Moment With Betty

SRF nun Sister Preeti, said that embracing the world means, holding mankind close to one’s heart, not pulling back, rejecting, or judging, and not just intellectually respecting that we are all God’s children but experiencing that truth more and more in our hearts. According to her, Guruji ((her master) said that we should learn to see God in all persons of whatever race or creed rather than allowing ourselves to be distracted by superficial differences such as race, creed, colour, class, and nationality, etc. And that, we are better served by concentrating on what we have in common. Guruji further explained that men of all nations are physically and spiritually one. Physical one because we are the descendants of common parents, Adam and Eve, and spiritual one because we are the immortal children of God Our Father, bound by eternal peace of brotherhood and also incarnate in this world to find God.

In the same vein also, Jane E. Vennard in her book (Embracing the World: Praying for Justice and Peace- 2002), said that embracing the World through prayer is our guide to finding a deeper relationship with God and to seeing how our prayers can contribute to healing the world.

The early Christians not only prayed together without trembling before risks or threats, but they also confess God as the creator. They see the fulfillment of the Scriptures in the life of Christ and also in the life of the community/ world, which suffered threats just as Jesus had foreseen. Far from being discouraged, they trust God draws good out of every situation. The nascent Church grows through apostolic preaching and has a universal character from the beginning. Nonetheless, alongside baptisms and conversions, difficulties also arose but despite the persecution the church suffered for the cause of Jesus, the community/ world neither was frightened nor divided but was deeply united in prayer. (www.opusdei.org – 01/18/2024).

As we make an effort to foster our spiritual growth and extend our consciousness, we become better able to feel for others in their struggle for joy. We become less judgmental and can reach out through compassion and understanding. More so, when we realize that everyone is a miniature God, we will have respect for all and perceive that it is God who is been sleeping and awakening in every living soul, how can we then ignore the person?

 You and l today may have been crying to God, asking why all the sufferings and hardships in our country and the whole world, and also praying that He sends someone to help us. I can assure you that God’s answer would be, l did send help, l sent you. There is indeed much darkness, poverty, famine, anguish including war and even disease and injustice in the world today and if we follow the news, we hear negative stories bombarding our ears and we are speechless, or helpless and there is also the tendency that we pretend and look away.  In most cases, we tell ourselves that there is nothing we can do about it. But l tell you, that there is something we can do. Live a Godly life and trust me, everyone who crosses your path will be helped just by being with you.  Live a Godly life yourselves.   

Praying for oneself and others is part of living a Godly life.  We are in the best sense our brother’s keeper. So, l encourage us to think about the well-being of others. Every morning when we begin the day, do not think of only your happiness but also to think about how many others you can help to be happy. Remember that God sent help, He sent you.  God wants us to be His instruments, His divine agentstomake this world a better place, to love and help one another. We can also use the power of prayer to change our lives, our perceptions along with the minds of others.   You will agree with me when l say that prayer is the world’s greatest wireless connection. Trust me, a variety of prayer practices, can help mend the shattered and battered world.   

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