Short overview: FEBRUARY. Love gives Families life. God, the creator, is a lover and it is God’s Trinitarian love, that is life-giving, creating life continually and sustaining and renewing creation. Our task and gift as human beings and life-givers is co-creation, with God, from conception to natural death, nurturing relationships and caring for children. By its nature, of total and lifelong commitment, sacramental marriage is the ideal love relationship. Love of nature and creation is a way to sustain life in its various forms. Life and love can be very vulnerable and the lifegiving theme in addition to the Franciscan focus can be taken up during Lent for reflection and action. Pope Francis:Love always gives life. The couple in giving themselves to one another, give not just themselves but also the reality of children, a living reflection of their love. AL165.    Pope Leo:   Love for the Lord is love for them poor.
Contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history.  In the poor he continues to speak to us.   DT 103.       For a longer introducetion and the reflections for the mont go to https://marfam.org.za/thoughts-for-the-day-february-2026-and-lent-part-1/

1 February.  SEE:  SUNDAY 4a.   Fr George started his homily by playing devil’s advocate.  He said, “I’m not sure, but it seems to me that Pope Francis and Pope Leo have been too concerned about “the poor.”   I know that there are millions of poor people all over the world and we should love and care for them, but what about the rest of us?  We here are not rich, but even rich people need to be loved by God.  Does that sound wrong?  Does “poor in spirit” also mean that we don’t value possessions over everything else, like relationships and we should be willing to share?  Aren’t all the beatitudes Jesus’ Mission statement which  speaks about loving concern for others in different ways?”   In fact I think that Blessed Benedict Daswa who was a respected school principal and married man is an excellent example of one who lived the Beatitudes fully. He was a father of eight children and his mother was part of the family. Benedict was stoned and then killed by fellow-villagers in Venda, a remote part of South Africa on 2 February 1990. They were jealous of his success and resented his opposition to witchcraft which was still practised in the area. He was declared Blessed in 2015 and the Church hopes he will soon be canonised.  

JUDGE, reflect and share.  Scripture:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.   Blessed are…..    Matthew 5:1-12. Pope Francis: In difficult moments of history how often do we hear, ‘Today our country needs heroes.’ We ask, ‘Today what does our Church need?’ Martyrs, witnesses, everyday saints of ordinary life, lives lived coherently; but we also need those who have the courage to accept the grace to be witnesses until the end, until death. Martyrs are the lifeblood of the Church.” April 2017.  Pope Leo: “I have loved you.” This declaration of love, taken from the Book of Revelation, reflects the inexhaustible mystery that Pope Francis reflected upon in the Encyclical Dilexit Nos on the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ. There we saw how Jesus identified himself “with the lowest ranks of society” and how, with his love poured out to the end, he confirms the dignity of every human being. Dilexi Te 2.

ACT AND PRAY:  Research the life of Bl Benedict Daswa and pray for the courage to be witnesses to God’s love.