August 2017
First letter of St. Paul (1 Rom 13:8-10)
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, [namely] “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Vincentian Reflection
With apologies in advance for not finding a way to trim this reflection to a length more suitable for tonight’s festivities, I’ll begin on a personal note…
Mary and I are lending a hand to a just 18-year-old girl, sort of a friend-of-a-friendly friend circumstance. Sadly, it’s not an option to include with our helping hand an introduction to Catholicism, since this unfortunate yet gentle soul has already seen from the hands of her family what Christianity means; Cruelty, bitterness, selfishness, and duplicity.
So besides just basic charity, to have any hope of a true and lasting impact on this young lady and her spiritual life, we’re going to have to somehow gently convey what the real face, the Catholic face of Christianity is like.
The real face of Christ is like what she’s seen thus far. Certainly, we all have human failings and shortcomings, but as Catholics we constantly strive to correct these. We confess, we go to mass. We speak the Confiteor, hear a homily and through Eucharist touch perfection.
Furthermore, real Catholics are (or should be) in a perpetual state of celebration. We know the ending; we know what comes next. We trust that God’s mercy and our unwavering commitment to His church will bring us into heaven for all eternity. Everything from here to then is staying close to the path leading to that very end. As such, we have no time or inclination for cruelty, bitterness, selfishness, and duplicity.
As such, the challenge that Mary & I face, against odds and circumstances, is to undo the years of harm done to this young lady and help her see Christ and His Church as her best friend and the way to both not only a fulfilling life but an everlasting life. Easy, right?
But what, you may ask does this have to do with a Vincentian reflection during the summer celebration? Well, I suggest we all are faced with a similar challenge, and that task is two-fold;
One – after this (hopefully abbreviated) meeting, to join each other in joyful celebration. Celebration for all we have accomplished as a team, how much more we can accomplish in the coming months, and for the salvation handed to us by Christ our Lord.
And Two – When we wake up tomorrow, let each of us show everyone we meet the true face of our faith – the face of one without fear of the unknown, the face of one confident in our savior and his church, the face of someone who knows and is looking forward to what’s next. The face of celebration.
Welcome to 10 Angels 