October 8.    Paul shared,“I have been fascinated to hear how in African families goods and money are shared more readily than in white families. I don’t know if my brother would pay my children’s school fees.” “But do we not also have to look beyond our own families?  Should I offer to pay school fees for those refugee children or donate regularly to the SVDP orphan programme?” “Many of us give to charity in a general way but would it be good to make it more personal, like a child in our twin parish?”

Scripture:  A woman said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you.” Jesus said, “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”  Luke 11:27-28.  Pope Francis: Led by the Spirit the family circle is not only open to life by generating it within itself, but also by going forth and spreading life by caring for others and seeking their happiness.  This openness finds particular expression in hospitality. The family lives its spirituality precisely by being at one and at the same time a domestic church and a vital cell for transforming the world. AL 324