Fr. Sostenes Vieira’s Latest:
We are free, anyone knows this, free to choose any way, but it´s so important to know “where” I´m going and if in my mind I have an important element: “clarity”. So in this homily, using the liturgy we want to offer two questions to take “clarity” to our ways:
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Where must I go?
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Why must I go?
“The word of God continued to spread and grow” and “Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission”. This is good news, in other words, the things are going well, no problem, no stress. But they could be living in a comfortable position, couldn´t they? Therefore let´s reply to the first question: Where must I go? I think to replay this question with the answer ‘where I want to go’ isn´t the right thing. But the right answer is… ‘I must go where God wants me to go’. And to find it out, let´s see what “the Church at Antioch” was doing. Three things: Worshiping, fasting and praying. These things create communication between God and us.
If someone wants to know where he must go, he needs to worship, to fast and to pray, because this is the only way to find our way. Living like this, they could find out the “news of God” in their lives, like this, the Holy Spirit could guide us, the position that a follower must have: being guided by the Holy.
So, if God has a place that we must go, meaning God has a mission for us: “proclaim the word of God”; so Barnabas and Saul did. Pay attention to our Psalm too: “So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations” and “may all the peoples praise you”! If the world could know the “Way of God” They will receive “salvation”; it´s the why God is sending us, as He sent Jesus, and He said: “the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.” Realize, the Father sent Him, to say and speak the commandment of the eternal life, or salvation. Now He sends us, to proclaim his Salvation and his commandment of the eternal life.
Sons and daughters, our way is the way of God, so let´s worship Him, to fast, to pray, so that we can communicate with Heaven and the Holy Spirit who guides us to the God´s will, because there we will proclaim his good news, his salvation and his commandment of the eternal life; this is our way.
Amen.
Fr. Sóstenes Vieira
Community Canção Nova
[May 6, 2009; Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter. Acts 12:24-13:5a; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6 and 8; Jn 12:44-50.]