We are given a very rich, multi-faceted
message from the prophet Isaiah. God
tells us that we're to live out justice as an intrinsic part of our
faith. To be a witness to the world, we
are to keep the Sabbath holy, we are to follow the laws and precepts of the
Lord. The Lord tells us that his house
is to be a house of prayer for all, that the burnt offerings and sacrifices of
the foreigners will be accepted and welcome at the Temple of the Lord. Back in October of this year, Pope Benedict
welcomed leaders from all different religions and faith traditions to Assisi,
Italy to pray for world peace, to show that we all need to unite our prayers
and efforts together in order to work toward the common good of the world and
of all humanity.
Today’s reading might help us reflect
upon the ways that we live out the Lord’s justice in our lives, how we welcome
the stranger into our parish and into the Lord’s house of prayer. As communities, here in Belzoni and in Yazoo
City, we held community prayer services in commemoration of Thanksgiving. Bishop Latino is also a great witness to us
in this respect, as he always works very closely with the bishops of the
Episcopal and Methodist churches, especially in speaking out on topics of
social justice that affect our community.
We ourselves are in the process of preparing gift bags for members of
our community during this Advent and Christmas season. So, how are we doing in
reaching out to those who are in need around, those in our parish community and
those in our community in general? How
is our parish a welcoming house of prayer for all?
No comments:
Post a Comment