Reflection
Our lives can make a difference by choosing and following the vision articulated by Jesus in his own time. We can live lives that are not prosaic and unimaginative but that see the fullness of life’s meaning. We can color the lives of others with new hope. It will involve us in a struggle to bring about justice, to safeguard human rights and to work for peace and reconciliation. It happens when we assume our responsibility for ending a culture of division and violence. It also involves caring for our environment. It is about living peacefully and how we participate in society. It is made possible by those who really try to live the gospel message.
Prayer
God of Wisdom and Mercy grant us patience to listen;
Compassion to be open to others views and opinions;
Generosity to forgive and grace to change.
As you taught us through Jesus to love our neighbor,
compel us to be healing instruments of unity and reconciliation.
May we join together to abolish racism, sexism and extremism.
Give us strength as we work to help our nation to move forward in unity.
Amen.
Action
Consider how in your day-to-day life you can make a difference.
Suggested Reading
Come follow me.
Mark 1:17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
You are the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:13 -16
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.
Isaiah 58:7 -10
It is not enough to say we are Christians. We must live the faith, not only with our words, but with our actions.
Pope Francis
The Christian’s task is to be the salt of society, preserving, reconciling, adding taste, giving meaning where there is no meaning, giving hope where there is no hope. It is about the quality of life.
T.V. Phillip
Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!
Anne Frank
Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.
Bill Bradley
Find out what’s really out there. I never said to be like me, I say be like you and make a difference.
Marilyn Manson
The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a
new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be
released and channeled toward some great good.
Brian Tracy
Rosa Parks was the queen mother of a movement whose single act of heroism sparked the movement for freedom, justice and equality. Her greatest contribution is that she told us a regular person can make a difference.
Marc Morial
Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.
Barbara Mikulski
Everyone can do simple things to make a difference, and every little bit really does count.
Stella McCartney
It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.
Ella Fitzgerald
We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.
Stevie Wonder