08 Mar 2nd Sunday of Lent
“The way to relate to others which truly heals instead of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity. It is a fraternal love capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbor, of finding God in every human being, of tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does.” –Pope Francis
FROM YOUR PASTOR
Jesus asks, ‘Who is my brother or my sister or my Mother?’ He tells us that those who do the Will of his Heavenly Father are his brother and sister and Mother. If we live that Will in our own life, our ‘Family’ changes…perhaps exponentially!
What is Fraternal Love? It is a Genuine Love from a Pure Heart that goes beyond family ties to relationships characterized by unconditional love…even when that love is not reciprocated…when that love is freely given for the good of the other without reservation or expectation…whether stranger or friend or enemy.
Where do we get the Spiritual Strength to give that LOVE? It starts with God who is Pure Love in Who He Is and amAll He Does.
His Profound Love For Us is manifest in Salvation History. Even in the face of the sin of Adam and Eve, the sins of those who Crucified Jesus, and our sins against our families, friends, enemies, and strangers…our sins of Comission and Omission…God has maintained his Covenant Relationship with humankind. God has NEVER given up on us when we have given up on him. Through Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection, we see God’s Love For Us In Our Salvation.
Created in God’s Image, that Love is innately in us. Through our Free Will, and the Grace we receive in our Sacramental Relationship with Jesus, we choose to manifest that Love In Our Daily Life — in All We Do…All We Encounter…All We Are.
Through his teaching, preaching, healing, and raising from the dead, Jesus shows us that Love is A Fruit Of The Spirit.
Turning to others — family, friend, enemy, or stranger — in love, will transform us. It will move us out of ourselves, our sin, and our darkness…rehabilitating us instead of debilitating us…putting us at the Service of Others…willing the Good of Others…changing the Lives of Others…for Good…For God…
In Learning God’s Love, we Live God’s Love fraternally and contemplatively.
+May God Bless You and Keep You+