2 November | Youth
«You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.» 2 Corinthians 3:2
In 1972, postman Gabriel March was sentenced by the Spanish prosecutor's office to the biggest sentence in history: 384,912 years in prison! He got this sentence because March failed to deliver around 42,000 letters, opening most of them and stealing their contents. According to a law in Spain, the destruction of any document results in up to nine years in prison. Therefore, he received a penalty proportional to the number of letters destroyed. However, the judge refused to give such a large sentence. The actual sentence was “only” 14 years in prison.
Did you know that post office or “couriers” appears several times in the Bible? (Est 3:13, 15; 8:10, 14, ARA). The Hebrew term is ruts, which means “runners.” In ancient Israel, letters were carried by people who had running skills. Due to the great distances, many bequeathed their possessions to their children before leaving, for fear of dying along the way.
The Persians were the first to send messengers on horseback, who took letters to postal stations throughout the kingdom. Cyrus the Great understood that communication with the governors of the provinces was a fundamental element in his government. Therefore, he ordered that the roads be smooth and that there be resting points and postal relays.
In Brazil, the public company Correios was created on January 25, 1663, in Rio de Janeiro. Currently, around 57,000 postal workers go out every day on the country's streets, delivering millions of postal objects. From telegrams to fast delivery services, good and sad news reaches Brazilians' homes every day.
There is, however, another type of mail, which carries peace, love and hope. Its message does not come wrapped in a package; it is presented through smiles and example. According to the apostle Paul, we are the letter and, as a rule, also the post office. The message we carry in our chest is known and read by everyone. You do not need to run or ride a horse. The true Christian is a walking manuscript, a living and incarnate letter. What kind of letters do people read from you? Do we share good messages or deprive the world of knowing the truth?