The Church...
...is more than a building structure.
It's more...
...than the persons that gather in these structures.
It's more...
...than this earth...
...and the things...
...this world tries to offer.
It is...
...the Communion of Saints.
It is...
...a person: the stainless Bride.
She is...
...the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And how beautiful She is...
...when She stands up for Herself.
Today, more than ever, let us claim our Brideship. We are everything. And everyone. We are the present. We are the Church. We are one body, though we are made up of many parts (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-13). Whatever our part is, whatever our place may be, let us unite ourselves to the Body this day. Let us stand as one!
To close with the words of our late Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II, I urge you, brothers and sisters: "Be not afraid."
"Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:16). It is the time to preach it from the rooftops (cf. Mt 10:27). Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living, in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern ``metropolis''. It is you who must ``go out into the byroads'' (Mt 22:9) and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for his people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:15-16)."
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