"The only thing we really have to work at in this life is how to manifest love".Can't you hear the voice of Francis of Assisi? Or Julian of Norwich? Perhaps Dorothy Day? It's not about doctrine, not primarily. It's not about clobbering anyone about the ears or going on a power trip. Manifesting the love God implanted in the human soul -- sharing the love we've been given, allowing others to bring their inherent human dignity and love to the task at hand, reflecting God's compassion and mercy whenever and however we can find the strength to do so. None of us live up to that all the time. I sure don't. But the core calling is indeed to "manifest love."
(Thanks also, George, for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and a mess of other good stuff.)
4 comments:
Thanks. You have really hit a nail on the head. I worry too much sometimes about my fringe Catholicism. All I really should be concerned about is how I love...
Kiwi,
Same for me -- it's all too easy to focus on the legalisms and political disputes within the church. That's the stuff I get cynical about, and it's the calling to love that gets me back on path.
Thanks for stopping by! Please visit again!
Steve, I read your comment on Fr. Longnecker’s blog - I too am getting pretty tired of how many Catholics (not all, including me!!) keep relying on the Government to fix the moral issues of the world - it’s not going to happen.
St. Paul gave the perfect model in how to reform society when he demonstrated in his advice to slaves and slave owners on how to behave with one another, that a social wrong like slavery is not changed by protesting that the law be changed - but by creating the circumstances where slavery ceases to be necessary.
This comment is not in context of your post - which is very nice and true. So feel free to delete this if you like - but I wanted to voice my support for what you said, in the spirit in which you intended it.
God Bless
Altar Ego, thanks for what you said about the exchange on Fr. L's blog. Probably I was too heated in my approach over there, but I do appreciate your kind words.
And thanks for stopping by this blog as well! Peace.
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