Just a few thoughts
·
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the
candle or the mirror that reflects it. -- Edith Wharton
·
"The longer you have to wait for something,
the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives. The harder you have to
fight for something, the more priceless it will become once you achieve it. And
the more pain you have to endure on your journey, the sweeter the arrival at
your destination. All good things are worth waiting for and worth fighting
for." -- Susan Gale
·
May all church agencies and organisations
observe mandated child protection protocols with the utmost diligence.
Reflections
ü You
received without payment; give without payment.
ü What
kind of hospitality do we give
Ø Freedom
of expression must never be an excuse to despise others – Pope Francis
Ø United
Nations Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples was adopted in 2007
Ø Have
you read the Uluru Statement From The Heart?
Q. Being people of God in your sense sounds like a full-time responsibility. In practical terms, how can this become possible in our modern world with multiple work, family and community responsibilities and distractions?
Rafael. The church is people in the
community, in every-day living. The People of God are in the midst of peoples
and cultures. Properly, it recognises others as persons in their own cultures.
That's where we have to break this notion of a church that is only centred on
sacraments. We are a church that has to become a ‘Church at the Exit’, living
with others.
If a parish only offers sacraments,
that parish is a poor parish because it has nothing more to offer. It is not
offering humanity. It’s not connecting people with the community. It's not
humanizing relationships beyond the four walls of the building.
In Latin America, not in every place
but mostly, this understanding of the People of God has been actualised in
parishes so that they are not only centred around sacraments but also social
and humanitarian activities. We must convert parishes to a model that connects
the people with the community - where parishioners live with others.
~~Rafael Luciani is a lay expert at
the Theological Commission of the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops
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