The Church

Hello! and good Wednesday morning to all of us, GUYS.  Again, first-thing-first:

THE GOOD NEWS (12 August 2015)

 

“I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.

 

In like manner, I say to you: if on earth two of you are united in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly FATHER.  For where two or three are gathered in my NAME, I am there among them.” – Matthew 18:18:20

(Gathered in the name of JESUS.  The prayer of the community, of the apostolic group, of the Christian couple.

 JESUS does not seem to have said anything whatsoever to HIS apostles about structures that would emerge (or even disappear):  nothing but a community spirit.  Welcome for the poor and lowly, never-ending forgiveness and acceptance of others, prayer of a community that has apostolic ambitions and cries to GOD to give what is asked of HIM; there we have the sum total of the wisdom and means the Church has in order to confront all that challenges its evangelization.

 

While we participate in the common activities, overcoming unavoidable conflicts, and persevering in apostolic work, we grow as children of GOD in truth, thus knowing the FATHER in truth.  The Church, therefore, is that sacred place where we find GOD, and to express this reality we say that the Church is “the sacrament of GOD.”

 We also speak of several “sacraments”:  baptism, Eucharist...  Some people want to receive the sacraments without having any commitment to the Church; they forget that religious rites confer the grace of GOD because they are gestures of the Church, which is “the” sacrament of GOD.  GOD is not contained inside things, but rather reveals HIMSELF through the family of CHRIST, where HE wants us to find HIM:  Whatever you tie on earth...  Our faithfulness within the Christian community, even if we have to dissent from it, is a sign that we are in the grace of GOD.)