Spiritual Warfare? Spiritual Victory!

Spiritual Warfare? Spiritual Victory!

by Fr. Rufus Pereira

In the Synoptic Gospels, the public ministry of Jesus starts with his Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the river Jordan and, after an intervening period of 40 days of fasting in the desert, with the temptations by the Evil One in the desert, on the mountaintop and at the Temple.

And now Jesus was led by the Spirit away into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mt. 4:1)
The period of 40 days in the desert is a time of real testing for Jesus, of which the 40 years the Israelites spent in the desert, between the Exodus from slavery in Egypt and the Entrance into freedom in the Promised Land, is the Old Testament type. It is also a time of purifying fasting for Jesus, the new lawgiver and the new prophet, of which the 40 days of fasting of Moses and Elijah is also a type. This in its turn, is, as it were, the type of our 40 days of lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, a time too of "testing" and "fasting".

Just as at the beginning of, so also during, his whole public ministry, Jesus was under attack from the Evil One but he proved victorious through the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter himself tells us "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him" (Acts 10:38). In like manner both our life and our ministry will be subject to the onslaught of the Evil One but we will be victorious only through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Devil tempted Jesus to follow his attractive suggestions in order to fulfil his God-given mission of bringing salvation to mankind. The three-fold temptation of Christ is thus a warning to us of how we can be similarly tempted to use God's gifts in a way that are contrary to his plan, by giving in to the wiles of the Evil One, and an assurance of how we can nevertheless overcome these temptations by imitating the mind and stand of Jesus (Mt 4:1-11; Lk 4:1-1. These differ only in the order of the temptations).

Thus we are so easily tempted to lust after the enticing but transitory pleasures of this world, instead of hungering for and being nourished by the eternal life givingWord of God (cfr Ex 16:2; Deut 8:3; Mt 4:3-4; Lk 4:3-5). We are so easily tempted to crave for the glittering riches of this world, with even idolatrous and superstitious greed, instead of worshipping their Creator and being concerned for the needs of our brothers (cfr Ex 17:1; Deut 6:13; Mt 4:7-10; Lk 4:6-8). We are so easily tempted to even desire the more spectacular spiritual gifts and use them to take shortcuts and win instant success even in God's work, instead of taking up the Cross and following the Lord, whatever be the cost (cfr Ex 32, Deut 6:10; Mt 4:5-6; Lk 4:9-12).

The liturgical season of Lent is therefore meant to make us aware that the life and ministry of the Body, the Church, the new Israel, will be, like the life and ministry of the Head, Jesus, the new Adam, a real spiritual warfare. It is through the example of Christ and through his teachings that we can be further purified and strengthened through one more period of Lent, lent to us by God to enable us to turn away further from the World and the Prince of Darkness and turn closer to the kingdom and the Lord of Light, thus turning over a new life in Christ. In his person Jesus as head has rejected and overcome the temptations of his body the Church. For anyone in Christ becomes a new Creation, another Christ, living by the Word of God, adoring and serving Him alone and obeying his will perfectly.

That is why in the early Church, the Catechumens, who expressed a strong desire to be baptised and were finally, after much probing scrutiny, accepted and enrolled, went through a daily purification and preparation experience during the whole 40 days of Lent. It consisted of the Prayer of Exorcism from the powers of darkness that surrounded them and the Profession of Faith in the Word of God that was systematically explained to them from the Scriptures.

The double formula of the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday is itself an indicator of this twofold movement: the verse, "Remember, man, that you are dust and into dust you shall return" (from Gen 3:19, the beginning of the OT) states theproblem, that on our own we are weak and will fall an easy prey to the Evil One, and the verse, "Repent and believe the Gospel" (Mk 1:15, the beginning of the NT) gives us the solution, that, as we rely on God's mercy, we will be released from sin; and that, as we trust in the Spirit's power, we will be renewed from within. This turning away from sin and turning towards the Lord will bring about a turning over in our lives - a change of heart, and consequently a change of lifestyle.

Let us then, with the Church, make our prayer, "Lord, protect us in our struggle against evil, as we sanctify this period of Lent by our self denial".

Batalha Espiritual? Vitória Espiritual!

Nos Evangelhos sinópticos, o ministério público de Jesus começa com o seu batismo no Espírito Santo no rio Jordão e, após um período de intervenção de 40 dias de jejum no deserto, com as tentações do Maligno no deserto, na montanha e no Templo.

E agora Jesus foi conduzido pelo Espírito ao deserto, para ser tentado pelo diabo (Mt. 4: 1)
O período de 40 dias no deserto é um tempo de teste real para Jesus, dos quais os 40 anos, os israelitas passou no deserto, entre o Êxodo da escravidão no Egito e à entrada para a liberdade na Terra Prometida, é o Antigo Testamento digita. Ele também é um tempo de purificação de jejum de Jesus, o novo legislador e o novo profeta, dos quais os 40 dias de jejum de Moisés e Elias também é um tipo. Este, por sua vez, é, por assim dizer, o tipo de nossos 40 dias da Quaresma entre Ash quarta-feira e domingo de Páscoa, uma vez também de "teste" e "jejum".

Assim como no início, assim também durante todo o seu ministério público, Jesus estava sob ataque do Maligno, mas ele provou vitorioso pelo poder do Espírito Santo. O próprio Pedro nos diz: "como Deus ungiu a Jesus de Nazaré com o Espírito Santo e com poder, o qual andou por toda parte fazendo o bem e curando todos os que estavam sob o poder do diabo, porque Deus estava com ele" (Atos 10:38) . Da mesma maneira, tanto a nossa vida e nosso ministério estará sujeito à investida do Maligno, mas seremos vitoriosos apenas com o poder do Espírito Santo.
O Diabo tentou Jesus para seguir suas sugestões atraentes, a fim de cumprir a sua missão dada por Deus de levar a salvação para a humanidade. A tentação de três vezes de Cristo é, portanto, um aviso para nós de como podemos ser igualmente tentado a usar os dons de Deus de uma forma que são contrários ao seu plano, cedendo às artimanhas do Maligno, e uma garantia de como podemos, no entanto, superar essas tentações imitando a mente e estande de Jesus (Mt 4: 1-11; Lc 4: 1-1 estes diferem apenas na ordem das tentações.).

Assim, estamos tão facilmente tentados a cobiçar os prazeres tentadores, mas transitórios deste mundo, em vez de fome de e sendo alimentada pela vida eterna givingWord de Deus (cfr Ex 16: 2; Dt 8: 3; Mt 4: 3-4 ; Lc 4: 3-5). Estamos tão facilmente tentados a desejar para as riquezas de brilho deste mundo, mesmo com a ganância idólatra e supersticiosa, em vez de adorar o seu Criador e se preocupar com as necessidades de nossos irmãos (cf. Ex 17: 1; Dt 6,13; Mt 4 : 7-10; Lc 4: 6-8). Estamos tão facilmente tentados a mesmo desejar os dons espirituais mais espetaculares e usá-los para tomar atalhos e conquistar sucesso instantâneo mesmo na obra de Deus, em vez de tomar a cruz e seguir o Senhor, qualquer que seja o custo (cfr Ex 32, Deut 6 : 10; Mt 4: 5-6; Lc 4: 9-12).

O tempo litúrgico da Quaresma é, portanto, a intenção de fazer-nos conscientes de que a vida e ministério do Corpo, a Igreja, o novo Israel, será, como a vida e ministério da Cabeça, Jesus, o novo Adão, uma verdadeira guerra espiritual . É através do exemplo de Cristo e através de seus ensinamentos que podemos ser mais purificado e fortalecido por mais um período de Quaresma, emprestou a nós por Deus para nos capacitar a se afastar ainda mais do mundo e o Príncipe das Trevas e vire mais perto o Reino, o Senhor da Luz, transformando, assim, sobre uma nova vida em Cristo. Em sua pessoa Jesus como chefe rejeitou e vencer as tentações de seu corpo, a Igreja. Para qualquer um em Cristo torna-se uma nova criação, um outro Cristo, viver pela Palavra de Deus, adorando e servindo-o sozinho e obedecendo à sua vontade perfeitamente.

É por isso que no início da Igreja, os catecúmenos, que expressou um forte desejo de ser batizado e foram finalmente, depois de muita sondagem escrutínio, aceitou e se matriculou, passou por uma purificação diária e experiência preparação durante todo os 40 dias da Quaresma. Consistiu na oração do exorcismo dos poderes das trevas que eles e a profissão de fé na Palavra de Deus que foi explicado de forma sistemática para eles as Escrituras cercavam.

A fórmula dobro da imposição das cinzas na quarta feira de cinzas é por si só um indicador desse duplo movimento: o versículo: "Lembre-se, o homem, que és pó e em pó te tornarás" (do Gen 03:19, o início do OT) afirma theproblem, que no nosso próprio somos fracos e vai cair uma presa fácil para o Maligno, e o versículo: "Arrependei-vos e crede no Evangelho" (Mc 1:15, o início do NT) nos dá a solução , que, como nós contamos com a misericórdia de Deus, que será lançado do pecado; e que, como nós confio no poder do Espírito, vamos ser renovada a partir de dentro. Este afastamento do pecado e voltando-se para o Senhor trará uma virando em nossas vidas - uma mudança de coração e, consequentemente, uma mudança de estilo de vida.

Vamos, então, com a Igreja, fazer a nossa oração: "Senhor, protegei-nos em nossa luta contra o mal, como nós santificamos esse período da Quaresma pela nossa auto-negação".

005 Inner Healing

Before we begin the prayer for inner healing, I would like to make a few introductory remarks. Right from the beginning of today until now, the Holy Spirit has been leading us to come to God in repentance. In a way we had not plan this but it came forth by the moment of the Holy Spirit because today happen to be the feast of Saint Matthew, because today the whole movement  seem to be geared towards repentance.   And as we have said this is the foundation of Christian life that if there is evil in the world it is primarily due to my fault, I have been responsible for the evil in the world. As the Psalmist says “it is I who have done wrong, it is I who have sinned before God and before man.” And that is because has given to us a tremendous gift, a gift of free will. And everyone has the ability to say “no” even to God. And God can do nothing about it. What bible calls the anger of God means not that God is angry with us, but God allows the consequences of man sin to have their effect. Therefore as we look at the tremendous suffering and evil in the world today, everyone has to say “ I am the cause of it”. Not because I have done something wrong positively, but I have allowed these things to happen and as the bible says “the Lord will judge us in the last day”. Not so much by our sins of commission, that we have done something wrong, but our sins of omission, that we have done nothing to stop the evil in the world. That we have only thought about ourselves and we have closed our eyes to the evil around us.  And if there are dictators and bad people who have come to rule our countries it is both because we have voted for the wrong people, but perhaps because we have not voted at all. And the wrong people have come forward. And therefore when we say we have sinned it means not only I have done wrong but I have not done anything to stop the evil. And therefore every human being is called to repent. And repentance does not mean only turning away from the world is more important turning toward Jesus.

But tonight we want to share with you that there is a second reason why there is so much evil in the world. There is another reason why I in spite of my desire to do good, find myself doing wrong things.  It is not because of my bad will, but because of two reasons, my inheritance, my heritage, which that have happened in my family which now influence me today. And secondly, things which are happening now among my family, among my friends, which are affecting me wrongly. And it is a charismatic renewal that has made the church aware of this second reason why we do wrong things. Just as it is wrong to blame people, to blame God, to blame even the devil for my problems. It is equally wrong of people to blame me for my problems. Because I really, sincerely want to do good, to live a good life. But I find like a power that is driving me to do wrong things. In the month of January I was giving, I was speaking at the National Conference in Australia. And there were two drugs addicts that came to me for counseling. A young man and a young woman who were friends, they were planning to get married. And both were drug addicts. Both had just come out of prison. And they came to me and they held my hand and they said “ Father, we want to get rid of our drug addiction, please help us. We want to get married. We want to start a beautiful family. We don´t like the life we are leading. Please help us to start a new life.”  And as I looked at them I said to myself “How many people are blaming them for their problems.”  And they were two beautiful young people that went the wrong way but want to do the right thing. And I felt that there was influence, maybe, of their ancestry, influence of their family and friends environment that was bringing them to this wrong life. Inner healing is a gift of the Holy Spirit to the church, which makes aware that the Lord wants to heal us from the causes, emotional causes of our problems. And therefore as now I lead you to a prayer, specially those who have never had such an experience, will know how much of the wrong things in our lives are due to factors beyond our control. To give one last example, we know now the phenomenon of the single parent is a worldwide phenomenon.  In England itself, there are 3 million children that only have their mothers, their fathers are not there.  As the children are growing up what do you expect them to be? As these children are growing up turn out to be?

Obviously they will go the wrong way. I was giving a program in South Africa recently. And a priest came to me for counseling and he was telling me how his father had children from 5, 6 different women. And his mother had children from 5 or 6 different men. Can you imagine the confusion in this priest who was then a little boy? I was giving an inner healing retreat in Scotland last year. It was a retreat to the leaders of the charismatic renewal of Scotland. There were 300 of them doing that retreat.  And as they came one by one for counseling and they were showing me all their problems they have written down in detail. As I read their problems I could not believe that people could have had so much problems in their lives. I didn´t even know what to tell them. It was perhaps the saddest week in my whole life. As I hold them speaking of their problems and I said “But how could you have lived your lives with all these terrible things?” Every sentence was a problem. Finally there was a woman who came and told me about her daughter who was in the mental hospital. And I told her after the retreat I will visit that mental hospital. This was in Ireland. And I´ll visit the hospital in Belfast and I will talk to your daughter, because according to what the mother told me I felt that young lady should not be in a mental hospital. But the day after the retreat, this lady came with her whole family to see me in the town were I was giving the retreat.  And she brought her daughter who was in the mental hospital, 18 years old. And I spoke to her and then I told her “But I don´t see anything wrong in you. You should not be in such a hospital.”  Anyway, I prayed over her. And I said “I feel you should leave that hospital.” But before leaving, this is what she told me “Father, but I am going back to that hospital.”  And I said “why?”  “Because in that mental hospital I have peace. In my family I have no peace.” And she returned to the mental hospital. So now let us pray. 

Put yourself in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And just listen to the Lord telling each one of us “Come to me. Come to me. All of you who are burdened. All of you who are heavy laden. All of you who are confused in your minds. All of you who are restless in your hearts. All of you who are broken hearted.”  And the Lord says  “I will give you rest. I will heal you. I will deliver you.”  Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for opening our eyes to this beautiful experience of inner healing.  Thank you Lord for telling us we don´t have to blame only ourselves for our problems. Thank you for telling us we don´t have to put an unnecessary burden of guilt on our conscience. Thank you Lord for telling us there are many things in our lives for which I am not personally responsible. I don´t have to condemn myself. I don´t have to wish I was not born.  I don´t have to wish that I could die. And Lord you reveled to us that there are many things in my life for which I am not really responsible. The things that happened to me because of the family in which I was conceived and in which I was born. The many things that happened to me because of the family in which I grew up as a child and as a youth. The many things that have happened to me because of the neighborhood, because the area where I grew up. The many things that have happened to me because of the school which I attended. Many things  happened to me because of the type of job I had. Many things that have happened to me because of the experience I had of marriage and our family life. And Lord Jesus, I want to tell you right at the start of this prayer that I don´t want to blame anyone. That I don´t want to blame anyone in my family or my environment for my problems. I don´t want to blame myself either. I don’t want to blame You, God, for my problems. Only I know these things have happened. And help me Lord Jesus to look upon all these events in my life. However painful, however hurtful, these experiences mere have been. To look upon them even with thanksgiving and with praise. Because Lord I believe you are in full control of my whole life. You are in the control of the family and the neighborhood in which I am presently. And nothing has happened to me or will happen to me without your knowledge. That everything that has happened to me is only because you love me. That everything that has happened to me is because you know you have the power to change every burden into a beautiful blessing. And Lord as we begin this prayer give me a forgiving heart, give me praising lips, help me to forgive every person in my life that I hold responsible for my pain, for my wounds, for my hurts. Help me to praise you Lord for every event in my life however painful and hurting it may have been. Lord let me realize in my heart that these are the two great instruments of my inner healing. Praise to your name and forgiveness towards people.

And as we now prepare to make this prayer, the choir will lead us to a soft, gentle hymn of healing. And as we sing this hymn let us look upon Jesus as our healer, as our mighty deliverer, as our life giver. Yes Lord Jesus, we invite you to walk back our whole past life and to heal us right from the moment of our conception. Because to you our past is as present as our future. For you there is no time, only eternity. And therefore Lord, with this confidence we invite you bring us a deep inner healing from the moment when life began for each one of us. Lord heal me at the moment of my conception of anything only you know needs healing and deliverance at that moment. Perhaps lord, we will not conceived according to planned and rail human married love. Maybe we were conceived under the influence of alcohol and violence or maybe outside marriage or the result of rape. And therefore this moment of my life, which was the start of my life was spoiled because of the wrong cooperation of my parents. Maybe my parents weren´t having a child for a long time and in ignorance they went to the doctor to get help for saving themselves for my conception.  Lord Jesus I don´t want to blame my parents for anything that happened that moment. But today I want to ask you to heal me in my conception thru the mystery of your conception in the womb of Mary. And Mar, I ask you to heal me at the moment of my conception to mystery of your immaculate conception itself. And heavenly Father, my Father, I want to thank and praise you tonight for breathing into me your own breath, to your own life your own love. And making me to be like yourself. Creating me at your very image and likeness. Thank you heavenly Father for this tremendous gift of life itself and Jesus help me appreciate this tremendous gift of life. That you made me a living being. Thank you Jesus. 

Lord Jesus I also ask you to heal me during the months in my mother´s womb. Ask you Jesus to heal me specially if my mother was contemplating aborting me. Heal me Lord if anything may have come to me through my mother, the fears that may have come to me through my mother, because may have felt very rejected, very lonely.  She may have had problems with her in-laws. Maybe during this time my father was too busy with his work, had no time to speak or to love my mother. Maybe my mother may have had a great shock or a great fright. Maybe during this time my mother may have been weeping or crying very often. And Lord, I know things affecting the mother could have affected the unborn child that was me in that womb. Lord I also ask you to deliver me from any satanic influence. Either because my mother may have gone to a witch doctor for help. Or the enemy of my family may have had a spell, a curse put upon the unborn child. Lord even as you heal the unborn John the Baptist in his mother´s womb, heal me too in my mother´s womb. And just as it happened to John the Baptist, fill me, the unborn child in her womb, with the powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit. As I thank you Lord Jesus for the gift of the family in which I was born. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. 

Lord now I ask you to heal me at the end of those 9 months of pregnancy, at that beautiful, precious moment of my birth. Yes Lord Jesus, in your plan my birth was meant to be an event of joy to the whole world. But perhaps Lord many things may have happened then which still affect me probably. I may have been born prematurely. Or at a difficult labor. Or a forceps baby, or a blue baby. Or with the umbilical cord around my neck, perhaps my parents didn´t really want me or expect me. Specially my parents, my father may have wanted a baby boy and I was born a baby girl. Perhaps I as born during the time of the war. Or in a time of great family disunity. Lord Jesus, I may have been born with some congenital defect to my brain or to my body. And Lord, I ask you tonight to heal me retrospectively at the moment of my birth. And I want to thank you for the gift of myself, just the way you have made me. Even with my so called defects. And Lord, I want to thank and praise you that through your own birth, through your own nativity you are healing me right now. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. And as we bring all our hidden life from our conception to our birth to Jesus for a healing the choir will lead us into another hymn of healing. 

Yes Lord Jesus we ask you to heal us in the second period of everyone´s life, the years of us growing up. Lord we have seen how often the greatest hurts we experience have their origin either in the 9 months in our mother’s womb or in the 13, 14, 15 years of our growing up. And Lord Jesus you were once a fetus in the womb of Mary, a little baby in the womb of Mary, you were once a baby in the breast of Mary. You were once a little child in the carpenter´s shop of your foster baby. You were once a boy of 12 years old in the temple. And Lord we pray that to the mystery of your holy infancy and holy childhood you will heal every person here and the years of his infancy and childhood and boyhood and girlhood. Lord Jesus I want to bring to you the most important alias of my infancy or childhood that needs your healing and deliverance. And to begin with Lord, with my relationship with my mother. That most important relationship in every human being life´s. Perhaps Lord that never new a mother´s love because she died when we were small, perhaps even in child birth. And so there was a time in our life that we needed so much, the warm caresses of our mother and she wasn´t there. Or perhaps she was there but we have been sent to some grandparent or some aunt to be looked after. And even now we feel angry that we could not live our infancy in our own home. Perhaps there were pain that happened to that relationship which have hurt me very much.  And therefore Lord Jesus, I find it difficult to get over the painful relationship I may have had with my own mother. Perhaps Lord, she might even have left the family for whatever reason, thus for another man. Perhaps my father may have married again and I had the burden of being with a step mother who was not good and have been cruel. Lord we know how difficult it is to forgive our mothers for any type of wrong things done. But perhaps Lord, she herself had been hurt very much in her childhood by other people. And today I not only want to forgive her but to pray for her healing too. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.

And Lord I want to pray also for the healing of my relationship with my father. Specially Lord if my father may have died when I was small or even before I was born. And as I looked at my friends who had their daddies with them was so painful to know that I never had a daddy. Lord Jesus, we know that every girl wants and needs a father. Every boy needs and wants a mother.  And you made us so that we can have both parents to bring us up together. Perhaps Lord, my father may have been there, but he was absent at work or at the war. Perhaps I may have seen him be killed with my own eyes in the troubles of whatever war was it in the past. Perhaps he was there but he may have deserted the family for another woman for whatever reason. And I had to go through the same humiliation and the pain of being in a family without a daddy. Perhaps Lord I was afraid of my father because he was so strict and abuse in his words. And that fear is still in my heart. Perhaps I was ashamed of my father because he was poor, he was jobless, he was irresponsible. Perhaps I hated him because he was an alcoholic, he was violent, he was a terror to the family. Perhaps Lord I may have had a stepfather who was anything but a father to me. Help me Lord Jesus tonight to forgive my father. To pray for his healing, to love him, to bless him and give me love Jesus an experience of a father´s love. Give me Lord an experience of a mother´s love. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. 

And Lord now I finally pray for the healing of all the other relationships of my childhood. My relationship with my own brothers and sisters. Specially Lord if I felt my parents loved that brother or that sister more than they loved me. And because of that I still feel very inferior. I feel I was not good enough for them. Heal me Lord if one of my brothers or sisters was more clever than me, more beautiful than me, more fairer than myself. Heal me Lord Jesus if during this time I went through a long, painful illness. And I could not express the pain inside me to my parents. Heal me Lord if I had a great shock, a great fright in my childhood. If I witnessed the death of a loved one. Heal me Lord specially if there were things in my childhood that affected my sexuality.  Perhaps I was sexually abused by a stranger or a relative. Perhaps Lord, I went into this abuse in a boarding school and because of that I am now having various types of homosexual feelings. And Lord I know that I was not created that way, that my present feeling is a result of those unhappy experiences of my childhood. Heal me Lord specially, heal specially those women here who were sexually misused even by a person in their authority. By an uncle, by a doctor, by a priest. Above all by one´s own father or by one´s own stepfather, ruining that person´s life. Not enabling that person to now have a happy married life. Lord Jesus I pray that through your hole manhood you will heal every man here in their sexuality. Mary I pray that you heal every woman here in her femininity, in her womanhood. And Saint Joseph I pray, that you heal every man here in their manhood, in their manly sexuality. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus, 

And finally Lord we want to pray for the years of our schooling, up to our puberty. Heal me Lord if during this time I suffered the fact that I had no friends. When I saw my classmates having so many beautiful friends, but I was always lonely, I could not make friends with people. And with that came a sadness into my life. Heal me Lord if I encountered difficulties in my scholastic years. When I found it difficult to understand my lessons, difficult to study, difficult to remember the things I learned. And I experience a tremendous sense of failure. Heal me Lord if during this time there were things that have happened in my sexual life that even now make me feel very guilty. Perhaps Lord it was from this time in my life when I began to be very timid, very shy, afraid to do anything, for fear of failure, afraid of criticism, afraid of relating to people, towards every adult in my life. I began to be rebellious against all authority. I feel like running away from mu home and my family and I took refuge in the wrong friends who lead me into wrong habits. Heal me Lord if during the time of my youth I made friends with the wrong people who lead me the wrong way, who promised love, promised me support and now I realized they wanted just to use me. And my whole life is now without confidence, without hope. Lord Jesus but I believe in your promises in the scriptures, when you tell me not to look back at my past. Not to look back at the things that I had happened a long time ago, but to look ahead at what you are going to do in each one´s life right now. I want to thank you for the hundreds of thousands of people whom we have made new creatures through the experience of inner healing. And Lord Jesus I ask you to put down the Holy Spirit upon every person in this place and every person looking at the TV program.  And Lord in your name I invite every person to bring to you just one most important hurt in their life. Help them to know what has been the most painful experience of their whole life. Help them Lord to bring to you that word, that event, that experience which have hurt them most in their life. And Lord Jesus ,as you now bring them this healing I know that your promise is coming through right now. And the Lord is telling each one of you tonight “I will take from you that heart of stone. I will take from you that heart of unforgiveness. I will take away from you that heart of bitterness. I will take away from you that heart of fear and of anxiety. I will take away from you that heart of hate and revenge. I will take away from you that heart of self-pity of suicidal tendency.  And I will give you a new heart. I will give you a heart of flesh. I will give you a heart of tenderness. I will give you a heart of compassion. I will give you a heart that will reach out every person. I will give you a forgiving heart. And I will put into you my spirit. A new spirit, my spirit.”  And as the choir leads us into the hymn let us ask the Lord again and again in our hearts to give us a new heart, a new life, a new start. 

(the end)

The Lord's Prayer for Unity

The Lord's Prayer for Unity

by Fr. Rufus Pereira

"Father, I pray that they will be completely one as we are one" (Jn 17:23)

The Need for Unity:

About one fifth of the Gospel of John is devoted just to the final, or so called farewell, discourse of Jesus during the last supper with his apostles - now that his 'hour', the most important moment of his life, had come, that would bring redemption to the world. And of these four chapters, one full chapter contains the prayer of Jesus on the very eve of his Paschal Mystery, his last and most important prayer to His Father for his present and future disciples. Twice in that prayer Jesus tells his Father that he is finally coming or returning to him, now that the work entrusted to him is complete, - but still not quite complete. For he now prays that his Father would glorify his name not only by initiating his work of salvation on the cross, as head of the Church, but by completing it in his body the Church, making it one in peace and love. And even today the Church continues that priestly prayer of Jesus, when daily at Mass we pray, "Grant that we who are nourished by his body and blood may be filled with his Spirit and become one body and one spirit in Christ."

The Source of Unity:

But the unity for which Jesus prayed was not just an outward co-operation with philanthropic people in works of charity or an intellectual dialogue with religious men in matters of doctrine, but something far more fundamental. The mind of Jesus is that we cannot have unity with others unless we first have unity among ourselves as his disciples and, even more basic, we cannot have this unity unless we have unity with God our Father in Christ by his Spirit. That is why the prayer of Jesus to his Father was, "As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us" (21, Jn 14). The very Trinitarian Life of perfect unity in perfect diversity is to be the source and the model of our own unity. We were baptised in the names of the Triune God to continue living the same Trinitarian life, motivated by it and even imitating it.

The Model of Unity:

That is why Jesus says so beautifully that by doing this his disciples will be true to and worthy of the name of their Father God, "so that they can and will be one, as you and I are one" (11, 22), just as loving one's enemies makes us true children of our Father, in whose image we have been created, - and no true child would want to spoil or disgrace his father's name. While he was with them, Jesus did all he could to ensure that his apostles who were so diverse would be true to that name in spite of their jealousy and pride, by watching over them carefully, being alert to any signs of disunity among them, and constantly bringing them back into communion, - an example to his future disciples.

The Protection of Unity:

As Jesus prays for unity among his disciples, almost in the same breath he prays that they would be protected from the wiles of the Evil One and the hatred of the 'world', (i.e., his followers), whose strategy, as the Lord warns them, would be to cause dissension, especially among Church and Charismatic leaders, often through a misguided emphasis on mere signs and the more spectacular gifts, and to lead them astray through an attachment to and seeking after pleasure, possessions and power. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, which began with a prayerful and joyful togetherness, transcending all barriers, is now unfortunately sometimes plagued by bitter divisions at certain levels, by an unholy aggressiveness and a spirit of competitiveness.

The Purpose of Unity:

After washing their feet Jesus commanded his apostles, "You must love each other as I have loved you" and he concluded at once, "All people will then know that you are my followers if you love each other (Jn 13:35). Now he addresses his Father, "As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us", and, "I will be in them … so that they will be completely one. Then the world will believe and know that you sent me and that therefore you have loved them just as much as you loved me" (21,23). He regards his salvific mission as incomplete until his followers are united. They will have to make up for what is missing, in the enigmatic words of Paul, by living in unity, which can be one's greatest cross. But he would thus be glorified in their unity, as one body - his Church, and that would be his greatest joy, just as the greatest joy of parents is to see their children in loving and joyful unity. And that unity would in turn be the radiant glory and crowning joy of his disciples, of his Church.

A Oração do Senhor para a Unidade

por Pe Rufus Pereira

"Pai, eu oro para que eles sejam completamente um, como nós somos um" (Jo 17,23)

A necessidade de unidade:

Cerca de um quinto do Evangelho de João é dedicado apenas para o discurso final, ou o chamado de despedida, de Jesus durante a última ceia com seus apóstolos - agora que a sua "hora", o momento mais importante de sua vida, havia chegado, que traria a redenção para o mundo. E destes quatro capítulos, um capítulo inteiro contém a oração de Jesus na véspera de seu mistério pascal, a sua última e mais importante oração ao Pai pelos seus discípulos presentes e futuros. Duas vezes  naquela oração Jesus diz a seu Pai que ele está finalmente chegando ou voltando para ele, agora que o trabalho que lhe foi confiado está completo, - mas ainda não suficientemente completo. Pois ele agora reza para que seu Pai vá glorificar o seu nome não apenas iniciando sua obra de salvação na cruz, como chefe da Igreja, mas por completando-a em seu corpo a Igreja, tornando-a una em paz e amor. E ainda hoje a Igreja continua a oração sacerdotal de Jesus, quando diariamente na missa oramos, "Permita que nós, que somos alimentadas por seu corpo e sangue possamos ser cheios do seu Espírito e nos tornemos um só corpo e um só espírito em Cristo."

A Fonte da Unidade:

Mas a unidade pela qual Jesus orou não era apenas uma cooperação para fora com pessoas filantrópicas em obras de caridade ou um diálogo intelectual com os homens religiosos em matéria de doutrina, mas algo muito mais fundamental. Na mente de Jesus nós não podemos ter unidade com os outros, a menos que primeiro tenhamos unidade entre nós, como seus discípulos e, ainda mais fundamental, não podemos ter essa unidade a menos que tenhamos a unidade com Deus, nosso Pai, em Cristo pelo seu Espírito. É por isso que a oração de Jesus ao Pai foi: "Como você está em mim e eu em ti, eu oro para que eles também possam ser um em nós" (21, Jo 14). A muito perfeita vida trinitária da perfeita unidade na perfeita diversidade é para ser a fonte e o modelo de nossa própria unidade. Fomos batizados em nome de Deus Uno e Trino para continuar a viver a mesma vida trinitária, motivado pela vida trinitária até mesmo imitando-a .

O modelo de unidade:

É por isso que Jesus diz tão cheio de beleza que, fazendo isso seus discípulos serão verdadeiros e dignos do nome de seu Deus Pai ", de modo que eles poderão e vão ser um, como você e eu somos um" (11, 22), assim como amar os inimigos nos torna verdadeiros filhos de nosso Pai, em cuja imagem fomos criados, - e nenhum verdadeiro filho iria querer estragar ou desonrar o nome de seu pai. Enquanto ele estava com eles, Jesus fez tudo o que podia para garantir que os seus apóstolos que eram  tão diferentes, seriam fieis a esse nome, apesar da sua inveja e orgulho, vigiando-os cuidadosamente, estando alerta para qualquer sinal de desunião entre eles, e constantemente trazendo-os de volta à comunhão, - um exemplo para seus futuros discípulos.

A Proteção da Unidade:

Como Jesus reza pela unidade entre os seus discípulos, quase ao mesmo tempo, ele reza para que eles estejam protegidos contra as astutas ciladas do Maligno e o ódio do "mundo", (ou seja, os seus seguidores), cuja estratégia, como o Senhor os adverte, seria para causar dissensão, especialmente entre os líderes da Igreja e carismáticos, muitas vezes através de uma ênfase equivocada em meros sinais e os dons mais espetaculares, e desviá-los através de um anexo de e procurando depois de prazeres, posses e poder. A Renovação Carismática Católica, que começou com a união de oração e alegria, transcendendo todas as barreiras, é agora, infelizmente, às vezes atormentado por divisões amargas em certos níveis, por uma agressividade profana e um espírito de competitividade.

O Objetivo da Unidade:

Depois de lavar os pés deles, Jesus ordenou aos seus apóstolos: "Vocês devem se amar uns aos outros como eu vos amei" e concluiu de uma vez, "Todas as pessoas saberão que sois meus discípulos, se você amar uns aos outros (Jo 13:35). agora ele se dirige ao Pai: "Como você está em mim e eu em ti, eu oro para que eles também podem ser um em nós", e, "Eu vou ser neles ... de modo que eles serão completamente unos. Então, o mundo vai acreditar e saber que você me enviou e que, portanto, você amava tanto quanto você me tem amado"(21,23) . Ele considera sua missão salvífica como incompleta até que seus seguidores estejam unidos. Eles terão que se voltar para o que está faltando, nas palavras enigmáticas de Paulo, pela vida em união, que pode ser um de maior cruz. Mas ele seria assim glorificado em sua unidade, como um só corpo -. a sua Igreja, e que seria sua maior alegria, assim como a maior alegria dos pais é ver seus filhos na unidade amorosa e alegre. e que a unidade por sua vez seria a glória radiante e alegria coroação dos seus discípulos, de sua Igreja.

The Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of the Lord

by Fr. Rufus Pereira

Have you ever wondered why the Gospel narratives of the ministry of Jesus begin with the episode of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan, which may seem to be such a trivial incident? Or why Pope John XXIII made the Baptism of Jesus the first Feast of the Ordinary Year of the Church, immediately after the Solemnity of Epiphany, which may also seem to be surprising? Things became clearer to me, when I noticed that the memorial in the Canon of the Mass in the Syro-Malankara rite, calls to mind not just the death and resurrection of Jesus, as in the Latin rite, but even his baptism in the River Jordan. For in the early church then, as reflected especially in the oriental rites now, the Baptism of Jesus was not just one more story in his life, - but it is a mystery, on par with the great mysteries of his Incarnation and our Redemption (i.e. his death and resurrection), - in fact connecting them both in a meaningful salvific whole.

Jesus was now filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1)

As I re-read the Gospel story and mystery of the Baptism of Jesus, I saw in it the capture of a vision and the beginning of a mission, - a turning point, so to say, in the life of Jesus 'as man', for the gospels tell us almost nothing about Jesus before that event. In fact people would later on say in astonishment, "How can he do all this? Where did he get such wisdom and the power to work these miracles? Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary?" (Mk 6:2,3). For in the eyes of his countrymen Jesus was like anybody else - there was nothing to distinguish him from the rest of the village. So something did happen to him in the Jordan. It couldn't be that Jesus came there simply to be baptized by John the Baptist, for John was on the contrary preparing the people for Jesus through a 'baptism of repentance'. But Jesus went through this baptism, which he obviously did not need, to publicly identify himself with sinful humanity, becoming one like us by taking upon himself all our weaknesses.

It was after this act of emptying himself of his glory that the heavens were opened and the real Baptism took place from above to prepare Jesus for the people. Heaven opened before him and he saw the Spirit coming down upon him and He heard the Father speak to him, "You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you" (Mk 1:10,11; Lk 3:21,22). In other words, he had a vision of his messianic task and an experience of special anointing for it. For he was now filled with the Holy Spirit, receiving the wisdom to know what to do and the power to enable him to do it (Lk 4:1). He was now aware that he had received the authority from the Father to preach the Good News of Salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick and deliver the oppressed - and all could see the difference.

His very reading of the Scriptures in the synagogue made them gaze at him in amazement. His teaching was strikingly new in content and given with an unusual authority. All the sick were healed by a mere word or touch. Those possessed by Satan were allergic to and afraid of his very presence. Peter found it hard to believe that a man could command the seas and the winds to obey him. He would later reveal the source of such incredible authority and power to Cornelius: "God had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the power of the Holy Spirit and that is why Jesus went about doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the devil" (Acts 10:38). But this experience was meant to be an example to and a channel for his apostles and his disciples down the ages.

And the believers were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4)

For what happened to Jesus at his Baptism happened in a certain degree to the Apostles at Pentecost. Before that day they were all so slow to understand the teachings of Jesus, so reluctant to pray with him, whether at Tabor or in Gethsemane, so jealous of one another, so ambitious for power and prestige, so suspicious even of Jesus, even ready to use violence to save their own skin, - and that in spite of being with Jesus for three years, listening to his captivating words and witnessing to his marvelous deeds. But just head knowledge or human talent would not change them or their situation. For that they would have to wait, Jesus impressed upon them, to receive power not from below but, as he himself did, from above, a power that was not something but someone, - the Holy Spirit. After nine days of waiting together with Mary in prayer, the promise of the Father was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, as the Spirit came upon them, like a mighty wind rushing from heaven and filling the house, and as tongues of fire resting on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

And immediately after their Pentecostal experience, they threw open the closed doors of the upper room where they were hiding out of fear and ventured into the streets of Jerusalem praising God unabashedly. That same terror stricken Peter who denied Jesus when confronted by a mere maidservant now dared to proclaim him boldly to the whole of Israel as the only Savior and Lord, with startling results. That same doubting Peter who sank like a rock could now heal the lame man with a faith as strong as a rock in the power of the Spirit within him. No threats or punishment would stop him from speaking about what he had seen in and heard from Jesus, even counting it a joy to suffer for him. And under his leadership the first Christians were one in heart and mind, even pooling all their resources together so that there was no needy person among them (Acts 4:32).

So you too must be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18)

What happened to Jesus in the Jordan, what happened to the Apostles in the Upper Room, has been happening to the Church during all these twenty centuries, - but in a very special way during the last four decades through the many and varied renewal movements in the Church, in answer to the prayer of Pope John XXIII on 25th January 1959 for a New Pentecost in the Church in order to usher in a Renewal that would be manifested by Signs and Wonders. The Holy Spirit has indeed been coming down upon God's people, as it did upon Jesus (Lk 3:22) and upon Mary and the Apostles (Acts 2:4), and God is now with them in power (Acts 10:38), and Jesus is working in them with wonders (Mk 16:20). But are we becoming more aware that we too have received the same Spirit (Acts 19:2). Are we letting the Spirit fill and control our life? (Eph 5:18). Let us therefore make our own the third Eucharistic Prayer, "Father, grant that we, who are nourished by the body and blood of your Son, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ."

O Batismo do Senhor 

por Padre Rufus Pereira 

Alguma vez você já se perguntou por que as narrativas do Evangelho do ministério de Jesus começa com o episódio de João Batista batizando Jesus no Rio Jordão, o que pode parecer um incidente trivial? Ou por que o Papa João XXIII fez o Batismo de Jesus a primeira Festa do Ano Ordinária da Igreja, logo após a solenidade da Epifania, que também pode parecer surpreendente? As coisas se tornaram mais claras para mim, quando notei que o memorial no Cânon da Missa no rito, chamadas de rito Sírio-Malancar veio à mente não apenas a morte e ressurreição de Jesus, como no rito latino, mas mesmo seu batismo no Rio Jordão. Para a igreja primitiva, então, que se reflete especialmente nos ritos orientais agora, o Batismo de Jesus não era apenas mais uma história em sua vida, – mas é um mistério, comparável aos grandes mistérios da sua Encarnação e nossa Redenção (ou seja, sua morte e ressurreição), – na verdade, conectando-os tanto em um todo salvífica significativa. 

Jesus estava agora cheio do Espírito Santo (Lucas 4: 1) 

À medida que eu relia a história do Evangelho e do mistério do Batismo de Jesus, vi nele a captura de uma visão e o início de uma missão, – um ponto de viragem, por assim dizer, na vida de Jesus 'como homem', para os evangelhos não nos dizerem quase nada sobre Jesus antes daquele evento. Na verdade, as pessoas, mais tarde, no dizer atônitas: "Como ele pode fazer tudo isso? Onde ele conseguiu tanta sabedoria e poder para trabalhar esses milagres? Não é ele o carpinteiro, o filho de Maria?". (Mc 6: 2, 3) para nos olhos de seus compatriotas Jesus era como qualquer outra pessoa – não havia nada para distingui-lo do resto da aldeia. Então, alguma coisa aconteceu com ele no Jordão. Não podia ser que Jesus veio ali simplesmente para ser batizado por João Batista, para João foi ao contrário era preparar as pessoas para Jesus através de um "batismo de arrependimento". Mas Jesus passou por este batismo, que ele obviamente, não precisava, para identificar-se publicamente com a humanidade pecadora, tornando-se um como nós, tomando sobre si todas as nossas fraquezas. 

Foi depois desse ato de esvaziar-se de sua glória que os ceus se abriram e o verdadeiro baptismo teve lugar a partir de cima para preparar Jesus para o povo. O ceu abriu diante dele, e viu o Espírito Santo descendo sobre ele e ele ouviu o Pai falar -lhe: "Tu és o meu Filho amado, e congratulo-me com você" (Mc 1: 10, 11. Lc 3: 21, 22). Em outras palavras, ele teve uma visão da sua missão messiânica e uma experiência de. Unção especial para ele para ele agora estava cheio do Espírito Santo, recebendo a sabedoria para saber o que fazer e o poder que lhe permita fazê-lo (Lc 4: 1). Agora ele estava ciente de que ele havia recebido a autoridade de Pai de pregar a Boa Nova da salvação, o poder do Espírito Santo para curar os enfermos e libertar os oprimidos – e todos podiam ver a diferença. 

Sua própria leitura das Escrituras na sinagoga fez olhar para ele com espanto. Seu ensinamento foi surpreendentemente novo em conteúdo e dados com uma autoridade incomum. Todos os doentes eram curados por uma simples palavra ou toque. Aqueles possuídos por Satanás eram alérgicas a.. E com medo de sua presença. Pedro achava difícil acreditar que um homem poderia comandar os mares e os ventos a obedecê-lo. Ele viria a revelar a fonte de tal autoridade incrível e poder a Cornélio: "Deus ungiu a Jesus de Nazaré com o o poder do Espírito Santo, e é por isso que Jesus passou fazendo o bem e curando todos os que estavam sob o poder do diabo " (Atos 10:38). Mas esta experiência era para ser um exemplo para e um canal para seus apóstolos e os seus discípulos ao longo dos séculos. 

E os crentes todos foram cheios do Espírito Santo (Atos 2: 4) 

Para o que aconteceu com Jesus no seu Batismo aconteceu em um certo grau aos Apóstolos no dia de Pentecostes. Antes desse dia todos eles foram tão lentos para entender os ensinamentos de Jesus, tão relutantes em orar com ele, seja no Tabor ou no Getsêmani, tão ciumentos uns dos outros, tão ambiciosos de poder e prestígio, tão desconfiados, mesmo de Jesus, até mesmo dispostos a usar a violência para salvar sua própria pele, – e que, apesar de estar com Jesus por três anos, ao ouvir suas palavras cativantes e testemunhando a sua maravilhas. Mas apenas a cabeça conhecimento ou talento humano não iria mudá-los ou a sua situação. Por que eles teriam de esperar, Jesus imprimisse sobre eles, para receber o poder não de baixo, mas, como ele mesmo fez, a partir de cima, um poder que não era algo, mas alguém, – do Espírito Santo Depois de nove dias de espera, juntamente com Maria em oração, a promessa do Pai foi cumprida no dia de Pentecostes, quando o Espírito veio sobre eles, como um vento impetuoso do ceu e enchendo a casa e, como línguas de fogo que descansam em cada um deles, e todos foram cheios do Espírito Santo (Atos 2: 1-4). 

E imediatamente após a sua experiência pentecostal, eles abriu as portas fechadas do cenáculo onde estavam escondidos por medo e aventurou nas ruas de Jerusalém, louvando a Deus descaradamente. Nesse mesmo terror atingidas Pedro, que negou Jesus quando confrontado por uma simples serva agora atreveu a anunciá-lo com coragem a toda a Israel como o único Salvador e Senhor, com resultados surpreendentes. Nesse mesmo duvidando Pedro, que afundou como uma pedra agora podia curar o coxo com uma fé tão forte como uma rocha no poder do Espírito Santo dentro dele. Não há ameaças ou castigo iria impedi-lo de falar sobre o que tinha visto e ouvido de Jesus, mesmo contando-lhe uma alegria de sofrer por ele. E, sob sua liderança os primeiros cristãos eram um só coração e mente, mesmo reunindo todos seus recursos em conjunto para que não havia entre eles necessitado algum (Atos 04:32). 

Assim, você também deve ser preenchido com o Espírito Santo (Ef. 5:18) 

O que aconteceu com Jesus no Jordão, o que aconteceu com os Apóstolos no Cenáculo, tem estado a acontecer à Igreja durante todos estes vinte séculos, – mas de uma maneira muito especial durante as últimas quatro décadas através dos muitos e variados movimentos de renovação no a Igreja, em resposta à oração do Papa João XXIII em 25 de janeiro de 1959, um novo Pentecostes na Igreja, a fim de inaugurar uma renovação que seria manifestada por sinais e maravilhas. O Espírito Santo tem, efetivamente, vindo a descer o povo de Deus, como fez sobre Jesus (Lc 3:22) e sobre Maria e os apóstolos (Atos 2: 4), e Deus agora é com eles no poder (Atos 10:38), e Jesus está trabalhando neles com maravilhas (Mc 16:20) Mas será que estamos cada vez mais conscientes de que também nós recebemos o mesmo Espírito (Atos 19:2)? Será que estamos deixando que o Espírito preencha e controle a nossa vida (Ef 5:18)? Vamos, portanto, fazer a nossa própria a terceira Oração Eucarística: "Pai, concede que nós, que nos alimentamos do corpo e sangue de seu Filho, possamos ser cheios do seu Espírito Santo, e tornar-se um só corpo e um só espírito em Cristo."

004 Jesus Forgives and Heal Us

Jesus Forgives and Heals Us

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, already I can see a remarkable difference between yesterday morning and this morning. Yesterday morning I saw so many faces still filled with sadness. But now, when I came here on the stage, I found greater joy on you faces. And you were singing more joyfully than yesterday. And therefore, in the words of Saint Paul, Christianity is a religion of peace. A peace which is in the heart, because only if there is peace in the human heart will there be peace among the nations, among the people. Politicians are trying to have only an artificial out of peace, among people whose hearts are still filled with bitterness and hatred.  And the Christian answer is that there cannot be peace in the world unless there is peace in every human heart. And that interior peace can only come to a deep experience of the Lord’s inner healing. Again, in the words of Saint Paul, Christianity is the religion of love, not only love towards God but more in a way among ourselves. The problem in the world today is too much hatred. Love, however wrong, is still love. But the problem of the world is hatred and what Christianity, authentic Christianity, is offering the world is love. If there is no love in the heart you cannot call yourself a Christian. And thirdly Christianity is a religion of joy and the Lord wants us to evangelize thru the joys in our hearts and thru the joy in our faces. And therefore in every church in Brazil, the Sunday, Eucharistic celebration must be celebrations of joy. But joy can only come about if there is peace in all of those attending the Eucharist. Only if there is love in the relationships.

(Applause)

Yesterday morning, we spoke about God, our father, and we said the Bible says of God that God is love. And Jesus tells us to pray to God calling him father. And Saint Paul says our father God, is a God for us. For us. If God id for us, says Saint Paul, who can be against us? And I told you yesterday that the name I prefer to give God, our father, is a God for us, the God by our side, the God that is always tending for us. Then we spoke about the greatest gift of God our father to us and the greatest gift of God to us is Jesus, His only son. And the Gospels give us a special name of this Jesus, it says that Jesus is God with us. He is Emanuel, with us. That is how the Gospel begins, by saying that a little baby that is just born is God with us. And how does it end? By Jesus himself saying I am the God with you, I will be with you always until the end of times. And as we read the Gospels we will see that Jesus comes to do two main things. One is something negative, that we may not be in sin, that we may not be physically sick, that we may not be emotionally broken, that we may not be under the power of Satan. But don’t forget that Jesus has come to also do for us something positive, to give us peace which the world cannot give, to give us a power that only God can give, to give us the new life that can only come thru the Holy Spirit. And this morning I want to continue by telling you what Jesus is still doing for us today.

As I said yesterday the most important thing that Jesus has come to tell us that we have in God our father who wants us to be perfect and Holy but who is always ready to forgives us if we go the wrong way. He is more eager to forgive us than we are ready to ask for forgiveness. And therefore is thru our repentance that we open ourselves to God’s forgiving love. And how is it possible that that love can so forgive and wipe out our sins? And the Christian answer is only one it is by the death of Jesus in the Calvary Cross. The answer for the evil and suffering in the world given by many religious philosophies today is to close our eyes to these sufferings, to try to do away with it, to forget them, to try thru every mean to take them away from our lives. But the Christian answer is to be aware that for as long as we live in this world there will be sin, there will be evil, there will be sickness, there will be death. But with Jesus we can conquer all these things. And Jesus by his death has come not only to conquer death, but to conquer the fear of death. And therefore the cross is the Christian response and the Eucharist is the daily celebration of the Easter mystery, the death and resurrection of Jesus. One of the most beautiful stories in the Bible is a special incident in the passion of Jesus and to understand this incident I want to tell you a sort of modern parable. There was a prisoner in the jail and he was condemned to death. And one day, the jailer comes and opens the door of that jail, the jailer. And tells him “you are free.” And this prisoner could not believe his ears. And he told the jailer “but why am I set free? I know I’ve done terrible crimes. And I know I deserve to die because of my crimes. Tell me what has happened?” And the jailer said “Come, I will tell you.” And he took him out in the street and pointed out to him a hill in the distance and he said “Do you see that hill? Do you see on the hill those three crosses? Well that center cross was meant for you” and the criminal said “Then what has happened?” and the jailer said “Somebody else has taken your place.”

Now, you know I am not telling you (applauses) rather I am relaying to you a fact of history. When Jesus was to be condemned to death and Pilate wanted to save Jesus at any cost, Pontius Pilate. You know how many attempts Pilate did to save Jesus? Because he knew Jesus was innocent. Finally he thought of an brilliant idea, he knew that at the time of Passover the Jews had the privilege of having one prisoner set free for them. And Pilate said “I know I have in jail the worst prisoner I ever had and his name is Barabbas, but I will bring him before the people and I will tell the people ‘choose whom do you want to be set free’” And Pilates was sure that no one would want Barabbas to be set free. Barabbas was a notorious robber, the Gospel tells us. He had killed so many people, he was like Hitler, worst like Stalin, or like Milosevic.  Nobody wants him to be set free. And Pontius Pilates was sure that everyone would want Jesus to be set free, so many of them had been healed by Jesus and therefore Pilates said with certainty “choose which one you want to be set free.” But you know how crowds can be swage in any way and the leaders began to impress on the crowds not to choose Jesus to be set free. And the crowds asked for Barabbas to be set free. And Jesus was put to death in place of Barabbas. Barabbas is you and me.

Saint Paul says all of us have sinned. Sinning in the Bible is not only doing bad things, is also not doing the good things we should be doing. In the Bible sin means falling short of God’s expectations of us. And therefore Saint Paul says in the Roman’s letter “do you think that you Jews are better than the gentiles? Do you think that you Jews are better than the pagans?” And Saint Paul says “not at all. All of us, the Jews and the Pagans, we have sinned.” If Saint Paul was here just now he would’ve asked us the same question. Do you think you, Catholics of Brazil, are better than the Hindu’s of India? And Saint Paul would have said “not at all”. All of us have sinned, then the Bible says that the wagers of sin is always death, therefore, conclusion, all of us deserve to die. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. But, and this but is the “but” of salvation, Jesus has died in our place. He has taken upon himself all our sins, all our sufferings, all our wounds. And in the tremendous words of Saint Paul “Jesus who we knew had no sins became sin.” Became sin, so that we could become his holiness. But because Jesus died in our place, we don’t have to die anymore. This is the Christian meaning of salvation. What does salvation mean specifically for the Christian faith? Is the experience and the assurance of forgiveness of sins. Everything else is secondary. But this is what Christian salvation means.

Many years ago there was a series of murders in a town in India. Many, many cases of murder then and for one year the police could not find the causes, the perpetrators of these murders. Finally they found out the four assassins. They were all young people, from very good and rich families, Hindu families. And when the magistrate was passing judgment on them he said “this is one case where I have a pleasure on passing judgment of execution.” Because the whole country of India had an aversion towards these four cynical assassins. Because they had killed these ten people, good, innocent people, only for the joy of killing and for the greater joy that they would never b discovered by the police. And the leader of these four when he heard the sentence of death passed on him only smiled a cynical smile. And then came his time in the prison. And people were sending him many books to read. And there was a charismatic group in that town. They were sending him bibles and Christian literature. At first he threw them aside, but he had nothing else to do, he began to read them. And then he wrote to his mother “Mommy, the only book I now read is the Holy Bible.” And then came the day of his execution and as he was being taken up to the scaffold to be hung, the magistrate asked him “do you have one last wish?” and he said “yes. I would like to read the Holy bible” and he opened the bible on Luke’s Gospel, chapter 23, where we have a very strange story of two criminals being crucified together with Jesus.

I used to often wonder why the beautiful story of the passion of Jesus was spoiled by the mention of a name like Barabbas? I was still most surprised why the beautiful stories of the sufferings of Jesus was spoiled by the mention of two criminals with Jesus? In fact, the Gospel speaks of Jesus as the other criminal, the Gospel tells that Jesus was crucified with other criminals. As if Jesus too was a criminal. And we read there the story of what happened as Jesus was hanging there on the cross the high priest and the Pharisees began to taunt Jesus, began to ridicule him, and to tell him “if you are the son of God, come down from the cross. And we will believe in you.” Even the passers by began to make fun of Jesus and to say the same thing “if you are the son of God, come down from the cross. We will believe in you.”  Even the soldiers said the same thing “if you are the son of God, come down from the cross. And we will believe in you.” If Jesus had come down from the cross we would instead be hanging there. And then the thief on the left hand heard what his people was saying and he also told Jesus “if you are the son of God, come down from the cross. Save yourself. And save us also.” What did Jesus do? Jesus kept quite. That was the last temptation of Jesus. It was not the temptation in the agony of the garden, but Jesus conquered it by saying “Father, not my will, but your will be done.” Jesus knew, he had the power to free himself from the cross, did he not say “I could ask my father for a legions of angels.” Did not Jesus say “I have the power to lay down my life and I have the power to take back my life.”  And Jesus did not say anything. And when the thief on the left hand found that Jesus was not doing what he wanted him to do he began to curse Jesus. And what did the thief on the right hand do? He heard all this and then he turned to his friend, the other criminal, and said “why are you abusing this innocent man? If we die is because we deserve that. We are criminals, but this man is innocent. He doesn’t deserve to die. And I fell if his is dying he is dying for us.” And now comes the worst, this is what I want to tell you this morning, and then the thief in the left hand said in a tremendous act of faith, in a way the greatest act of faith in the whole bible, turned to Jesus and he said “Lord I know, in the eyes of the world you are about to die, but to me it seems as you are just beginning to live. In the eyes of the world you are a criminal, but to me, you seem to be God. In the eyes of the world you seem to be an ordinary human being, a carpenter, but to me, you seem to be king, the king of kings. The Lord of lords.” And then he cried out to Jesus “Lord do not forget me, remember me, when you shall come into your kingdom.” Could there be a greater act of faith? Then a man telling a dying person “you are alive”, a human being “you are the king of the world”, a criminal “you are God”. And what did Jesus reply? Jesus with his heart broken because of our sins, Jesus from his heart which was filled by compassion, turn to this criminal on the right hand and he said “today” today, not tomorrow, not in a distant future, “you will be with me in paradise.”
(Applause)

That criminal from the town in India read these two verses, from Luke’s Gospel, chapter 23. He closed the bible, gave it back to the magistrate, went up the scaffold and was hung. The whole of India still thinks he was India’s worst criminal, but we know, a few of us know, that he is with Jesus in Paradise.
(Applause)

My dear brothers and sisters, that incident in the passion of Jesus is not meant to be a story that happened 2000 years ago. Today, the Lord is asking us which side of the cross we want to be? Do we want to be on the left hand side? And to be aware of my sufferings and my problems and to tell Jesus “Take away my problems. Take away my sufferings.” And when Jesus does not do that maybe to curse Jesus. There was a young man in Bombay that was very, very sick. But before that I went to see a young lady that was sick and she was just 18 years old and unfortunately she died. She belonged to a very religious family, daily communicants. But at the funeral when they came to take away her body for burial in the cemetery of the church her mother began to be hysterical, her mother began to cry out, her mother began to scream, her mother began to shout, her mother began to curse God. Or would you rather be on the right hand side? And as the thief on the right hand side, know your problems, know what sufferings you are going thru, know the pains and hurts of your heart, and then you just pray to the Lord. And you tell the Lord “Lord, I know yours will be the final victory in my life.” And to just praise him for all his suffering. I went for a funeral of another person. A young man, belonging to the charismatic prayer group, he was suffering from leukemia and he died. He was the only son of his parents. But throughout the night there was singing and praying and for the funeral, I was there for the funeral, singing and praising God with everyone. I was there with my piano and accordion.

(translator interrupts – You should bring it here next time. Audience applauds)

And the people asked these persons the next day at the offices, Hindus asked Christians the next morning,  “tell us more about your religion. If there could be so much joy even in a funeral there must be something in it.”  The parish priest who was anti charismatic when he saw the joy and praising at his funeral for the next few days would speak about it at all his masses. And then he came into the charismatic renewal. My dear brothers and sisters, where would you rather be? On the left hand side of the cross? And know your sufferings and problems and when nothing is happening, curse God? Or would you rather be on the right hand side? And know your sufferings and problems and praise God. Because as I praise God my problems become smaller and smaller. And God becomes greater and greater. Choose where you rather be.

My dear brothers and sisters, therefore I speak again and again, that the greatest healing we receive is the spiritual healing. The healing that comes about from the experience of God’s forgiveness towards us. When we repent and come back to our father. As I said yesterday Jesus has also come to heal the human heart and to heal us even to our past, which is incredible. Has come to heal our family background. He has come to heal us when we were in our mother’s wound. He has come to heal us when we were in our childhood. And I feel, and I have been saying this everywhere, that this aspect of Jesus’s ministry, inner healing. It is so important and necessary that every human being in the world must have gone thru a process of inner healing, must have said a prayer for inner healing, if possible, even gone to a retreat for inner healing. Some years ago, I was giving a retreat to sisters and the mother general, and the mother superior, the general of that congregation, brought a woman to be prayed for. And this woman had a baby and the sister told me that from the time of his birth the baby had not slept. It was four months old and more than that it was screaming and screeching day and night. And it was contorting its limbs. They took that baby to many doctors, to many pediatricians, to many psychiatrists, but there was no success. So we prayed over the baby, there was some improvement. The baby was now able to sleep one hour a day, which was obviously too little. Then the nun happened to tell me that the woman had told her that when she was pregnant with the baby she had a very great shock. So then I told the sister “why didn’t you tell me this before I prayed? Now send for this family.” Because in the mean time they had gone back to their village. “I am going to the next town to preach a retreat. And send them to that place. Because I feel that that baby will not be healed accept by the power for prayer.”  At the last day of the retreat, the parents came with the little baby. I was happy when I saw them entering the hall. And what did I do? I asked one of the sisters to hold that baby and to be on one side. And I put the mother in the center of these 80 nuns making the retreat. And I told the sisters, after I told them about the shock the mother had, that we were going to pray for the mother, not for the baby. Or rather, for the baby through the mother. And as we were praying for the mother, the baby stopped crying and screeching. And as we continued praying for the mother, the baby fell into a deep sleep. And thru out those two hours praying meeting with a lot of singing and clapping and shouting, although not as much as you did last night. I thought the baby would get up and start crying and screaming all over again, but no, the baby was fast asleep. They wrote to us two weeks later that from that time the baby had been sleeping practically the whole day and the whole night.
(Applause)

Maybe to make up for the lost sleep. Maybe because I prayed too much. You know prayer is like medicine, you cannot pray too much. And this was one of the most beautiful things in our ministry, praying for babies in their mother’s womb and praying for us retrospectively when we were in our mother’s womb. And wonderful things can happen instantly.

Again, there is something else that Jesus came to do. Not only healing us spiritually, but forgiving our sins. Not only healing us emotionally from every fear even when we were in our mother’s womb. But even physically from all of sicknesses that come our way. And the Lord Jesus is doing today the same thing that he did along time ago. But above all Jesus has come finally to deliver us from the power of Satan. All this healings will not be sufficient, will not be adequate, unless we are also freed from the power of Satan in our lives. Some years ago, I was giving a mission in a certain town in India, the evenings were meant for the sermons, for the talks. And in the mornings we were hearing confessions, praying for people, counseling them. And as I was about to finish the person with me, there was a confusion at the door and I saw three women dragging a young girl into my room. And this girl was shouting “let me go! Let me go!” And then I asked the women “what is happening? Where does she want to go? Where is she pointing out at?” They told me “Father, she is pointing at the cemetery. She wants to go to the cemetery because we found her there as we were coming to the church. And we found her there about to kill herself and we stopped her just in the knick of time. And we dragged her by force to this place.” And this girl was getting violent, she was about thirteen years old.  And she was shouting  “let me go! I want to go there!” And then I held her hand and I said “I won´t let you go unless you tell me why you want to kill yourself.”  She wouldn’t tell me at first but when we prayed by the power of the Holy spirit even the demons have to open their mouths and speak. And finally I got the whole story from her.  She was studying in the eighth standard, eighth standard, in high school and two years ago she had failed in the examination. And she had to repeat the class. Last year, she had failed her exams again and she repeated the class again. And this year, she had done her exams so badly that she was sure she would fail the third time. But this is the first thing I want to tell you, this is how the hearts of young people are hurt, one of the greatest hurts of young people is their badness in their studies. They may try to do very well. They really want to study well but maybe their intellect may not be so bright and parents will tell them they are lazy. Parents will compare them to other children. And after studying very well if they fail, they experience a tremendous hurt within. They are ashamed of everything. Everybody is condemning them. So this is what the girl felt, that tremendous hurt and shame, but to make matters worse, her elder brother who was like a father figure to her, had told her “if you fail the third time I don’t want to look at your face.” You know, such remarks from people whom we love and who we think loves us, can be very painful. And this is what he said “if you fail the third time I don’t want to look at your face again.”  And more than that, he said “you can go on and kill yourself. You can die. “ And this is what we call a curse. Now parents often curse their children without thinking and they think it is only a joke, that they said it only out of anger, but every word has the power to do things. Therefore Saint Paul says “never use words that break down a person. Always use words that build up a person.” So this was a great hurt, she was already hurt about her failure at school, the deep feeling of inferiority and now she felt extreme rejection. Her brother said “I don’t want to look at you again. Go and kill yourself.”  Now, what to do? How to bring her the healing of Jesus? Is not easy to speak to children because obviously they cannot understand things we say. But under the power of the Holy spirit, the words would come out, so this is what I told her, I said “I am speaking not as a priest, but as an educationist, one who has been a principle of schools for many years” and I know what I am saying. See people, young people, will listen to you when you speak to them with authority, when they know you are talking sense and when you are speaking to them with love and compassion. So I told her “passing the eight standard at school is not the most important thing in life, that are many more important things in life and you are going to fail the eight standard…” now you may tell me this is bad news, I should never have said that, but you have to speak the truth, but as Saint Peter said “with love”. I said “you are going to fail the eighth standard and I want you to praise God with me for that failure” of course she wouldn’t do that, but she knew I was speaking with love and authority and therefore now she was praising God with me, for that failure. Then I prayed over her. Then, as I often do, I blessed holy water, and I gave her to drink, because this experience of healing can tire you and the person can become thirsty and exhausted. And I gave her this blessed water as a sign and symbol of the Holy spirit entering her but when she put it to her lips, she threw it aside “I don’t want that water. It is bitter. It is bitter.” Then I knew there was an evil force there also.

When the human heart is wounded it can open ourselves to demonic forces. So I told the three women who were charismatic leaders “force her to drink that water”. And then, as she was drinking that water and she drank herself avidly  and then I asked her how did the water taste. She said “Father, very sweet.” It was tasting like holy water. I said “Alright, now you can go.”
(Applause)

I said now you can go, but she was not getting up from her chair. I said “I have to see other people. I finished with you. You can go.” She stood up, she was not going. I said “what more do you want?” she said “I want to cry.” I said “cry” and she collapsed on her knees and began to cry so loudly that even the parish priest came to see what was happening. He must be wondering why I am making all the girls to cry. I couldn’t tell him it was the Holy spirit making them to cry. Because crying is a process of healing. The gift of tears is the gift of the Holy spirit. And then she left. That evening in that big stadium, as big as this, where I was giving a mission. She came on the stage and gave her testimony and she said three things which I did not know. First of all, she said that when I was praying for her that she realized that her mother had taken her to many witchcraft people because she was failing her exams. And then she knew it was something wrong and she repented and she renounced all those occult practices. Secondly, as she was crying all that anger and bitterness toward her brother disappeared. And her heart was filled with a great love and compassion for him. And thirdly she said, after she left she was thirsty again, she filled her glass with water, she wanted to bring it to me again for me to bless it. But there were people already with me so she told Jesus “Lord Jesus you bless the water” and when she drank that water it was as sweet, if not sweeter, than the water I had blessed before. It was a sign to her that Jesus by the power of the Holy spirit had healed her and delivered completely. Praise the Lord.
(Applause)           

(the end)

Christmas by Way of Mary

by Fr. Rufus Pereira

There can be no better way to celebrate Christmas than to consider that "pilgrimage of faith in which the Blessed Virgin advanced, faithfully preserving her union with Christ" (Mother of the Redeemer 5). Together with Mary let us take this pilgrimage of faith by re-examining the Infancy Narratives given in Luke's Gospel.

Mary hears and accepts the Good News (Lk 1:26-38):

Luke begins his Gospel by presenting Mary as 'Highly favoured of God' and 'Blessed … among women' (1:28,30), for she is the first one to hear the Good News. She would have an altogether unique role to play in the fulfillment of God's plan, for she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and bring forth Jesus, the Son of God (1:31,35). Through her response, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your Word" (1:38), Mary also becomes the first person to accept and to obey the Good News, thus anticipating in herself in a unique way the essential characteristic of a disciple of Christ: "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22). Although she has been given a sign (1:36-37), she was a 'believer' for whom God's Word was sufficient. This was the first step in her journey of faith.

Mary is declared blessed because she believed God's Word (1:42,45):

Mary, always the obedient maidservant of the Lord (1:38), then goes with all haste to the house of Zacharias and greets Elizabeth (1:39-40), who in her turn through the power of the Holy Spirit loudly proclaims: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (1:42). Because she has conceived a son like Jesus, Mary is hailed as the most blessed woman that ever was. But Elizabeth makes it absolutely clear why Mary is blessed through the blessedness of Jesus her Son, "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord" (1:45). She is already blessed because of her obedience to the Word of God (1:38), and not just because, as Elizabeth now realizes, she is now 'the mother of my Lord' (1:43). The first person to be called blessed in the Gospel was thus appropriately the first person to believe in the promise of the Lord and so open herself to its fulfillment in her life. Mary's response of faith to God's call and choice is the essence of Christian discipleship.

All generations will call Mary Blessed (1:45-55):

In response to Elizabeth's blessing, Mary herself prophesizes, "For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" (1:48). But, what is so distinctive of a Christian disciple, Mary does not so much accept Elizabeth's and all future generations' blessings as a credit to her faith as much as a tribute to God's power, holiness and mercy (1: 49,50). In doing so she is in fact, as a representative of the anawin of Israel, anticipating the proclamation of the Good News by Jesus in the Beatitudes of the Sermon of the Mount (Mt 5:2-12), and prophesizing its actualization in the Jerusalem community (Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-37).

Mary ponders the Good News given by the angel (2:19):

Nine months later -Luke gives us three reactions or responses to the 'good tidings of great joy' brought by the angel (2:10). While the shepherds 'made widely known the saying' (2:17) and 'returned, glorifying and praising God' (2:20), … and while 'all those who heard it marveled' (2:18), "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (2:19), signifying that she treasured the words and incidents connected with Jesus' birth, wanting to know their deeper meaning.

Mary receives the Good News as the Sword of the Spirit (2:35a):

When forty days later Joseph and Mary brought the Child Jesus to be presented in the Temple (2:22), they marveled, Luke says, at the consoling prophesy that Simeon made about the Child in his prayer of blessing to God (2:33). But Luke does not tell us about their reaction to Simeon's disturbing prophesy, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against … that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (2:34,35b), much less about Mary's response to his direct prophecy to her, "Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also" (2:35a, cfr Heb 4:12). But she would have understood that she too, as part of Israel, would be judged by her final response to the Child who will the occasion of the fall and rising of people, even of Israel, depending on their attitude to Jesus. For obedience to the Word of God would not be a once for all act (1:38.45), but an ongoing attitude tested through trials and perils. Mary would thus have to go through the test of discipleship, but would come through successfully, unlike Peter who could not hold fast to the Word of God in the face of diabolic opposition (22:32-34).

Mary does not understand the Word but keeps it in her heart (2:48-51):

Twelve years later, after three days of searching for their lost son, Mary and Joseph were amazed at seeing Jesus calmly sitting amidst the teachers of the Law in the Temple, apparently oblivious of their anxiety and concern for him (2:46,48). Jesus' answer to his mother's reproach seems to be full of surprise and even pain that his parents have still not known him well enough. When he ostensibly reveals to them his true identity and affirms the priority of his relationship with his heavenly Father over that with his earthly parents (2:40), "they did not understand the statement which he spoke to them' (2:50), which may seem to be surprising, on Mary's part at least, after twelve years of reflection on the previous revelations of her son's identity (1:31-35; 2:11,17-18). Mary must now be realizing the full import of Simeon's prophecy uttered twelve years before (2:35a).

And so the final reaction of the parents in the infancy narrative seems to be similar to that of the disciples after the third Passion prediction, "But they understood none of these things" (18:24). Unlike the disciples, however, "His mother kept all these things in her heart" (2:50). As she did twelve years before, she retained now also the disturbing words that had puzzled her, but she continued to search for their true and deeper meaning (2:19), in apparent contrast with Jesus 'growing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man' (2:52). Mary's attitude, therefore, of acceptance and obedience and waiting, throughout the infancy narrative, are for us a model preparation for Christmas.


O Natal pela Via de Maria

Por Pe. Rufus Pereira

Não pode haver melhor maneira de celebrar o Natal do que considerar que "peregrinação de fé em que a Santíssima Virgem avançou, conservando fielmente a união com Cristo" (Mãe do Redentor 5). Juntamente com Maria, vamos aproveitar esta peregrinação de fé, reexaminando as narrativas da infância dadas no Evangelho de Lucas.

Maria ouve e aceita a Boa Nova (Lc 1, 26-38):
Lucas começa o seu Evangelho, apresentando Maria como "altamente favorecido por Deus" e "Bem-aventurados ... entre as mulheres" (1: 28,30), pois ela é a primeira a ouvir a Boa Nova. Ela teria um papel completamente único a desempenhar no cumprimento do plano de Deus, pois ela iria conceber pelo poder do Espírito Santo e dará à luz Jesus, o Filho de Deus (1: 31,35). Através de sua resposta: "Eis aqui a serva do Senhor. Faça-se em mim segundo a tua Palavra" (1:38), Mary também se torna a primeira pessoa a aceitar e obedecer a Boa Nova, antecipando, assim, em si mesma, em um forma única a característica essencial de um discípulo de Cristo: "Sede cumpridores da palavra e não somente ouvintes" (Tiago 1:22). Embora ela tenha sido dado um sinal (1: 36-37), ela era uma 'crente', para quem a Palavra de Deus era suficiente. Este foi o primeiro passo em sua jornada de fé.

Mary é declarada bem-aventurada porque acreditou Palavra de Deus (1: 42,45):
Maria, sempre a serva obediente do Senhor (01:38), então vai com toda a pressa para a casa de Zacarias e cumprimenta Elizabeth (1: 39-40), que por sua vez, através do poder do Espírito Santo, proclama em voz alta: "Bendita és tu entre as mulheres e bendito é o fruto do teu ventre" (01:42). Porque ela concebeu um filho como Jesus, Maria é aclamada como a mulher mais abençoada que sempre foi. Mas Elizabeth torna absolutamente claro por que Maria é abençoada por meio da bem-aventurança de Jesus, seu Filho, "Bem-aventurada aquela que acreditou, pois haverá um cumprimento das coisas que lhe foram ditas da parte do Senhor" (01:45). Ela já é abençoado por causa de sua obediência à Palavra de Deus (1:38), e não apenas porque, como Elizabeth agora percebe, ela está agora "a mãe do meu Senhor" (01:43). A primeira pessoa a ser chamado abençoado no Evangelho foi, assim, de forma adequada a primeira pessoa a acreditar na promessa do Senhor e assim abrir-se para a sua realização em sua vida. A resposta de Maria da fé para chamada e escolha de Deus é a essência do discipulado cristão.

Todas as gerações chamar Maria Beato (1: 45-55):
Em resposta a bênção de Elizabeth, a própria Maria profetiza: "Pois eis que desde agora todas as gerações me chamarão bem-aventurada" (01:48). Mas, o que é tão característico de um discípulo cristão, Mary não tanto aceitar todas as bênçãos das gerações futuras de Elizabeth e como um crédito à sua fé, tanto quanto um tributo ao poder, santidade e misericórdia (1: 49,50) de Deus. Ao fazer isso, ela é de fato, como um representante do Anawin de Israel, antecipando a proclamação da Boa Nova de Jesus nas bem-aventuranças do Sermão da Montanha (Mt 5: 2-12), e profetizando a sua realização no comunidade de Jerusalém (Atos 2: 43-47; 4: 32-37).

Mary pondera a Boa Notícia dada pelo anjo (2:19):
Nove meses depois, Lucas nos dá três reações ou respostas para as "boas novas de grande alegria" trazidos pelo anjo (2:10). Enquanto os pastores 'amplamente conhecido o ditado "(2:17) e" voltaram, glorificando e louvando a Deus "(2:20), ... e enquanto" todos aqueles que a ouviram se maravilharam "(2:18)," Maria, porém, guardava todas estas coisas, meditando-as no seu coração "(2:19), significando que ela guardava as palavras e os incidentes relacionados com o nascimento de Jesus, querendo saber o seu significado mais profundo.

Maria recebe a Boa Nova como a Espada do Espírito (2: 35a):
Quando 40 dias mais tarde, José e Maria trouxeram o menino Jesus para ser apresentado no Templo (02:22), maravilharam-se, Lucas diz que, ao profetizar consoladora que Simeão fez sobre a Criança na sua oração de bênção a Deus (02:33 ). Mas Lucas não nos diz sobre sua reação ao profetizar perturbador de Simeão: "Eis que este menino está destinado para queda e ressurgimento de muitos em Israel, e para sinal que será falado contra ... que os pensamentos de muitos corações será revelado "(2: 34,35b), e muito menos sobre a resposta de Maria à sua profecia direta a ela:" Sim, uma espada traspassará a tua própria alma "(2: 35a, cfr Hb 4:12). Mas ela teria entendido que ela também, como parte de Israel, seriam julgados por sua resposta final à criança que a ocasião de queda e elevação de pessoas, até mesmo de Israel, dependendo de sua atitude para com Jesus. Por obediência à Palavra de Deus não seria uma vez por todas ato (1: 38.45), mas uma atitude permanente testados através de ensaios e perigos. Maria teria, assim, a passar pelo teste do discipulado, mas viria através de sucesso, ao contrário de Pedro, que não podia agarrar-se à Palavra de Deus, na face de oposição diabólica (22: 32-34).

Maria não entende a Palavra, mas mantém em seu coração (2: 48-51):
Doze anos mais tarde, depois de três dias de busca de seu filho perdido, Maria e José foram surpreendidos ao ver Jesus calmamente sentado no meio dos doutores da lei no templo, aparentemente alheio à sua ansiedade e preocupação para ele (2: 46,48) . A resposta de Jesus a reprovação de sua mãe parece ser cheio de surpresas e até mesmo dor que seus pais ainda não o conheço bem o suficiente. Quando ele ostensivamente lhes revela sua verdadeira identidade e afirma a prioridade de seu relacionamento com o Pai celestial sobre isso com seus pais terrenos (2:40), "eles não entenderam a declaração que ele falou para eles" (02:50) , o que pode parecer surpreendente, por parte de Maria, pelo menos, depois de 12 anos de reflexão sobre as revelações anteriores de identidade de seu filho (1: 31-35; 2: 11,17-18). Maria deve agora estar percebendo o pleno importação de profecia de Simeão proferiu 12 anos antes (2: 35a).

E assim, a reação final dos pais na narrativa da infância parece ser semelhante à dos discípulos após a terceira previsão Paixão, "Mas eles não entenderam nada dessas coisas" (18:24). Ao contrário dos discípulos, no entanto, "Sua mãe guardava todas estas coisas no seu coração" (02:50). Como ela fez 12 anos antes, ela agora também manteve as palavras inquietantes que tinha confundido ela, mas ela continuou a procurar o seu verdadeiro e mais profundo significado (2:19), em aparente contraste com Jesus crescendo em sabedoria, em estatura e em favor de Deus e dos homens "(2:52). A atitude de Maria, portanto, da aceitação e da obediência e espera, ao longo da narrativa infância, são para nós um modelo de preparação para o Natal.