The Pope’s Prayer for Families

 Lord God, from you every family in Heaven and on earth takes its name. Father, you are love and life.

Through your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, fountain of Divine Charity, grant that each family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.

 Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.

 Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love.

 Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass.

 Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family through Christ our Lord who is the Way, the Truth and the Life for ever and ever Amen

 

Scripture reflection  by Fr Adrian Graffy.

 

The story of Jesus’ visit to Nazareth, which we began, reading last week, is placed by Luke at the very start of Jesus’ ministry. The people are delighted by the ‘gracious words’, literally ‘the words of grace’, which he spoke. Quite suddenly, the atmosphere changes, and Jesus challenges the people’s expectations. He knows that their approval is superficial. Prophets are generally rejected by their own.
Jesus illustrates this by referring to the two Old Testament prophets, Elijah and Elisha. Elijah encountered persecution in Israel and both prophets performed mighty works for those who were not Jews. Jesus stresses that the healing mercy of God is for all. The people of Nazareth react in annoyance, reject their own prophet and threaten physical violence.
Luke anticipates here the different reactions to the preaching of Jesus found in the rest of the gospel. Acceptance, rejection and violence will all be present.

What is my reaction to the preaching of Jesus?
Have I ever experienced being ‘a prophet rejected by his own people’?
We ask that Jesus’ words of grace will heal all bitterness and resentment.
We ask that we ourselves may be ‘good news’ to the stranger.