There were also many families on this pilgrimage. Some are bringing their babies. However, the policy in Rome is very different in America. Children under 12 years old and certain weight and height are required to use a booster seat on the bus. David put all of us in a pilgrimage mood starting that night. Our mentality should be focused on Christ. If I am not mistaken, I believe I heard David say that there will be approximately 400,000 brothers in the NCW attending the 50th NCW anniversary in Rome. Because there are 300 of us, we will be coming to Rome in different flights and different times.
Going on a pilgrimage brings inspiration from the Holy Spirit. It makes us stronger so that we can do battle against the evil forces the next day. We walk stronger in our faith because of the experience we will receive in this pilgrimage. Our experience and witness will be a help for our brothers who were unable to attend this pilgrimage. Pilgrimages brings many graces. The pilgrimage that ranks above all others is to walk in the footsteps of Christ.
1 Timothy 1:18-19. Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.
Evil forces, yes, we know who they are. That wind is blowing from the same hole. Always the same handful of people of Guam businessmen. We are sick and tired of them already! But, those who take the challenge to an almost 2-weeks long pilgrimage will be blessed by the fresh new winds that are blown from Vatican City, the Pope's residence.
ReplyDeleteThe Pope loves Guam and loves its people, the communities. Yes! We'll see him waving to our people in the news. Also, Kiko will be there. It will be a celebration of the Pope among the believers!
A humble recollection also of the 50 years of hard work of the Holy Spirit that produced something amazing! The amazing grace produced the amazing way! This is our way, our home. We'll be waiting for the Pilgrims to come home and share in the Holy Spirit what was said by the charism that is working in us.
I am looking forward to the renewal of our faith life from a stressful time into winning the battle in good spirit.
Let our enemy boasts of their worldly success. Let our boast be on Christ, and Christ -- crucified. Where they believe they are hurting us, it is they themselves that get hurt without knowing why. As for us, we pray for our enemies, that they may not need to hurt themselves or their families so much to understand what true love is.
ReplyDeletecan we affirm that Jesus Christ can into this world only for those being oppressed by the enemies.
ReplyDeleteWe are all enemies...not one better than the other.
if we are in the Way....who is the enemy?
no wonder people think or have this perception that we are better!!!
we are not
the worst of the worst.....get it??
We are all enemies because we cannot accept the other. The other is frustrating our plans, meddling with our business, his very existence is an annoyance. We prefer to have it in our way! So we become enemies for life and death.
DeleteWe are all enemies because we are no better than them. Look at the oppressed who are suffering from the wickedness of the enemy. But are we not wicked the same way as they are? Are we better off, brother? We are not. We are all sinners and enemies until we give it all up for Jesus. Now is the time to take it to the Lord!
Jesus came for the poor, the oppressed, marginalized, and for that matter the sinners.
ReplyDeleteThe Church teaches Preferential Option for the poor.
In the Sunday Gospel Jesus tells: "It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go. See, my betrayer is at hand."
DeleteWe are the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, and we are the sinners. The Son of Man was handed over to us, sinners. Look what we have done to Him. He suffered and was crucified because of our sin. That is why He died. That is why He was handed over to us. That is why we are the sinners.
Dear Anonymous, you quoted: "Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners." I don't think out Lord though of his disciples when He said sinners.
DeleteThe sinners were led by Judas Iscariot, his betrayer, and came to arrest Jesus. Jesus was with his disciples whom he taught and loved. They were not the ones to arrest Jesus! On the contrary, the disciples were trying to protect Jesus against the sinners, but Jesus calmed them down. The disciples were not called sinners by our Lord, only those whom He was handed over. He was handed over to the sinners, to the mob with the clubs and swords, to arrest him.
Dear Anonymous at 4:38 pm,
DeleteHis disciples abandoned Christ after his arrest, and Peter denied him three times. Christ died for all our sin.
Jesus was handed over from his disciples to the sinners. His disciples were the righteous ones and his betrayers were the sinners.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 5:19 pm,
DeleteSo then, you are saying that his disciples never sinned including Peter who denied Jesus three times. Christ died for the sinners. So, you are saying that Christ did not die for his disciples?
According to the Bible, Christ also died for his Apostles, who claimed they were also sinners.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Diana, I only quoted from the Sunday gospel reading that Jesus was handed over to the sinners.
DeleteMark 14:41, Matthew 26:45, Luke 24:7, John 18:4-5.
This is very interested. Whom do you call a sinner? The Catholic concept is that there are two different kind of sins: mortal sins and venial sins. A mortal sin is a grave offense that would prevent you from participation in holy communion. You must confess and obtain absolution in order to get communion. A venial sin, in contrast, is a minor offense that should be repented before communion, but the confession may be postponed to a later time.
DeleteWe are all prone to commit venial sins in our everyday life. This is not what Jesus Christ meant when he talked about sinners. When he said he would be handed over to sinners, he talked about those living in mortal sin, who tortured and killed him. These people were the sinners, those with murder on their conscience.
So who is a sinner? Original sin would not make you a sinner, but mortal sin would! Avoid mortal sin in every situation. It is a demand from Jesus Christ for every Christian who lived a long ago or live today.
Dear Critiquer,
DeleteHow do you know that those who were handed over to Christ had mortal sins? Three things must be met in order for a sin to be mortal: 1)the gravity of the sin, 2) the full knowledge of the sin and 3) consenting to the sin. Did his torturers and killers have full knowledge? Did they know that they were torturing and killing the Son of God or were they merely following the orders of their superiors who told them they were torturing and killing criminals?
Diana, the gospels state that Jesus was handed over to sinners. I gave you the verses for all four evangelists. I think it is reasonable that they were guilty!
DeleteDear Anonymous at 7:28 pm,
DeleteAccording to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
CCC 598 In her Magisterial teaching of the faith and in the witness of her saints, the Church has never forgotten that "sinners were the authors and the ministers of all the sufferings that the divine Redeemer endured."389 Taking into account the fact that our sins affect Christ himself,390 the Church does not hesitate to impute to Christians the gravest responsibility for the torments inflicted upon Jesus, a responsibility with which they have all too often burdened the Jews alone:
We must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt. And it can be seen that our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews. As for them, according to the witness of the Apostle, "None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." We, however, profess to know him. And when we deny him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him.391
Dear Diana, the quoted reference is fit for describing and assigning guilt per gravity. Especially the relapsing of unrepented mortal sin is to be condemned as sinful in nature. Those who killed Jesus knew exactly what they were doing. They mocked Him and divided the spoil. This is what we do when we deliberately choose the enjoyment of mortal sin over a spirit of holiness. We mock our savior and despise his grace. We divide the spoils of his kingdom. Woe on us if we indulge in that kind of behavior. Let's choose holiness and follow the path of our Lord.
DeleteDear Critiquer,
DeleteJesus said, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." The Roman soldiers did not know that Jesus is God. They were ignorant of this fact. They actually thought they were crucifying a criminal. People of those times felt that doing that to a criminal is okay. Even the thief at the cross said that they deserve that punishment. The only one who didn't deserve such punishment was Jesus because he was innocent of any wrongdoing.
Times have now changed. All kinds of torture are labeled inhumane even for those who have committed crimes.