diversity

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Tuesday, Memorial of St. John Paul II, Pope, 22 October 2024
Ephesians 2:1-10 <*[[[[>< + ><]]]]*> Luke 12:35-38

*Photo by author, mountain range off the coast of Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio, Zambales, 19 October 2024.*

Glory to You,
O God our most loving Father
for this blessed Tuesday
as we celebrate the Memorial
of one your great servants in modern
time, Saint John Paul II,
the Pope who truly worked so hard
to spread the Good News 
of Jesus Christ our Savior,
especially to children and young people,
to the sick and suffering.

Oh how we miss him so much
most especially in his efforts to
promote unity in the real sense
without bending Church teachings
and traditions like St. Paul
who taught the unity
effected by Jesus Christ:

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Grant us through your Son
Jesus Christ the grace to have Him
always at the center of our lives
and in our efforts to bridge people
together despite their many differences
so that we may truly build the Body of
Christ here on earth.

Like St. John Paul II,
let us be faithful servants,
let us "gird our loins
and light our lamps"
awaiting your presence,
Lord Jesus,
of your coming
among people who open themselves
to building unity,
to coming together in your name
to promote peace and harmony
not a unity for the sake of appeasing
modern thoughts and trends,
nor to win favors or be popular
but truly standing firm in Jesus
and His teachings because truly,
as St. John Paul had taught us,
"Unity not only embraces diversity, 
but is verified in diversity."
Amen.

*Pope John Paul II, using his crosier for support, celebrates an outdoor Mass in Slovenia, Sept. 19, 1999. (photo: Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images)*

Today I pray for diversity without the divisions that come along this beautiful development among us when we learn to accept one another amid our many differences in color and cultures, traditions and roots. May we focus more on what is common among us than on what differentiates us from each other. While it is true that we have to keep some of our traditions from the past, make us realize the need to always assess its centrality to our faith in you as well as its meaningfulness in our practices. Keep us open and sincere in keeping up with the signs of the times without losing sight of you, dear Jesus as the very core of our being together as one Body, one Church.

May we emulate the Apostles and the presbyters to enter into a dialogue in resolving issues of differences among us (cf. Acts 15:6), a very fine example of your kind of peace being given to us that calls for sacrifices and dying into one's self, exactly the meaning of being pruned like the vine in order to bear much fruit in you (Jn.15:2-3). May we always focus on you, Lord Jesus, so that we may keep our communion intact amid our diversities. Amen.

Tag: diversity

Unity in Christ

Diversity without the divisions