June 28.  Many learners knew very little of the history of God’s people but Samuel and Amos had taken Biblical Studies as a subject and were able to share in the YCS group how these Old Testament readings speak much about punishment of those who abandoned God’s ways and as a result were taken into captivity in Babylon. Was God being merciful at that time? Some said, no, while others argued that it was the punishment they deserved. Punishment is not to make the punisher feel good but to teach. It teaches the one who punishes as well as the one being punished.  In current world crises many young people are suffering innocently and unjustly. Young men and women  cannot see a future for themselves and children are deprived of opportunities to learn effectively.  

Reflect, share and act. Scripture:  Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord. Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street. Lamentations 2:18- 19.  But all was and is not negative.  When Jesus heard the centurion he marvelled and said to those who followed him, “Truly I say to you not even in Israel have I found such faith. Matt  8:5-17.  Pope Francis: If the simple fact of being human moves people to care for the environment of which they are a part, Christians in their turn realise that their responsibility within creation and their duty towards nature and the Creator are an essential part of their faith. LS 64.  JUBILEE:  The Jubilee can serve as an important occasion for giving concrete expression to this form of synodality, which the Christian community today considers increasingly necessary for responding to the urgent need for evangelization. All the baptized, with their respective charisms and ministries, are co-responsible for ensuring that manifold signs of hope bear witness to God’s presence in the world.  SNC 14. Act and pray. For the needs of families and children as appropriate.