There are ever so many children all over the world who silently wait that they may be clothed well. The season of Lent is an invitation to check on our Christian love. We have opportunities in our neighbourhood to do this. It is enough just to open the eyes of our heart, and the reality is there inviting us to get involved. Shall we...?

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The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments It seems that every step to Calvary brought You fresh humiliation, my Jesus. How Your sensitive nature recoiled at being stripped before a crowd of people. You desired to leave this life as You entered it - completely detached from all the comforts of this world. You want me to know without a doubt that you loved me with an unselfish love. Your love for me caused You nothing but pain and sorrow. You gave everything and received nothing in return. Why do I find it so hard to be detached?In your loving mind, dear Jesus, did You look up to the Father as You stood there on that windy hill, shivering from cold and shame and trembling from fear, and ask Him to have mercy on those who would violate their purity and make love a mockery? Did you ask forgiveness for those whose greed would make them lie, cheat and steal for a few pieces of cold silver?Forgive us all, dear Jesus. Look upon the world with pity, for mankind has lost its way and the principles of this world make lust a fun game and luxury a necessity. Detachment has become merely another hardship of the poor and obedience the fault of the weak. Have mercy on us and grant the people of this day the courage to see and know themselves and the light to change.Amen http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat10.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Experience of Giving-up REFLECTION : THROUGH GIVING UP MY PIPE by Fr Peter Clarke, O.P. - Me give up my faithful friend of fifty years and more! Unthinkable! But this is what I’ve done. I’ve given up smoking my beloved pipe! The friend that brought me so much joy, was there to comfort me when times were bleak, and then came to my rescue when I was in need of inspiration. Let me now tell you how we met. When I started that was socially acceptable, and women even said they liked a man who smoked a pipe. That was good for my morale! And there was no health-scare about the effect on the smoker himself, and certainly not on any one who happened to inhale the clouds of smoke he was puffing out. But then, with the advance of medical research it was realised that smoking did enormous harm to the health, not only of the smoker, but also of those around him. I cannot claim that I made a heroic struggle, a powerful act of will, in giving up my pipe. In fact I’d made previous attempts and had dismally failed. There was the occasion when I’d thrown my pipes and tobacco into the incinerator, only to rush out and re-equip myself at the tea interval of a Test Match in which England was being thrashed. Weak old me needed the comfort of my pipe! But what has now forced me to give up smoking was my ending up in hospital with viral pneumonia. Afterwards I learnt that over the years I’d developed chronic emphysema. What had been a comfort and joy had seriously damaged my health and had caused me great distress in hospital. So really the decision to stop smoking was easy.And there’s a positive side to what had been the sacrifice of a good and comforting friend –my pipe. My sense of taste improved. And that, I realised is why expert wine tasters don’t smoke. Nor, for that matter, do they eat pickled onions or a strong curry while drinking a good wine. Instead they prefer to cultivate a sensitive palate by foregoing the joys of strongly flavoured food –or a pipe.These musing about the way we can effect the sensitivity of our palates got me to thinking about how we can influence our taste for the things of God –for better or for worse. This can seriously alter our spiritual well-being or health.For example, we can easily be led astray by keeping bad company. Reading unsavoury books or looking at similar material on the TV or Internet may be fascinating and exciting. But this can lead us to developing a taste for this kind of thing. If so, it’s likely that our palate will become jaded for the things of God. The same will be true if we become preoccupied with materialism or obsessed with sensual pleasures. Our heart will be where we think our treasure is to be found. And gradually our palates –our minds –will become coarsened.But if we avoid such influences and seek only what is wholesome the Holy Spirit will help us gradually to develop a taste for divine things. We will learn to savour them and enjoy them. As I’ve found with giving up my pipe the sacrifice was worthwhile. My palate has become more sensitive and my health has improved. So too, it’s worthwhile giving up harmful delights if that helps me to savour the infinitely greater joy of what God has to offer. That’s nothing less than himself. If you doubt it, listen to the psalmist who urges us, "O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him," [Ps. 34:8]. Just as giving up my pipe has helped me to have a better appreciation of food and drink, so, too, I must try to develop my taste for the things of God by being more discriminating in what I look at. That must be essential to my way of meeting God. A good Lenten resolution for all of us! - http://mywaygodsway.blogspot.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ vmalpan@gmail.com

Jesus understands our suffering

Pope Benedict XVI's being-with experience among the Pygmies of Cameroon @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ The Ninth Station:Jesus Falls the Third Time My Jesus, even with the help of Simon You fell a third time. Were You telling me that there may be times in my life that I will fall again and again despite the help of friends and loved ones? There are times when the crosses You permit in my life are more than I can bear. It is as if all the sufferings of a life time are suddenly compressed into the present moment and it is more than I can stand. Though it grieves my heart to see You so weak and helpless, it is a comfort to my soul to know that you understand my sufferings from Your own experience. Your love for me made You want to experience every kind of pain just so I could have someone to look to for example and courage. When I cry out from the depths of my soul, "This suffering is more than I can bear," do You whisper, "Yes, I understand"? When I am discouraged after many falls, do you say in my innermost being, "Keep going, I know how hard it is to rise"? There are many people who are sorely tried in body and soul with alcohol and drug weaknesses who try and try and fall again and again. Through the humiliation of this third fall, give them the courage and perseverance to take up their cross and follow you.Amen http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/9.htm

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Consoling Women

AFRICA : Pope pleads for women's equality in Africa, praises 'silent heroines'

[Pope Benedict XVI strongly defended women's rights and praised the many "silent heroines" of Africa who are holding families and society together. African women in particular are working under adverse conditions that are often caused by the "behavior and attitudes of men," the pope said in Angola March 22. "History records almost exclusively the accomplishments of men, when in fact much of it is due to the determined, unrelenting and charitable action of women," he said. "Think of all the places afflicted by great poverty or devastated by war, and of all the tragic situations resulting from migrations, forced or otherwise. It is almost always women who manage to preserve human dignity, to defend the family and to protect cultural and religious values," he said. The pope's remarks touched on a huge issue in Africa that has increasingly drawn church attention. He spoke to members of Catholic movements working for women's promotion in St. Anthony Church in Luanda, where a mostly female audience greeted him with lively African singing. Church and human rights agencies say women in many parts of Africa are still treated as property, lack legal rights, suffer intimidation and beatings by their husbands, and are subject to sexual violence and human trafficking. The pope appealed for everyone to pay greater attention to these situations, and especially to "ways in which the behavior and attitudes of men, who at times show a lack of sensitivity and responsibility, may be to blame." "This forms no part of God's plan," he declared. The pope said there is a natural "captivating charm that radiates from woman" because of the grace God has given her. Man is enlightened by this quality, he said. "We must therefore recognize, affirm and defend the equal dignity of man and woman: they are both persons, utterly unique among all the living beings found in the world," he said. The pope said men and women are called to work together for the common good through the complementary aspects of masculinity and femininity. He said such differences are important and good, especially in our increasingly mechanized culture."Who today can fail to recognize the need to make more room for the 'reasons of the heart'? In a world like ours, dominated by technology, we feel the need for this feminine complementarity, so that the human race can live in the world without completely losing its humanity," he said."]

By John Thavis, Catholic News Service LUANDA, Angola (CNS)

The Eighth Station: Jesus Speaks to the Holy Women

My Jesus, I am amazed at Your compassion for others in Your time of need. When I suffer, I have a tendency to think only of myself but You forgot Yourself completely. When You saw the holy women weeping over Your torments, You consoled them and taught them to look deeper into Your Passion. You wanted them to understand that the real evil to cry over was the rejection You suffered from the Chosen people - a people set apart from every other nation, who refused to accept God's Son. The Act of Redemption would go on and no one would ever be able to take away Your dignity as Son of God, but the evil, greed, jealousy and ambition in the hearts of those who should have recognized You was the issue to grieve over. To be so close to God made man and miss Him completely was the real crime. My Jesus, I fear I do the same when I strain gnats and then swallow camels - when I take out the splinter in my brother's eye and forget the beam in my own. It is such a gift - this gift of faith. It is such a sublime grace to possess Your own Spirit. Why haven't I advanced in holiness of life? I miss the many disguises you take upon Yourself and see only people, circumstances and human events, not the loving hand of the Father guiding all things. Help all those who are discouraged, sick, lonely and old to recognize Your Presence in their midst.Amen http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat8.htm

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Pain of the Cross

The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls A Second Time

My Jesus, one of the beautiful qualities the people admired in You was Your strength in time of ridicule - Your ability to rise above the occasion. But now, You fall a second time - apparently conquered by the pain of the Cross. People who judged You by appearances made a terrible mistake. What looked like weakness was unparalleled strength!I often judge by appearances and how wrong I am most of the time. The world judges entirely by this fraudulent method of discerning. It looks down upon those who apparently have given their best and are now in need. It judges the poor as failures, the sick as useless and the aged as a burden. How wrong that kind of judgment is in the light of your second fall! Your greatest moment wasYour weakest one. Your greatest triumph was in failure. Your greatest act of love was in desolation. Your greatest show of power was in that utter lack of strength that threw You to the ground.Weak and powerful Jesus, give me the grace to see beyond what is visible and be more aware of Your Wisdom in the midst of weakness. Give the aged, sick, handicapped, retarded, deaf and blind the fruit of joy so they may ever be aware of the Father's gift and the vast difference between what the world sees and what the Father sees that they may glory in their weakness so the power of God may be manifest.Amen

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat7.htm

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Let us prayerfully reflect

on

Qualities of Prayer It is not we ourselves who pray but the Holy Spirit

who prays in us (Rom 8:26).

Our prayer is good in so far as the Holy Spirit informs it. 1) Our prayer has to be attentive… 2) Our prayer has to be humble… 3) Our prayer has to be reverent… 4) Our prayer has to be loving… 5) Our prayer has to be confident… 6) Our prayer has to be persevering….

What is meant by Continual Prayer? “Men ought always to pray, and not faint” (Lk 18:1) St. Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17)… It is the prayer of the heart… Actual prayer is charity in practice…

Habitual prayer is the disposition prepared for the practice… It is as easy and natural to the heart to pray always as to love always… A person can love God always, without always thinking of him and telling him of one’s love. It is enough if he is determined not only to do nothing contrary to the love of God at any time, but also to take every opportunity of proving one’s love and to make acts of love, whenever grace prompts one to do so. Surely it is in this way that mother loves her children, a wife her husband, and friend love friend. It would be to misunderstand the whole matter if we supposed that the occupations of life are a hindrance to this sort of prayer… Every action performed in the sight of God because it is the will of God, and in the manner that God wills, is a prayer. Nor is it necessary that the action should be good and holy in itself; it may be quite indifferent and yet one the less a prayer, in virtue of the intention with which it is performed. “Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col 3:17) “whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God”

(1Cor 10: 31) If there is a prayer of action, there is also a prayer of suffering… Let your suffering be borne for God; suffer with submission and patience and suffer in union with Jesus Christ and you will be offering a most excellent prayer. Cfr. Jean-Nicholas Grou, How to Pray?

(Cambridge, James Clarke & Co, 1982)

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HAPPY FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD!

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Witnessing to Jesus

The Luandan people trying to have a glimpse of the visiting Pope

The Sixth Station:Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

My Jesus, where were all the hundreds of peoples whose bodies and souls were healed by you? Where were they when You needed someone to give You the least sign of comfort? Ingratitude must have borne down upon Your heart and made the cross nearly impossible to carry. There are times I too feel all my efforts for Your Kingdom are futile and end in nothingness. Did your eyes roam through the crowd for the comfort of just one individual - one sign of pity - one sign of grief?My heart thrills with a sad joy when I think of one woman, breaking away from fear and human respect and offeringYou her thin veil to wipe Your bleeding Face. Your loving heart, ever watching for the least sign of love, imprinted the Image of your torn Face upon it! How can You forget Yourself so completely and reward such a small act of kindness?I must admit, I have been among those who were afraid to know You rather than like Veronica. She did not care if the whole world knew she loved You. Heartbroken Jesus, give me that quality of the soul so necessary to witness to spread Your Word - to tell all people of Your love for them. Send many into Your Vineyard so the people of all nations may receive the Good News. Imprint Your Divine Image upon my soul and let the thin veil of my human nature bear a perfect resemblance to your loving Spirit.Amen

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat6.htm

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Final Day of Pope's visit to Angola The Pope said the suffering of Angolans was shared by many across the continent. "This experience is all too familiar to Africa as a whole - the destructive power of civil strife, the descent into a maelstrom of hatred and revenge, the squandering of the efforts of generations of good people," he said. "When God's word... is neglected, and when God's law is ridiculed, despised, laughed at, the result can only be destruction and injustice." Attack on corruption Huge crowds have turned out at every opportunity to see Pope Benedict during his stay in Angola, where Catholics account for some 55% of the population. On Saturday, the Pope urged Catholics in Angola to encourage people "living in fear of spirits" into the Church. He said Catholics should reach out to those who believed in witchcraft and spirits. Human rights groups say children in Angola have suffered abuse after being accused of possession by spirits. Earlier on his trip, the Pope launched a powerful attack on corruption, which analysts say is rife in oil-rich Angola. The Pope arrived in Angola from Cameroon on Friday. ************************************ vmalpan@gmail.com

Pope Benedict XVI's Visit to Africa: Special Posting

Luanda: Angola

Tens of thousands people (estimated over one million)

participating in the concluding Mass

of Pope Benedict's first African visit...

LUANDA, Angola – Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for the largest gathering of his African pilgrimage Sunday, telling a crowd on the outskirts of this seaside capital that reconciliation on the war-ravaged continent would come only with a "change of heart, a new way of thinking." The Vatican said as many as 1 million people turned out on the dusty field near a cement factory to hear the pope at the last major event of his seven-day trip, which began Tuesday in Cameroon. Speaking from a tented pink altar, the pope said evils in Africa had "reduced the poor to slavery and deprived future generations of the resources needed to create a more solid and just society." "How true it is that war can destroy everything of value," said Benedict, wearing a pink cape and mopping his sweaty brow with a white handkerchief kept inside his sleeve. Later he was scheduled to meet with representatives of women's rights groups to praise the role of women in African society. Angolans have been enslaved, subjugated and at war almost nonstop since Portuguese colonizers brought the first Catholic missionaries in 1491. Many of the slaves taken to Brazil, for example, came from Angola.

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"It must be because the Pope's presence in Luanda. I am impressed by Angolan people's strength and enthusiasm shown during the Pope's visit. There are the thousands and thousands of people on the streets throughout Benedict XVI's route, expressing their joy and thanking him for his visit. I am also impressed by the capability of organization of Angolans. People are dressed up in white, wearing hats with the Pope's effigy, there are thousands of pilgrims from all over the country, women from all provinces, as if wanting to say that Angola expresses gratitude, to the apostle, for the peace that country has found."

---------------------------Helder de Souza

[AFRICA : Pope: only the light of God can overcome the great "darkness" cast by war and greed During the Mass celebrated in Luanda in front of a million people, Benedict XVI speaks of prayer for reconciliation and peace, which, from Africa, embrace the entire world, and urges men all over the world to pray for "this great Continent so filled with hope, yet so thirsty for justice, for peace, for a sound and integral development that can ensure a future of progress and peace for its people." Commemoration of the two young people who died in a stampede at the stadium. Luanda (AsiaNews) Only the light of God can overcome the great "darkness" present in "many parts of our world," the evil represented by wars and tribal violence, but also by the egoism of men who exploit other men, leading to that hedonism which is at the source of escape into drugs, "sexual irresponsibility," destruction of families and innocent human lives through abortion. Benedict XVI addressed an invitation to reconciliation and hope to all of Africa, from the esplanade of Cimangola, in Luanda, Angola, where a million people gathered to participate in the great celebration that in a certain way concludes the first trip of Benedict XVI to Africa, from where he will depart again tomorrow. "Our prayer," he said at the Angelus, "rises today from Angola, from Africa, and embraces the whole world. May the men and women from throughout the world who join us in our prayer, turn their eyes to Africa, to this great Continent so filled with hope, yet so thirsty for justice, for peace, for a sound and integral development that can ensure a future of progress and peace for its people." Peace, reconciliation, and justice, which will be the theme of the Synod for Africa next October, take on special resonance in this country where 27 years of civil war have left more than one antipersonnel mine for each of the 13 million inhabitants, and where the enormous natural resources - from oil to diamonds - are giving rise to economic development dominated by China - which does not "interfere" in questions like respect for human rights - with extremely deep social inequalities.] Catholic News

God bless Africa with reconciliation, peace and prosperity!

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Way of the Cross - Vth Station

The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

My Jesus, Your tormentors enlisted a Simon of Cyrene to help You carry Your cross. Your humility is beyond my comprehension. Your power upheld the whole universe and yet You permit one of Your creatures to help You carry a cross. I imagine Simon was reluctant to take part in Your shame. He had no idea that all who watched and jeered at him would pass into oblivion while his name would go down in history and eternity as the one who helped his God in need. Is it not so with me, dear Jesus? Even when I reluctantly carry my cross as Simon did, it benefits my soul.If I keep my eyes on You and watch how You suffered, I will be able to bear my cross with greater fortitude. Were you trying to tell all those who suffer from prejudice to have courage? Was Simon a symbol of all those who are hated because of race, color and creed?Simon wondered as he took those beams upon his shoulders, why he was chosen for such a heavy burden and now he knows. Help me Jesus, to trust your loving Providence as you permit suffering to weave itself in and out of my life. Make me understand that You looked at it and held it fondly before You passed it on to me. You watch me and give me strength just as You did Simon. When I enter Your Kingdom, I shall know as he knows, what marvels Your Cross has wrought in my soul.Amen

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations.htm

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Pope's Visit to Angola: Special Posting

Angolan Admirors of the Pope ---------------------------------------

The Pope meets with a physically challenged singer in Angola

Pope’s Challenging words in

Cameroon and Angola CAMEROON The Holy Father also recalled some salient moments of his stay in Cameroon , including the visit to the Cardinal Leger Centre where "it was most moving to observe the care that is taken of the sick and the disabled, some of the most vulnerable members of our society. That Christ-like compassion is a sure sign of hope for the future of the Church and for the future of Africa ". He also mentioned his meeting with representatives of the Muslim community. "As we continue on our journey towards greater mutual understanding", he said, "I pray that we will also grow in respect and esteem for one another, and strengthen our resolve to work together to proclaim the God-given dignity of the human person, a message that an increasingly secularized world needs to hear". Finally the Pope highlighted "the historic moment of the promulgation of the 'Instrumentum Laboris' of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. Truly this is a moment of great hope for Africa and for the whole world", he said and invited the people of Cameroon "to seize the moment the Lord has given you. Answer His call to bring reconciliation, healing and peace to your communities and your society. "Work to eliminate injustice, poverty and hunger wherever you encounter it!", he cried. ................................................. LUANDA, Angola — Pope Benedict XVI, midway through his first trip to Africa, arrived in oil-rich Angola on Friday and admonished those enjoying the nation’s newfound wealth not to ignore the justifiable demands of the poor. “The multitude of Angolans who live below the threshold of absolute poverty will not be forgotten,” he said in a speech moments after getting off his airplane. “Do not disappoint their expectations!” In a second address, this one delivered hours later at the residence of President José Eduardo dos Santos, he challenged Angola and other African countries to free their people “from the scourges of greed, violence and unrest” through “modern civic democracy.” He defined this civic liberation as one respectful of human rights with transparent governance, an independent judiciary, a free press, properly functioning schools and hospitals, “and — most pressing — a determination born from the conversion of hearts to excise corruption.”

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"I see some of the many thousands of young Angolans who have been maimed or disabled as a result of the war and the landmines. I think of the countless tears that have been shed for the loss of your relatives and friends," he said. "You may have your share of difficulties, but you are filled with great hope, great enthusiasm and a great desire to make a new beginning. My young friends, you hold within yourselves the power to shape the future," Benedict added.

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God Bless Africa!

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FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: YEAR B: 2009

Liturgical Readings

2 Chr 36: 14-16, 19-23;

Eph 2:4-10

Jn 3: 14-21-------------------------

Homily

"In the movie Gandhi the Mahatma is speaking to a reporter and says: What you cannot do is accept injustice ... You must make the injustice visible and be prepared to die like a soldier to do so. This statement, of course, would prophetically come to sum up his own life; through his non-violent opposition to British injustice he made the injustice visible and he died doing it. Towards the end of the movie we have the extraordinary scene in which the Indians try to gain access to the salt mine at Dharasana. There is a Royal Monopoly on the manufacture of salt and it's illegal to make it or sell it without a Government license. The British knew that their absolute control of the salt was a control on the very pulse of India. A huge crowd of Indians approaches the gates and asks for permission to enter. The atmosphere is electric. Permission is denied. So now they begin to move gently forward to take what is theirs by right. Let me quote from the transcript of the film: And with the volunteers a foot from them, the police strike with their lathis (batons). A groan of empathic anguish from the waiting volunteers, but then ... the next row moves forward and the horror of the one-sided mayhem proceeds - heads are cracked, faces split, ribs smashed, and yet one row of volunteers follows another, and another into the unrelenting police, who knock bleeding bodies out of the way, down into the dip, swing till sweat pours from their faces and bodies. And through it ... the Indian women rescuing the wounded, carrying them on stretchers to be bandaged ... And always the volunteers coming, never stopping, never offering resistance. At first the reporter looks away in horror but suddenly the truth of what is really happening becomes clear to him. He rushes to the telephone to make his report and declares to his editor: India is free! I remember being quite stunned by this statement the first time I saw the movie. How could it be? In the midst of this terrible carnage how could this reporter suddenly declare that India is free? Within the structures by which the English monopolised salt in India lay a deep injustice - a violation of the fundamental rights of the people to the salt in the waters of their own seas. This injustice lay hidden in the routine processes of governing the country, and protecting the injustice was a savage violence. This is why everything appeared peaceful and orderly. The Indians called out the violence, drew it out of hiding, and so made the injustice visible - in their own blood. When you make evil visible it loses its ambiguity and it is defeated because very few of us willingly support evil. And so the task of the good man is to make evil visible and to be prepared to die like a soldier to do so. Which brings us to the Cross. Jesus said: The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. We lift things up when we have something to show; something to let people look at. Jesus 'lifted up' makes visible, something that is usually invisible, something that is intimately mine and yours. Can you guess what it is? And in showing this to us in the only light in which we could bear to look at it, the light of his mercy, he defeats it by taking the burden of it upon himself and suffering its consequences in his own blood. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life."

By Fr. John Speekman

http://homiliesfromaustralia.blogspot.com/2009/03/4th-sunday-of-lent-year-b.html

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