The Pope, as a man of prayer, has some wisdom to share for these upcoming 40 Days:
"'Being concerned for each other' also entails being concerned
for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect
of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten:
fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation. Today, in general,
we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the
physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely
silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and
sisters. This was not the case in the early Church. ... Christ Himself
commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin. ... The
Church's tradition has included 'admonishing sinners' among the
spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of
Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking
of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal
convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning
their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are
contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness.
Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of
accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and
springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. ... In a world
pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance
of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards
holiness. ... It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them
to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves,
improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord's ways".
(2) Being concerned for each other: the gift of reciprocity.
"This 'custody' of others is in contrast to a mentality that, by
reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension, fails to see it in
an eschatological perspective and accepts any moral choice in the name
of personal freedom. A society like ours can become blind to physical
sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not
be the case in the Christian community!" "The Lord's
disciples, united with Him through the Eucharist, live in a fellowship
that binds them one to another as members of a single body. This means
that the other is part of me, and that his or her life, his or her
salvation, concern my own life and salvation. Here we touch upon a
profound aspect of communion: our existence is related to that of
others, for better or for worse. Both our sins and our acts of love have
a social dimension. This reciprocity is seen in the Church, the
mystical body of Christ: the community constantly does penance and asks
for the forgiveness of the sins of its members, but also unfailingly
rejoices in the examples of virtue and charity present in her midst. ...
Christians can also express their membership in the one body which is
the Church through concrete concern for the poorest of the poor.
Concern for one another likewise means acknowledging the good that the
Lord is doing in others".
We must show charitable concern for those who would support Planned Parenthood in our county.
When you pray, pray for those who need Christ's admonishment as sinners (hint: that includes you and me)
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