I can't breathe!

Who could say that today with a good reason?: Someone who is affected by the Corona virus and a man who is put under the knee of a policeman, choking to death.

The act with which the Creator gave us life was by molding us from clay, and breathing into us, human beings, the breath of life. "God the Lord formed man, and breathed into his nose breath of life. Thus man became a living being.”

The first sign of life a baby gives is to inflate their lungs with air and cry out to announce new life on earth. The last sign of life is called "the last breath", expiration. Jesus on the cross knew very well that feeling of not being able to breathe. The cruel crucifixion made it extremely difficult to breathe. Jesus ended that agony by saying "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." And after saying this, he expired.”

The same word for "spirit" translates as air or wind.

Today that difficulty of breathing has real faces: all those who have suffered and will suffer the Covid 19 sickness. And George Floyd, the most visible face of an abused person.

We could summarize these two concepts in “disease and sin”. Both lead to death. Today the coronavirus is the most latent example of how harmful the disease is, and all diseases are. 

Today, George Floyd's death is the ultimate example of sin, injustice, and oppression, even if it is disguised as order and law.

On the cross the power of good and evil clashed. Life and death confronted each other. Life in Christ triumphed.

When he appeared resurrected to his disciples, “he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The risen Lord brought a breath of fresh wind, air of life, from Sheol. Jesus did not come back to life bringing order and law to execute the wicked by crushing his knee on the sinners. He came from death, full of love, blowing breath of life.

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the day announced by the Messiah as the moment that we would receive power. He poured out his Spirit, his air, his wind, his breeze, from on high to infuse us with life and empower us to be his witnesses, and to proclaim the good news of Jesus, in all languages ​​spoken.

We, as in the vision that Ezekiel saw in the valley of dry bones, we receive life. Now we can breathe!

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”

God has a fairly large army on earth that does not use lethal weapons, but carries the wind, the air, the Spirit of life that in his wings brings health and salvation.

I have led evening prayers during the pandemic. In recent weeks I have made a great effort to lead people to in silence, calm and peace that is achieved by praying and contemplating the face of the Lord. I have insisted that there is almost nothing we can control in this life. We can only control some body movements to be calm in the presence of the Lord, and the other thing we can control is breathing. I have directed people in prayer to focus in that direction, controlling breathing, inspiring, without rushing, and saying "you in me, Lord", and then by exhaling say “and I in you". Throughout the process, we become aware of the truth that God inhabits us bodily through his Holy Spirit, because we are his temple.

And suddenly the virus attacks us or the knee of an abusive police officer breaks the neck of a man who screams, along with all the sick, I can't breathe! I can't even control the air going in or out of my lungs!

That is the sad reality of this fallen world.

We, while awaiting the blessed hope and the glorious manifestation of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, will offer our lives for the salvation of all men. We will denounce and renounce impiety and we will live soberly, justly and piously.

It is possible that while we await the Lord’s coming, the powers of this world will keep subduing us by crushing necks and killing us with various diseases. However, we are strengthened in the blessed hope of the day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Today, in the evening prayer, when we do the exercise to calm down and contemplate the face of the Lord, we will remain silent for eight minutes and breathe calmly contemplating the face of the Lord. We will bring to memory George Floyd and all those who suffer from respiratory distress, praying for the Spirit to breathe life into humanity.

"Receive the Holy Spirit."