfish attitude – this daily struggle is well known to us all.
But have you ever thought that a temptation may not always be a choice between what is good and what is bad but… a choice between the good and the best?!
It asks that we stretch ourselves to reach the most we can give, the best we can become.
Such temptations are called… inspirations! The kind of ‘temptation’ to take into consideration during this period of Lent!
An old song translates this very powerfully. It is entitled: The Impossible Dream from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and is also featured in the 1972 film of the same name.
To me, it provides genuine inspiration.
Red Hand Day for Child Soldiers
12 February every year: Raising awareness of the plight of children forced to serve as soldiers.
Red Hand Day is an annual commemoration drawing attention to the plight of children forced to serve as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts.
The Red Hand symbol has been used all over the world by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and many civil society organisations to say no to the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
The Day was initiated in 2002 when the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict came into force on 12 February.
Since then, the number of child soldiers has hardly changed – there are still 250,000 children used in wars as soldiers.
12 February has become a day for national and regional coalitions, NGOs, individuals and interested parties to hold events to highlight the issue of child soldiers.
Pope John Paul II initiated the day in 1992 to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Pope himself had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s a year before, in 1991, and it is considered that his own illness was impetus for his designation of the day.
World Day of the Sick was first observed on February 11, 1993. February 11 is also the Catholic Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which a name is given to the Virgin Mary in honor of the apparitions that were said to have been seen in and around Lourdes, France, by a young girl called Bernadette Soubirous. The Church canonized Bernadette as a saint several years later.
Pope Benedict XVI declared his decision to resign from his post as the Pope on this day in 2013. He cited his failing health as the reason behind his decision.
ASH WEDNESDAY – Hearing the words we may think : Already? And we go on thinking silently… Lent is there… It means: sacrifices, depriving one self of this and that, a bit… morbid? Gloomy?
Strange, this is not the picture given by the Scripture readings. The main idea standing out from the texts is that of God longing, yes longing, to have us back with him – for real and for good! The words of Joel (Joel 2:12-18) ring loud and clear. “It is the Lord who speaks – Come back to me with all your heart, let your heart be broken not your garments torn.”
The word ‘heart’ refers to much more than the life-sustaining organ of our physical bodies. Someone will chide another saying: “Put your heart into your work.” A person who is discouraged will admit: “I don’t have the heart to do this just now.” While encouraged by a friend, a person will say: “His words gave me heart.”
Our relationship with God is a matter of the heart – or, at least, it should be! This is the message of today’s celebration. During the Lenten period starting now, we are invited to pray. What is prayer if not a heart-to-heart conversation with God?
And whatever form that will take, we are reassured by Jesus’ own words (Mt.6:6) that the Father sees the depths of our heart and all that is hidden there, and that is enough for him. Gloomy? In no way, on the contrary, very comforting indeed!
Source: Image: www.dreamstime.com
Source: Text: Time and Date.com Images: www.hotbook.com; www.zazzle.co.uk
International Epilepsy Day is a special event which promotes awareness of epilepsy in more than 120 countries each year. Every year on the second Monday of February people join together to celebrate and highlight the problems faced by people with epilepsy, their families and carers.
This is a day for everyone, no matter where you are, no matter how small your group or large your area, no matter whether you focus on the medical or the social aspects of the disease. We want you to help us celebrate International Epilepsy Day! Let’s speak with one global voice.
The Day is a joint initiative by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).
The recurring theme for International Epilepsy Day – Epilepsy is more than Seizures – highlights the fact that, for many people, the stigma and discrimination faced by people with epilepsy, can be more difficult to overcome than the seizures themselves. Despite the fact at up to 70% of people with epilepsy will have their seizures successfully controlled, in the general public there is still fear and ignorance on what epilepsy really is. An international day focussed on epilepsy, will help to raise awareness and educate both the general public on the true facts about epilepsy, and the urgent need for improved treatment and care, and greater investment in research.
You would smile hearing a father tell his young son: “Danny, I want to catch a big fish; will you help me?” Smile, you would also seeing a young girl with a grin as her mother said: “Today I need your help to cook lunch!” We all know that neither the father nor the mother really need the help of the children and yet they are happy to involve them in the activity they have planned.
These examples came to my mind as I read the 1st reading of this 5th Sunday (Year C). It is the scene of Isaiah, the prophet (Is.6:1-8) who is called to be God’s messenger. Well, at first he is not called but… he offers his services to God who is searching for a messenger. This is quite surprising and not in line with our idea of a god. We picture God as being Almighty, all powerful, and surely not in need of anyone. Moreover, in the vision that Isaiah is given to witness there are many angels who, by definition, are precisely God’s messengers. And yet, God is looking for someone to send with his message.
This is the true image of OUR God: a God who wants to be in need… of us, human beings – and this, from the very beginning when he asked the newly-created Adam to name the animals that he, God, has brought into being. Much later, the apostle Paul will say boldly: “We are fellow workers with God” (1 Cor.3:9).
A theologian and spiritual writer (Gerard W. Hughes) has written a book entitled: The God of Surprises. Indeed, God is constantly surprising us. And the amazing thing is that God does not ask us to be without defect, or weakness, or sin, to associate us with his work. When we speak the words: “Lord, I am not worthy…” as Peter spoke in today’s gospel (Luke 5:1-11), we mean well as he did! But the truth is that God does NOT ask us to be worthy.
What God wants is our eagerness to work with him. Work with him at making the world a better place for all. Work with him at creating more happiness for people around us. Work with him in spreading the message of his close presence with us. This is the partnership he offers us – and what a partnership it is!
On February 4th, World Day focuses on two health problems: Cancer and PI
World Cancer Day is the one singular initiative under which the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic. It takes place every year on 4 February. World Cancer Day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.
UICC (Union for International Cancer Control) continues to expand on the success and impact of the day and is committed to ensuring that year-on-year the event is seen and heard by more people around the world. We do this through working directly with our members to develop a campaign that serves their differing organisational priorities; this is achieved through a two-pronged strategic approach:
UICC provides support through the development of tools and guidance to encourage its member organisations to run local cancer awareness campaigns that are aligned and adapted to the global World Cancer Day message. On an above-country level, we work to secure and support digital, traditional and social media opportunities to raise public awareness of the day. Through the continued support of our membership and key partners, World Cancer Day is beginning to firmly cement itself in calendars across the world.
To learn more about World Cancer Day, please visit the World Cancer Day website.
Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PI) are a group of more than 250 rare, chronic disorders in which part of the body’s immune system is missing or functions improperly. While not contagious, these diseases are caused by hereditary or genetic defects, and, although some disorders present at birth or in early childhood, the disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age or gender. Some affect a single part of the immune system; others may affect one or more components of the system.
And while the diseases may differ, they all share one common feature: each results from a defect in one of the functions of the body’s normal immune system. Because one of the most important functions of the normal immune system is to protect us against infection, patients with PI commonly have an increased susceptibility to infection.
The infections may be in the skin, the sinuses, the throat, the ears, the lungs, the brain or spinal cord, or in the urinary or intestinal tracts, and the increased vulnerability to infection may include repeated infections, infections that won’t clear up or unusually severe infections. People with PI live their entire lives more susceptible to infections–enduring recurrent health problems and often developing serious and debilitating illnesses. Fortunately, with proper medical care, many patients live full and independent lives.
Many physicians are taught, when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras, and focus on the likeliest possibilities to make a diagnosis. However, physicians need to look for the unusual to detect patients with PI.
Today, we think of all those who are struggling with cancer, their loved ones, and the medical personnel for whom this multi-faceted disease is a constant challenge.
We remember as well those for whom PI is a very personal condition.