* Luís Alberto Alves
Once upon a time there was a small town inland that had its Shepherd a man who was already old and sick. One day, he died. As the bishop had no other pastor to replace him, the city was without a shepherd.
Slowly, the people were forgetting the Church. They finally locked the doors of the old Temple ... The people said that the Church there had died.
Several years passed, until the bishop, concerned, sent a newly ordained pastor there.
The young priest arrived and with all his enthusiasm opened the doors of the old Temple ... removed the cobwebs and set up the church speaker system to function, calling the people. But no one came.
The pastor went out into the streets, personally inviting those he met. The answer was always the same: "No use, pastor, the Church here died."
The pastor had an idea: If the Church is dead, let's bury it. And he invited the people to the burial of the Church.
The news spread. The women who washed clothes in the stream and the men in the bars commented: "Have you ever seen a church burial? ..."
At the appointed hour, the old Church was full. The shepherd had removed the benches and placed in the middle of the temple a coffin, surrounded by a rope.
After the funeral, the pastor said in a funereal tone: "I invite you to approach the coffin and give your last farewell to the deceased Church."
The rope was opened and the people approached. But everyone who looked into the coffin was scared and left with his head down.
You are already imagining what the pastor put in the coffin: A mirror. Every person who looked, saw himself inside!
REFLECTION: That's the truth. We are Church. To criticize it is to criticize ourselves.
May God teach us to love our Congregation, our Community, our brothers. To love the Church is to make her ever more alive, holy, beautiful and alive, we must return to the first love.
* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor
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