Wake
Up The World!
“Therefore He says: "Awake, you who
sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as
fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Eph 5:14-16
Wake up the world! Be witnesses to
show a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! It is possible to
live differently in this world. Jesus did it.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be
preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end
will come.” Matt 24:14
“All these calamities and tribulations will
not prevent the progress of the gospel; the Good News will be preached
everywhere (Romans 10:18; Col
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God. But I say, have they
not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And
their words to the ends of the world."
Romans 10:17-18
“This same Good News that came to you is
going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives,
just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the
truth about God’s wonderful grace.” Col
We are speaking of an end-time outlook.
“Little children, it is the last hour; and
as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18
John speaks of “last-hour thinking.” Our world of Time is passing away. But we are to redeem the time. The values of the Kingdom are to guide us
here on this earth. It is a question of leaving everything to follow the
Lord. No, I do not want to say
“radical.” Evangelical radicalness is demanded of all. But we Christians follow
the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that the Lord
expects of us. Christians should be men and women who are able to wake up the
world.
Lift Him up!
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14-15
The Church grows through witness, not by
proselytism.
The witness that can really attract is that
associated with attitudes which are uncommon: generosity, fair-mindedness,
sacrifice, self-forgetfulness in order to care for others. This is the witness,
the “martyrdom” of Christian life. It “sounds an alarm” for people. Christians
are saying to people with their life: “What’s happening?” Christians are
telling something! Christians go beyond a worldly horizon. Thus Christian life ought to promote growth
in the Church by way of attraction. The
Church, therefore, must attract people. Wake up the world!
Love more, sin less. Be witnesses of a different way of doing
things, of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world.
We are speaking of an eternal outlook, of the values of the Kingdom lived out
here, on this earth. It is a question of moving beyond everything to follow the
Lord. Radicalness is not only for the
few religious: it is demanded of all. Christians should be men and women who
are able to wake the world up.”
“But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make
peace.” James 3:17-18
Yes, we should be real witnesses to a world
of doing and acting differently. But in life it is difficult for everything to
be clear, precise, outlined neatly. Life is complicated; it consists of grace
and sin. We all make mistakes and we need to recognize our weakness. A
Christian who recognizes himself as weak and a sinner does not cancel the
witness that he is called to give, rather he can reinforce it, and this is good
for everyone.
Daily culture is much richer and conflicted
than years ago (or so we think). Our culture then was simpler and more
ordered. Today calls for a different
attitude. For example: problems are not solved simply by forbidding doing this
or that. Dialogs as well as confrontation are needed. To avoid problems, in
some houses of formation, young people grit their teeth, try not to make
mistakes, follow the rules and smiling a lot, just waiting for the day when
they are told: “Good. You are there, you have finished formation.” This is
hypocrisy that is the mistake of the Pharisee, which is one of the worst evils.
If a person cannot live in brotherhood he cannot live the Christian life.”
Living as peace-makers.
“Now in those days, when the number of the
disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the
Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily
distribution.” Acts 6:1 [Read what the church did.]
Christian brotherhood with all its possible
diversity, is an experience of love that goes beyond conflicts. Community
conflicts are inevitable: in a certain sense they need to happen, if the
community is truly living sincere and honest relationships. That’s life. Reality dictates that there are conflicts in
all families and all groups of people. And conflict must be faced head on: it
should not be ignored. Covering it over
just creates a pressure cooker that will eventually explode. A life without
conflicts is not life.
“And this commandment we have from Him: that
he who loves God must love his brother also.” 1 John 4:21
No comments:
Post a Comment