Then the King will say to the people on his right, “Come you
that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been
prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.I was hungry and you fed
me, thirsty and you gave me to drink ;I was a stranger and you received me in
your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in
prison and you visited me. The righteous will then answer him, “When Lord did
we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did
we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe
you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? The King will
reply, “I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of
these people of mine, you did it for me.” Then he will say to those on his
left, “Away from me, you that are under God’s curse. Away to the eternal fire
which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels .I was hungry but you
would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink.” (Matthew 25, 34
– 42).
Parishioners should give support to outreach projects in
their parishes by initiating some as well as co-ordinating others through a
parish Justice and Peace Committee. Projects such as sewing, poultry,
gardening, fish ponds, tree planting, animal rearing should be considered to
raise funds and empower the needy people in the parish where possible. Through
our health care ministries, we touch people’s lives, not only materially but holistically – body –mind –
spirit. We wish to see our “spiritual
teams” being supportive especially of the bereaved and the sick as well as reaching
out to the orphans, the vulnerable and refugees in the parishes. The “Called to
Serve” ministers need on-going nourishment and formation for them to continue
in their works of mercy. Bible ministry should be integrated into all organised
ministries involved in different works of mercy. Home visiting by priests and
religious encourage lapsed Catholics to return to the Catholic community.
In the spirit of the Beatitudes, preferential attention is
to be given to the poor, the hungry, the sick – for example ,those with AIDS,
tuberculosis or malaria – to the stranger, the disadvantaged, the prisoner,the
immigrant who is looked down upon, the refugee - displaced person..The response
to these people’s needs in justice and charity depends on everyone. Africa expects this attention from the whole human family
as from herself. However, it will have to begin by resolutely implementing
political, social and administrative justice at home; this is part of the
political culture needed for developmentand for peace. For her part, the Church
will make her specific contribution on the basis of the teaching of the
Beatitudes.
(Africae Munus, 27).
Download Vision2020 PDF file at:http://dioceseoftzaneen.mariannhillmedia.org/vision2020-for-the-diocese-of-tzaneen/
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