Love one another

Happy birthday to our dear little Naomi!  We are so blessed by the joy and the love the Lord has graced us with through you over these past two years!

 

Today was an amazing celebration of life, faith, and God’s love.   Not only did we celebrate Naomi’s birthday, but two other two year olds had birthday celebrations today.  

And there was another missionary family that had their newborn baptized.  

And the story I want to share today….  Sometimes I see God moving in the amazing lives and witnesses of my fellow missionaries.  There is a missionary couple, Rich and Rachel.  They are currently stateside long-term and are foster parents to three amazing young children.   We have been fortunate to have them as neighbors these past months.  The biological mother agreed to have them baptized under the condition that Rich and Rachel are the godparents.  Before mass Rich and Rachel went to pick up the mom and brought her to the church so she could be present.

I can think of few more timely Gospel readings than this past Friday’s.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."

John 15:12-17

Of course there is the uber-cheesy song “They will know we are Christians by our love.”   As much as the song is not to my personal liking, there is truth in the power of our Christian witness expressed in love.   It may have taken me almost my entire life, but I am coming to realize that this love is not all rainbows and butterflies.   This Christian unconditional love is tough.   I don't know all the details with the family, but given the fact that it is a foster situations, speaks for itself.  And to be honest, if I were Rich or Rachel, I probably would have just written the mom off.   But Christ calls us to love.   This a love that can look through another’s flaws and sins, and see the brokenness and frailty of the person.   It is a love that is moved by compassion, and not judgment.   It is a love that welcomes and invites, and doesn’t exclude.   It is a love that knows that only through a loving trusting relationship can conversion ever take place.   I am so honored to call Rich and Rachel my fellow missionaries and I am inspired by the example that they live and how they opened the doors of the Church to this mom and their foster children.

But our call to Christian love doesn’t stop with those that are on the “outside.”   Perhaps the hardest people to love are the ones that we are closest to, our fellow Christians, our family, our friends.   It is amazing how many times St. Paul needs to give pastoral advice on the need for believers to forgive and love one another.   And why?   If it were easy, he wouldn’t have to give his exhortation.  If loving our fellow Christians, the people next to us in the pews, or around the dinner table, were easy why did he write probably the most famous chapter in the Bible on love 1 Corinthians 13?   When Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)  Why?   Because loving is hard!   It goes against our fallen and broken natures.

In my own life, there have been some individuals who have deeply and seriously hurt either myself or loved ones.   These individuals could arguable deserve severe judgment.   Through God’s grace and God’s time, I have come to forgive and to pray for God’s mercy for them.   If I can forgive these individuals, why is so hard to forgive my fellow Christians who sincerely desire to love and follow God?

It leads me to reflect on who do I need to love?   Where have I fallen short of Christ’s commandment, not suggestion, commandment to love one another as I love you... unconditional, perfectly, and completely.   Who am I to hold back God's mercy?   How can I let the patience and love that God has shown me be in vain and not extend it to others?

 

Our plans are holding strong!   We should leave Louisiana this upcoming Wednesday and arrive at our Mexican home Thursday afternoon.   Of course, the one lesson we have learned throughout the past couple weeks and all of missions…if God wills it.   Or as they in Mexico, "Si Dios quiere."