March 30.  Zion said, “the Lord has forgotten me.” The Lord replied, “Even these may forget, yet I will not  forget you  Fr Jim shared, “I envy people who always seem to have really strong faith in God. Mine tends to waver from time to time. During the Year of Mercy I heard some very sad stories and I have found it hard sometimes to be honest in encouraging them. Like the young mother who had been gang-raped  and shared that she had no energy or love for her expected baby. I couldn’t blame her but shared the passage from Isaiah that gives me hope. First God promises to save them, then he tells them to rejoice, but the people remain sceptical.  Finally God replies again with the famous saying about a woman and her baby.

 Reflect, share and act. Scripture: “Sing for joy O heaven, for the Lord has comforted his people. But Zion said, “the Lord has forgotten me.” The Lord replied, ”Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Is 49:8-15. Pope Francis: Conscience can recognise with sincerity and honesty what for now is the most generous response which can be given to God, and come to see that it is what God himself is asking amid the concrete complexity of one’s limits. AL303. SA Youth Responsibilities Bill 4. My responsibility in ensuring the right to family or parental care expects me to recognize that love means long-term commitment and the responsibility to establish strong and loving families.  Choose an act of love and sacrifice from the list, also published at www.marfam.org.za/lent