Witness: Deeper, brighter and freer
Thursday, 10th week in Ordinary time
2 Cor 3:15 - 4:1,3-6; Mt 5: 20-26
'Preach not by words, preach by virtues' - St. Anthony would often say. Just as St. Francis who would repeat, 'preach always, when needed use words'. Witness is the first form of proclamation that the Church recommends to every baptised person. A life of witness, is a life marked by the Spirit of the Lord - this is the crux of the Word today.
We cannot be mere common people, we have to become committed people. We cannot be just any people, we have to be inspiring people. We cannot be just acceptable people, we have to be challenging people. We cannot be satisfied with just a mediocre life of non-disturbance and mind-myself mentality, we have to be people who disturb the world and be the conscience wherever we are.
This means that our life has to be lived in a personal and common space that is much deeper - going to the roots of what rules and regulations mean.
It means that our words and more so our actions, should shine brighter in a world that is filled with so much fear, fear to have personal opinions, fear to have personal choices, fear to live a convinced life.
It means that our mind, heart and our spirit is more free, looking at the right and the good as something to be lovingly chosen and integrally held on to.
All these are possible only with the Spirit who can deepen our perspective, brighten our convictions and free our spirits! The Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.