Daily Prayer for Mission Month October, Year of St Francis and upcoming Local Elections in SA.   Heavenly Father, during this Mission month, we praise and thank you for the gift of your love and the riches of your creation. As missionary disciples we answer your call to walk in the way of peace.  We lift up to you all leaders of nations. Grant them an open heart and a listening ear to hear the cries of the poor and the needy. Bless all missionaries, protect them from harm, strengthen their hearts in times of trial, and fill them with the joy of your Spirit. As we prepare for the elections on 4 November and a renewal of society for the common good we acknowledge our shortcomings and faults. We hear the needs that call for help to build a united country under God, as a family of all the families of creation.  Mary, Mother of the Church and of the Rosary pray for us. St Francis, our model and patron saint of all of creation pray for us. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

October 27. SEE.  Government and values. In today’s world kings and kingdoms are largely out of fashion, although some do remain and are actively supported by their people, while for others it is a matter of indifference.  Kings are not elected, but their reign is hereditary. It can be a setting for national and/or family values to be planted or instilled and built upon. However there is also the possibility of abuse of power.  When it comes to comparisons, as in the gospel, do forms of government other than democracy have an equally strong possibility of upholding positive values in such matters as the ownership and appropriation of land? That was the subject of a debate amongst three schools’ matric classes. The outcome?  Undecided.  Kingdoms of man like the kingdom of God are somewhat of a mystery.  

JUDGE. Reflect, share, Scripture. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.  The kingdom of God is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measure of meal.  Luke 13:18-21.  SACBC Statement on Land.  August 2018: Based on Biblical teaching and developed by the Social Teaching of the Church we affirm that the land is meant for all the peoples of the earth and is held by us in sacred trust.  There is no absolute ownership of land.  Human beings are always at the centre of our social and economic life.  That is where we affirm the need for respect for human life and human dignity, a democracy at the service of the common good, transparent and incorruptible leadership, responsible dialogue, non-violence, respect for the Constitution, practical wisdom and rejection of populism.  Pope Leo: on building the civilization of love. The construction of a world in a state of perpetual conflict is an evil and must be named for what it is. This way of portraying our current situation may seem bleak or pessimistic, yet I consider it necessary to do so. The Christian perspective, however, is not limited to denouncing evil. We view history in the light of the crucified and risen Lord, to whom the Father has given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18). We do not consider the present as a predetermined fate, but an opportunity for personal and collective conversion. Moreover, we believe in the power of the Kingdom, which grows from the tiny size of a mustard seed, which, once sown, sprouts and grows (cf. Mk 4:26-32). While the tumult of confusion is all around us, goodness grows silently from the earth. In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Is 43:19).  MH210