So simple, so difficult
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
So simple, so difficult. Simple, because we are asked to announce something that does not come from man but that is for the absolute benefit and well-being of all mankind. We are asked to announce something that is not ours, but for us. It is a completely new message, never heard of before, whose beauty is totally new and astonishing, a message which ultimately leads to true joy and happiness. It is difficult because we are afraid to proclaim a message that has the power to change everything, really everything, beginning with changing someone from within. None of us is ready to give up our habits, certainties, the way we have been trained, our benefits, and our mental orientation so dedicated to interest and profit.
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
So simple, so difficult. Simple, because healing is a gift of Jesus, a power given to us for the welfare of everyone and of each person, to realize instantly in the person's skin the power and the spiritual harmony of the Gospel procedures. Difficult, because we have never accepted that Jesus does not want and has never desired to separate salvation from health: He has always wanted us both contemporaneously healthy in our bodies, safe in our spirits, and happy and peaceful in our hearts. The first sign that those who followed Jesus were no longer rooted in the Gospel was the clear separation between the gift of proclamation and that of curing the sick, raising the dead, driving out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
So simple, so difficult. Simple, because it is a reality beyond any evidence, we receive everything always from Him. Simple, because gratuitousness is one of the greatest energies in the universe and makes all things possible. Difficult because, out of fear of losing power and prestige, and for the sake of ambition and vanity, we have confused the gift with control, the task of administering with the presumption of possessing, the service of guiding with the arrogance of commanding.