World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Today, the 13th of November, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was an Italian American nun whose life-long call was to care for Italian immigrants in the US at a time when they struggled with extreme poverty and discrimination. Mother Cabrini taught them the faith, provided for their needs, and she opened many schools and orphanages to take care of the needy. In a sense she was like the “Mother Teresa” of her time. She was the first US. Citizen to be canonized (1946), and she is the patroness of immigrants and migrants.
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The story before us today is one of the grateful Samaritan who was able to return and give thanks to Jesus while the other nine melted away. When we reflect on our lives, I am sure all of us have a place and moments in our lives where we have been graced by God, where we have received a great deal as a gift. It is possible, too, that just like the nine who never returned, we too fail to recognize and appreciate the gifts and graces we have received, that the ultimate source is God himself.
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It might not be common here, but at home in East Africa, priests find themselves in a position that require them to develop parishes, through construction of churches, schools, medical facilities. And some have been very successful at it, and eventually some lean into believing that without them nothing would have happened so to say they are indispensable. They demand respect and honor from others. “I built this,” “I made this”, becoming a slogan. It is ok to be proud of our work and achievements, but it is another thing to wear those accomplishments on your sleeves.
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We look out on the world, and we see it is very broken by sin. How can we respond? There are diverse ways, which actually have been lived out by various groups throughout the ages. You could withdraw from the world, with a small community of like-minded believers and try to form a new mini-society, uncorrupted by contact with the outside, your own little utopia. You could remain in the world as self-righteous folks, harsh judges and critics. You could just accept the world as it is, as a hardened cynic, an apathetic laxist, or even an enthusiastic joiner.
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The vow of obedience for us religious is one of the three pillars, that define who we are as religious priest, besides, simplicity of life and Chasity. Basically, it requires us to surrender to the mission and vision shared by the Congregation through the voice of superiors. That implies that when you are transferred from one ministry and place to another, you must move.
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It must have been striking and confusing to the listeners of Jesus when He said that only a few people would be saved or that only a few would enter through the door. His statement on pious religious practices is not enough for someone to enter eternal life. However, this does not mean that eternal life is for the selected few. This is because at the end of the text, He says people will come from different parts of the world, east, west, north, and south, and be part of the Eternal Kingdom. We know that the symbolism of the stretched-out hands of the crucified Jesus is an invitation for all people to come to Him.
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