Today at Holy Mass in the first reading, the Prophet Hosea gives us a small glimpse into just how much God loves us…As a father of five young children, this reading resonated with me deeply….A father will always see his children as innocent….He remembers them as babies…When they were innocent…When he lifted them up to his cheek and felt the warmth of their face…..As life happens and children make choices - Some bad and some good - A father remembers and continues to love…This is the love that is required of us as Catholics for everyone - Even our “enemies” because this is how God loves……”For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same…..Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”……As human beings we can never fully understand just how much God loves us….As parents of children, we get a small “taste” of how God loves - But even as parents - God infinitely loves our children more then we do - Hard to believe but true!…..”Thus says the LORD: When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me, Sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer. My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you”…….The question then becomes - How do we love in this manner?…..To love as God asks us is a supernatural act, which requires supernatural means…Only by purifying our hearts through frequent Sacramental Confession and the frequent reception of the Eucharist will we be able to love in this manner….Its only and until we can “see” our neighbor in a “different light”, seeing him or her as God sees them, as a child, that we can love in this way….But make no mistake - Such love is possible - It is supernatural and God is in the “supernatural business”!
“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons”
Years ago before I was married I helped teach the Catholic faith to a man who had the AIDS virus…Angel was his name and he was living in a hospice run by Mother Teresa’s sisters in New York City…Angel was a mess!….He fathered numerous children that he abandoned, he had alcohol and drug problems, he had been to jail a number times….Yet, Angel asked to be baptized….The sisters were hesitant at first - Why? - Because Angel’s behavior in the hospice at times was very bad - He was asked to leave a number of times only to return asking for forgiveness - And the sisters always let him back in….In time Angel was indeed baptized and interestingly enough, he then left the hospice for good…Shortly there after, we heard he was found died…..A true story……..God in his mercy never gave up on Angel, and before Angel died, he was baptized…..I often think about this - How Angel clearly lived a horrible life but God did not “write him off” - God waited as the father of the Prodigal son waited by the side of the road - And when Angel was ready to be baptized - God then called him to himself…….Human beings are very quick to “give up” on people - We “write them off” as hopeless…In many ways Angel was that type of person - I am sure many people “wrote him off” - But not God!!……This is how we MUST learn to be - To love and not count the cost - To give people a chance, even those who the world views as hopeless…Its in loving in this manner that we can get a “small glimpse” into how God loves….This is the path to heaven - “Walk it”…When we know we are loved in this way - Unconditionally - Nothing will “get in the way” between God and us…Love changes everything! - So many people today in the world have never experienced this “kind of love”….And when the secular world witnesses love like this from us - Hearts change and so do lives….Just ask my friend Angel
“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”
Today at Mass the Prophet Hosea gives us a glimpse into how God loves us…..If the world only understood this - Everything we do as Catholics must be grounded in charity….If our “works” do not come from a place within us of love - They mean nothing to God!….We can say all the right things - Do all the right things - But if there is no love - They mean NOTHING……To love our neighbor like this requires us first to love God…If we do not love God above all things - There is NO WAY we can love our neighbor as God requires us….We are incapable of such love without God’s assistance….Jesus knew this - That is why he established a Church - That is why he gave us the Sacraments….As Catholics we have EVERYTHING we need to love in the manner God requires us - Frankly, its up to us!…Love is a choice, its not a “feeling” - And we must make “the choice” every day…..Mother Teresa would tell her sisters - “For love to be real, it must hurt, it must cost us”…Are we as Catholics willing to love like this? - To pay that “cost”?….When the world witnesses love like this - “Eyes will open” and so will hearts - Sacrificial love cannot be ignored…And in the end - This is how the “sheep will be separated from the goats” - Some will use the word “love” and treat it simply as a word or a “feeling” - And others will demonstrate what love really is - By giving their lives away for others….As we all know - Sheep and Goats are very different from each other - So is sacrificial love from sentimental love……Words always fall short - Actions speak volumes!…….JMJ
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