God is great and God’s wisdom is right on time for this moment to hear these words. The scriptures turn our thoughts and our hearts to what is truly means to be women and men of faith. As Catholics to center our lives on the profound truth of God’s love experienced through a personal relationship with Christ. This truth that God is love and is most perfectly revealed through the love God has for us through His Son coming forth from Him so that we too might share in the divine love by the Holy Spirit. To truly be Catholic is for one to receive fully the love of God poured out upon us to witness to the world.
The truth of the Gospel message speaks profoundly to us as church, to all Christians and persons of faith in God! We are called to love. This love stands in the face of a culture of lies, hatred, and the disregard for other humans. From the destruction of the human person in the womb, to the disregard for life and the oppression and subjugation of persons on all levels. This disregard negates the very truth and reality of the God given condition for humans and that is to live and experience love.
It is hear that we are challenged to examine ourselves and our interaction and treatment of others. I ask myself how do people call themselves Christians with some much hate and ill treatment of others. With so much hate, deceit, lies, falsehood, disrespect and degradation of others who are different, or see things differently is an affront to all persons of faith. This is opposed to God and His love for us. That is not Godly nor does it reflect the truth of who God is. It is incredulous and confusing to understand how people can say they love God, go to church and be so hateful. Hateful speech and treatment of others for any reason is not of God. Being that God is love, being hateful and violent is opposed to God and His design for us to Love God and others.
I’ve been doing a re-read Amoris Laettitia of Pope Francis and the synod on the family. What draws me here is a remedy of Love. That where this is love within the family and the young couple are united in love is a solid basis on which to build and form loving children. The love of husband and wife first witnesses to the children and when people experience love with in the home environment that love is lived in their daily lives. So to is it true for the opposite. When one lives with negativity, disregard, anger and hostility it too is expressed in how one lives and treats others. We are called beginning with the family to know and live the love of God and express and share that love with all those that we meet, for God’s desire is that all people come to know and experience His love.
- “A married couple who experience the power of love know that this love is called to
bind the wounds of the outcast, to foster a culture of encounter and to fight for justice. God
has given the family the job of “domesticating” the world and helping each person to see fellow human beings as brothers and sisters.” AMORIS LÆTITIA
When we as church can truly come to love God and seek to grow in the divine life it then that we can be true to who we are, not only in word but in deed. This is then seeing and treating all persons with love. The immigrant at the boarder, to the addict in the street, to homeless and stranger that we pass each day. Human life must be regarded with love. From the people of God all the way through the entire church we stand as a living witness that love wins, that God prevails and that we can all experience the true peace and charity that comes from loving in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr. Stephan Brown, SVD
Pastor