Catholic Challenges

In this time all of us are living a little bit on the edge. Political, social, economical tensions can create a lot of bitterness in us. But there is help. It comes from our faith. We have to forgive those who trespass against us. Forgiveness is this healing part that makes us free from any type of discouragement. All of us have to learn to be able to forgive and pray for those who did something wrong. It is the most beautiful part of being with Jesus Christ.

We have to pray for our enemies. It might be difficult to pray for someone who rejected us, condemned us, criticized us, but because it is difficult it is worth doing it.

In this time of elections we have to pray even more that our political differences will not divide us in our families, communities, friendships. We have to pray that it will not divide us in the church that is already suffering from a lack of unity and holiness from the very top to the very bottom. It doesn't mean that we cannot discuss and criticize each other. It means that we have to look at the truth and put all our emotional attachments to the side.

When I pray for my parishioners I do not separate democrats from republicans. I pray for all of them for the light of the Holy Spirit, for understanding and forgiveness, because when we come to celebrate the Most Holy Mass, Jesus Christ comes to all of us with the same love and the same request: repent and believe in the Gospel.

This is our Catholic challenge that we have to face and deal with in the best way we can. We have to love all our brothers and sister. We do not have to accept what they are doing but we have to love them as God loves us.

Today I would like to ask everybody to pray for one person from the other side, for somebody that doesn't agree with you. Pray that whoever that person is, he or she will find the truth in God.