When a black cat crosses your path…

In 2013 Crosslinks mission partners Mark and Jane Oden moved to Naples with their four children Sofia, Inez, Luisa and Archie to plant a church in the heart of the city and to work with students.

Naples is a city of contrasts: sun and light, shadow and darkness; life and vitality, death and decay. 4.5 million busy, LOUD, energetic people, over 144,000 students the vast majority of which do not know their right hand from their left spiritually speaking. Mark writes:

“Maurizio Sarri, the manager of the Naples football team, was recently late for a training session. The players began warming up but, half an hour into the session, he still had not turned up. He was called and they found that he was sat in his car. A black cat had crossed in front of him and he was waiting patiently for another car to pass him in order not to fall foul of fate. Superstition pervades all of Neapolitan life. The famous Italian journalist Matilde Serao writes, ‘Superstitions from all over the world come together in Naples where they are then magnified and multiplied.’ 

How to bring the gospel to bear on such a people? We speak of the wonderful Jesus, who satisfies our deepest longings having secured the scudetto of salvation for his people – never to be lost again. We speak of the one who is stronger than any strong man, demon of darkness or evil eye, who has rescued us from folkloric superstition and curses by becoming a curse for us. We speak of Christ crucified.

Please pray that Neopolitans will be liberated from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the beloved Son.”

This article first appeared on the website of Crosslinks and is used with permission.