Thursday 6 October

Thursday 6 October

Saint Bruno, Priest
Thursday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 11:5-13
“…how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” This is the promise of Jesus. So, the first thought which comes to my mind is, “are you searching for Holy Spirit?”, “are we knocking for Holy Spirit?”, “are we asking for Holy Spirit?”. If we are not searching, knocking, or asking for Holy Spirit, what are we searching, knocking, or asking for? Then, the promise of Jesus is something very fundamental. It’s the supreme gift. The Holy Spirit. Because it is the Gift which pushes our search from the finite realities to the infinite realities. Because it is the Gift which shifts our knocking at from some fleeting doors to the doors of eternity. Because it is the Gift which drives our asking for a perishable delight to the eternal life.

Wednesday 5 October

Wednesday 5 October

Saint Faustina Kowalska, Religious
Wednesday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 11: 1 – 4
The disciples are observing the prayer life of Jesus. That is making a desire in the disciples to learn to pray. And Jesus is sharing something very precious. He is sharing his sonship with his disciples, with us. He is letting the disciples, us, call God His Father as our father. This is the fundamental point of prayer. The fatherhood of God and our participation in the sonship of Jesus. How much can we feel us daughters and sons of God in our prayer life? This is the starting point from where everything will be sanctified in Jesus and in everything the kingdom of God will come through the Holy Spirit. As daughters and sons of God, we need the daily bread to celebrate this relationship. As daughter and sons of God we need to grow in continue forgiving and we need to be protected from evil. So, the question is How much can I feel as a daughter or as a son of God in my prayer life?

Tuesday 4 October

Tuesday 4 October

Saint Francis of Assisi
Tuesday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 11:28-30
“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…and revealed them to little children”. Jesus underlines the value of little children. St. Francis followed Jesus in this understanding. He found meaning for everything around him. Because he always put what he found in the center and not himself. This is the yoke Jesus is suggesting us to take on. This is the meekness Jesus is asking us to learn. This is the gentleness Jesus is asking us to practice. Understanding the meaning and value of everything around you. Today the question is: “How many things around me, I am not valuing at all?

Meetings for women in Tanzania

Meetings for women in Tanzania

Sister Helena began her work with women in Chikukwe in southern Tanzania. This is our new activity in the region. Sister Helena wants to help the women of the village in various ways with their life problems and difficulties. So far, she has sought out such women by visiting villagers. Now she and Sister Aloysia are organizing meetings for women at the sisters’ convent. The group’s meetings will be held on Thursdays, and on other days of the week the sisters will visit the women in their homes. At the meetings, the women will learn how to sew and cook, and with these chores they will be able to talk about their problems and daily life. The first meeting has already taken place and the participants enjoyed it very much. They promised to bring their girlfriends to the next meeting.

Monday 3 October

Monday 3 October

Monday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 10:25-37
“moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them” We are also often feel compassion but we don’t go up to the person. When we hear a sad story, when we see a person who is suffering, we feel compassion. But we are not moved by compassion. We don’t go up to that person. Our compassion remains in our heart. Because if we want to open our heart and let the compassion move us, we must share our oil and wine. We must share our time and resources. Instead, we fill our heart with compassion. That is also for a reason, this filling of your heart with compassion gives you a false satisfaction of reacting in a Christian way to that situation. This is not true, unless you let your compassion move you to concrete sharing of yourself, this compassion is not Christian compassion. Question is, am I filling my heart with hollow compassion which stays there or with Christian compassion which moves me?