March 2. Sunday 8C.  In the Lord your labour is not in vain. Some Justice and Peace groups had begun to focus on environmental issues and some to combine that with a family focus. “It makes sense to ask ourselves, ‘How clean is our backyard?’  As a family we have a right to services like water, electricity and shelter, but also have to take responsibility to care for our own immediate environment. Brian may be involved in the bigger municipal issues beyond our own walls but we can’t neglect our own yard.”  Fr Oliver was pleased that his J&P and Family teams were working together. He suggested, “Apart from keeping your yards tidy you families could start a little vegetable patch and encourage the children to take responsibility for that. That is how all our work can bear fruit. 

Reflect, share and act.  Scripture: My beloved brethren be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:54-58.   Pope Francis:  Some committed and prayerful Christians ridicule expressions of concern for the environment. Others are passive. What they all need is an ecological conversion.LS 217.   JUBILEE. We should indeed prepare ourselves consciously and soberly for the moment when our lives will be judged from the standpoint of hope.  The judgement of God, who is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8.16), will surely be based on love, and on all that we have done or failed to do with regard to those in need, in whose midst Christ, the Judge himself, is present (cf. Mt 25:31-46).  SNC 22.  Prayer and action. Pray that your labour will be eco-friendly and fruitful. Choose appropriate action