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We begin the month of October with our hearts shaken by the diversity of news that reaches us from all sides. The world is witnessing the atrocities that continue to take place in Gaza, Ukraine and other parts of the world. At the national level, the detentions and deportations of many brothers and sisters who at one time had decided to come to this country in search of a better future continue.
At times it seems that the merciful and understanding treatment between nations and peoples is a matter for fantasy tales... Amid all this, we continue to be called to be messengers of hope. It is certainly not easy when the circumstances around us invite us to discouragement and skepticism. In this sense, Pope Leo XIV in his message of October 1 invites us to let ourselves be impacted by the example of the risen Jesus.
The Pope says: "When we recover from a trauma caused by others, often the first reaction is anger, the desire to make someone pay for what we have suffered. On the other hand, the Risen One does not act in this way." Moreover, "When he emerges from the abysses of death, Jesus takes no revenge. He does not return with gestures of power, but manifests with meekness the joy of a love greater than any wound and stronger than any betrayal."
That same Jesus breathes the Spirit on his apostles and sends them on a reconciling mission. The Pope concludes his message by saying that "the center of the Church's mission is not to administer power over others, but to communicate the joy of those who have been loved just when they did not deserve it. It is the force that has given birth and growth to the Christian community: men and women who have discovered the beauty of returning to life in order to be able to give it to others."
In the midst of the problems that afflict us, let us seek and follow that Jesus who encourages us to give the best of ourselves through the attitudes and actions of many of our brothers and sisters who in their daily lives are not intimidated by adversity and put the best of themselves to demonstrate, with words and actions, that instead of complaining about the existence of darkness, do their best to turn on lights.
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