P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That Christians be sensitive to the needs of everyone, without ever hiding the radical requirements of the Gospel message.
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Many today think thay know what Christianity is, yet do not really know it at all. Often they are lacking in knowledge of the most basic elements and notions of the faith. Many of the baptized live as if Christ did not exit: the gestures and signs of faith are repeated in devotional practices, but they fail to correspond to a real acceptance of the content of the faith and fidelity to the person of Jesus.
The great certainties of the faith are being undermined by a vague religiosity lacking real commitment. One encounters a sort of secularist interpretation of Christian faith which is corrosive and accompanied by a deep crisis of conscience and of Christian moral practice. "When the Son of God comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk. 18:8). This is an open question which clearly reveals the depth of one of the most serious challenges which we are called to face.
Proclaiming the Gospel of Hope calls for steadfast fidelity to the Gospel itself. The Church's preaching must be increasingly centred and converge on the person of Jesus. Vigilant care must be taken to present Christ in His fullness: not merely as an ethical model, but above all as the Son of God, the One Saviour of all, who lives and is at work in His Church. All are called to "proclaim" Jesus and their faith in Him in every situation "to radiate" joy, love and hope, so that many people, seeing our good works will give glory to Our Father in Heaven.
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