For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" (Rom 8:12-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102725.cfm
Through the spirit of adoption we recognize that God is our Father and that we are all sisters and brothers. Unfortunately, many prefer the spirit of slavery. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Leo talks about the inhuman treatment of immigrants: “Where the world sees threats, the church sees children; where walls are built, the church builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community” (Dilexi te, 75). https://youtu.be/q1R4xFrQQNE?si=UQc7zy99lhFfNg6O
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Monday XXX, Ordinary Time
