Live Beautifully and Purely

Before it was a church, "Speranța" was a state of the spirit: people who lived the experience of being set apart — with ebbs and flows, with questions, with restlessness and hopes, with prayer. Through their cry, through courage, through involvement, through the beauty of their thoughts, through the human harmonies of a journey's beginning, through deep faith and sacrifice — through all of these together — the lives of these people slowly, yet ever more indelibly, took on the pearl-like face of "Speranța." And so it was with all the forerunners of this community: through the way they believed, encouraged one another, hoped, and drew close to each other — that is, through their very way of being — they carved the steadfastness of faith into the soul of this church. In the end, this was the bittersweet experience of a great love — "Speranța"! We are all only passing through — in our callings and in life. Yet until the moment we finish the race, we bear the responsibility to fight for this Church — just as she is — but above all for her nobility and her beauty. And if her nobility rests in the mandate God entrusted to her, her beauty is born of the gifts received from God, projected into our own responsibilities. As those who wait for and serve Jesus Christ, we are duty-bound to defend not only the values of "Speranța," but also the climate in which she lives. Depending on how I take responsibility for this calling, my community — and, by extension, my city — can be a field of wheat or a garden of cacti. This is why the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah (62:10,11): "Prepare the way, clear away the stones! Lift up a banner! Behold, the Savior comes! His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him!" When your soul is weary, when your heart longs for a moment of rest, when you feel alone or discouraged, do not forget that up above there is Someone to whom you can draw near. He is Jesus Christ — unconditional Love. Live through Him and in Him, with the "Speranța" of an incomparable Reunion! For He is the same yesterday and today and forever!