THIS is quite a challenge we have. As
persons, we are
meant to enter into communion among ourselves irrespective of our
differences and conflicts, sometimes deep and sharp, and the ever
growing and dizzying variety of classifications that we can find
ourselves in.
And communion is not simply a matter of physical
togetherness, nor of some social, political, cultural, historical and
legal reasons. It is much less a matter of biological or temperamental
affinities.
Rather it is a matter of life, a communion of life
generated by a love that can take on anything, including what can even
go against love. It’s a communion where we can care for everyone,
serving him all the time irrespective of how he is.
Yes, there is such love that can tackle anything. It is
the love of God who has given us everything so that we can be as we
ought to be, persons and children of his meant to live in communion
with him and with everybody else.
He has shown this love by sending his son to us, the son
becoming man and preaching us the good news about God and about
ourselves, and ultimately assuming all our sinfulness by dying on the
cross.
More than this, it is a love that involves God to be with
us all the time in the Church, in the sacraments, in his eternal
word—the doctrine of our faith—since this love always goes together
with the truth who is Christ himself. It is not a chaotic,
anything-goes kind of love.
This is all because of the Holy Spirit who is with us now
and always. All of this because we have been created in the image and
likeness of God who is love himself.
In short, God has shown us this love, nay empowered us to
have this love, through his Son who became man, Jesus Christ, whose
continuing presence and redemptive work is now done in the Holy
Spirit.
We actually have no excuse why we cannot have this love
which God gives us so abundantly. Let’s call to mind what St. Paul
says about this divine madness over us. “He who did not spare his own
Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things
with him?” (Rom 8,32)
These are words that should be engraved deeply in our
hearts and in our very consciousness. They give us the reason to hope
to achieve what is meant for us, like loving everyone so that we can
enter into this universal communion among ourselves in spite of the
tremendous differences and conflicts among ourselves, not to mention,
our mistakes and sins that we all can commit.
Let’s do our best to conform ourselves to this kind of
love. It is actually commanded of us. “A new commandment I give unto
you,” Christ says, “that you love one another, as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.” (Jn 13,34)
We need to make adjustments in the way we deal with
others. While it’s true that we will always have differences and
preferences, that we one way or another will always be subjective in
our estimation of things, it’s also true that with our spiritual
powers plus God’s grace, we can go beyond them even while holding them
at the same time.
We have to learn the love of God through Christ in the
Holy Spirit by praying, by making sacrifices, by learning thoroughly
the doctrine of our faith, by having recourse to the sacraments, by
waging ascetical struggle and by developing the virtues, etc.
We have to learn how to be patient, broad-minded,
compassionate, understanding, tolerant the way Christ was and
continues to be. We have to learn how to make our differences and
preferences into means of unity through complementation rather than a
cause of division among ourselves.
Even our mistakes and sins can be useful. If acknowledged
and related to God through contrition, they can be a tremendous source
of precious lessons for us that can enrich our wisdom and knowledge.
Of course as humans who learn things, grow and develop
toward maturity in stages, we have to start with the small, basic and
elementary things, like learning how to distinguish and relate the
differences between young and old, male and female, and among the
different classifications in terms of temperament, intellectual
capacity, emotional and psychological condition, professional work,
etc.
Going through this learning process is actually a lot of
fun even if it has its share of stress, disappointments, frustrations,
etc.
meant to enter into communion among ourselves irrespective of our
differences and conflicts, sometimes deep and sharp, and the ever
growing and dizzying variety of classifications that we can find
ourselves in.
And communion is not simply a matter of physical
togetherness, nor of some social, political, cultural, historical and
legal reasons. It is much less a matter of biological or temperamental
affinities.
Rather it is a matter of life, a communion of life
generated by a love that can take on anything, including what can even
go against love. It’s a communion where we can care for everyone,
serving him all the time irrespective of how he is.
Yes, there is such love that can tackle anything. It is
the love of God who has given us everything so that we can be as we
ought to be, persons and children of his meant to live in communion
with him and with everybody else.
He has shown this love by sending his son to us, the son
becoming man and preaching us the good news about God and about
ourselves, and ultimately assuming all our sinfulness by dying on the
cross.
More than this, it is a love that involves God to be with
us all the time in the Church, in the sacraments, in his eternal
word—the doctrine of our faith—since this love always goes together
with the truth who is Christ himself. It is not a chaotic,
anything-goes kind of love.
This is all because of the Holy Spirit who is with us now
and always. All of this because we have been created in the image and
likeness of God who is love himself.
In short, God has shown us this love, nay empowered us to
have this love, through his Son who became man, Jesus Christ, whose
continuing presence and redemptive work is now done in the Holy
Spirit.
We actually have no excuse why we cannot have this love
which God gives us so abundantly. Let’s call to mind what St. Paul
says about this divine madness over us. “He who did not spare his own
Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things
with him?” (Rom 8,32)
These are words that should be engraved deeply in our
hearts and in our very consciousness. They give us the reason to hope
to achieve what is meant for us, like loving everyone so that we can
enter into this universal communion among ourselves in spite of the
tremendous differences and conflicts among ourselves, not to mention,
our mistakes and sins that we all can commit.
Let’s do our best to conform ourselves to this kind of
love. It is actually commanded of us. “A new commandment I give unto
you,” Christ says, “that you love one another, as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.” (Jn 13,34)
We need to make adjustments in the way we deal with
others. While it’s true that we will always have differences and
preferences, that we one way or another will always be subjective in
our estimation of things, it’s also true that with our spiritual
powers plus God’s grace, we can go beyond them even while holding them
at the same time.
We have to learn the love of God through Christ in the
Holy Spirit by praying, by making sacrifices, by learning thoroughly
the doctrine of our faith, by having recourse to the sacraments, by
waging ascetical struggle and by developing the virtues, etc.
We have to learn how to be patient, broad-minded,
compassionate, understanding, tolerant the way Christ was and
continues to be. We have to learn how to make our differences and
preferences into means of unity through complementation rather than a
cause of division among ourselves.
Even our mistakes and sins can be useful. If acknowledged
and related to God through contrition, they can be a tremendous source
of precious lessons for us that can enrich our wisdom and knowledge.
Of course as humans who learn things, grow and develop
toward maturity in stages, we have to start with the small, basic and
elementary things, like learning how to distinguish and relate the
differences between young and old, male and female, and among the
different classifications in terms of temperament, intellectual
capacity, emotional and psychological condition, professional work,
etc.
Going through this learning process is actually a lot of
fun even if it has its share of stress, disappointments, frustrations,
etc.
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