Message from Pastor

Dear brothers and sister,

 

In the book of the history of the Lord of the Rings we are told that Sméagol had become Gollum, a vile and treacherous creature possessed by fear and greed. Such a being possibly did not deserve to live and was a threat from which prudence advised to get rid of at the first opportunity. But Gandalf's wisdom made the bearer of the ring understand that compassion was a much more powerful weapon than revenge. He who cannot restore life should not rush to dispense judgment or death, because not even the wisest knows the end of all roads.

 

I have no doubt that when Tolkien gave a central role to compassion in the outcome of the victory over evil narrated in The Lord of the Rings, he was well aware of the Gospel passage that today invites us to reflect seriously on what our life is like.

 

We live in a tense society, where we are continually incited to polarization, anger and quick insults. We are witnessing a permanent media bombardment, which generates factions and confrontations. We have made social networks a space where disqualifications are poured out and the most basic impulses proliferate without the slightest critical sense, dialogue or reflection.

 

In such a context, Jesus continues to challenge us to love our enemies, not to judge so as not to be judged, to be compassionate and merciful. And seeing the day to day of our world, it is not strange to think that this message seems to come from another planet. Because it is evident that living as Jesus asks us does not arise spontaneously in an atmosphere as tense as ours and therefore, it requires more than ever that we nourish ourselves with a good dose of silence, prayer, inner peace.

 

Only by living in peace and carrying God in our hearts, can we be able to not return evil with evil. Only by diving into the depths of our own weaknesses and feeling forgiven and loved by God, can we make clear serenity and peace in our relationship with others. Compassion is the most powerful weapon we Christians have to overcome the evil in the world. Therefore, in applying the proposal that Jesus makes to us today to the concrete situations of our lives, we risk our identity as Christians and that the Gospel continues to have something to say for today's world: "Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate; do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven." There is no other way.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

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