Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

Confronting the worl with the power of the Holy Spirit

 

 

Good morning, happy Thursday, and many blessings.

 

The Gospel today, Matthew 10:7-15, presents the second part of the sending out of the disciples. Yesterday we saw that Jesus insists on directing them first toward the lost sheep of Israel. Today, we see concrete instructions to carry out the mission. 

 

Jesus, although he recognized the reality of evil in this world, called his followers to distinguish between the satanic forces, which are enemies of those who belong to the salvific liberation project. These forces tend to be hostile to our efforts to create a better society. Remember, part of our mission is to observe and transform. Therefore, when they began to see the world as He sees it, looking at unattended humanity through the eyes of their Lord and with His heart of compassion. They also began to see that they themselves were called to come out and warn that lost world of the next harvest. of judgment and invite him into the kingdom of the Lord.

 

This world is generally not a place of positive direction and affirmation. There is a need to continue working on its transformation. Waiting behind a certain external tolerance is a real evil. Jesus demands that we not remain silent or powerless in the face of injustices. The call of each Christian person is one; observe and transform an evil world through the power of the Holy Spirit. All those people who have the Holy Spirit have faith, and use the word of God, they have all the tools they need. In explaining this, Jesus shows how to confront an evil world by first presenting a clear message and, on the other hand, we must have confidence (Matthew 10: 7) in the confirmation credentials given to us (Matthew 10: 8).

 

Again, Jesus sends his apostles to preach the Good News. I wonder if I and the other Christian people I know are really preachers of good news for those who hear them or are preachers of something else. Perhaps from a moral code, or from a radical criticism of the current situation in the world. Has my reaction to the pandemic been that of a person carrying the good news? What kind of message have I brought amid the pandemic to this humanity? Is the message of Jesus good news for me? First of all I have to convince myself that the Good News is good news because otherwise I will not be able to transmit a message of liberation to other people.

 

Yet, Jesus is also aware of the opposition his message can arouse in others and prepares his disciples for the possibility of refusal. It is not always easy to be a Christian, and I ask for a strong faith in Jesus and his protection, so that I can deal with opposition in a Christ-like manner. Very particularly to those negative people we have in the church for whom any solution is a problem.

 

Today, how can we put into practice the recommendation not to take anything for the journey when going to a mission? Jesus orders His disciples to look for people of peace, so as to be able to remain in their house. Today, who would be a person of peace to whom to address oneself in the announcement of the Good News? Let us enter into the process of contemplation with action.

 

Blessings

 

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Thursday, July 9, 2020 - 09:00

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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