Preacher of Passos de Braga spoke to the hearts of the crowd about the wounds of our time – Archive – News

The Passos de Braga procession yesterday drew many people to the streets of Braga, especially in the vicinity of the Church of Santa Cruz, whose brotherhood is the organizing entity. The preacher was, once again, Canon José Paulo Abreu, who once again captured the crowd’s attention by speaking directly to their hearts about the problems, wounds, pains and sins of our time that leave families and societies without love is almost always on the warpath.

In front of the image of Christ with the Cross on his back, but also of personalities such as the Archbishop of Braga and his auxiliary bishop, D. Delfim; the mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio; and the president of the Parish Council of São Lázaro and São João do Souto; as well as the provider of the Brotherhood of Santa Cruz, the preacher spoke of what weighs on Jesus’ shoulders.

The preacher addressed everyone as “friends and Christians” to explain to them that we often think of characters who were directly linked to the condemnation and death of Christ, namely Pilate, Peter, Judas, the soldiers and the “ungrateful” crowd itself. And the natural tendency is to condemn them.

However, he recalled, so many times we, in our daily lives, do not behave like Pilate who washed his hands, acting with cowardice and indifference, or not giving testimony. Or Pedro, who represents our failures, our inconsistencies.

In the preacher’s comparison, soldiers represent the violence and wars that explode around the world, and that enter our homes daily.

Therefore, he asked everyone to pray to the Prince of Peace, so that he gives peace to the world. Canon José Paulo Abreu spoke of Lampedusa, where thousands of desperate migrants arrive, in need of reception; of drugs, which destroy people and families, of the number of cases of corruption, which undermine societies, harming especially the most fragile.

But he also addressed the good deeds of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Women of Jerusalem, and Veronica, who had compassion on Jesus. “How good it is to have compassion, it is not to feel sorry, it is to share, and take the pain of others as our own”.

One of the appeals to those present was above all to allow themselves to be flooded by the love of God, who offered his own Son for the salvation of humanity. That is, in the need for more love, more understanding and respect for others.

After the preaching, the procession, now much more composed, with the little angels who joined it from the church of Santa Cruz, returned to the church of S. Paulo.

A procession that also takes the Gospel to the streets.