Glorious Cross April 13
They should seek to glory in the fellowship of poor brothers rather than in the reputation of rich relatives (Rule of St. Augustine, 8).
The Spirit leaves traces of its presence on the heart. One of these is love. Where there is love, there is God. The story is told of a certain woman named Dorcas (Acts 9:36-43), famous for her charity. A disciple of Jesus, she spent her whole life in acts of kindness and care for others. Evidently, she was a person of means. At her death, there was a wake and Peter was invited to the prayer. From the moment of his arrival, the widow friends of Dorcas tearfully recounted the kindness of their friend. They brought with them as evidence of her charity the tunics and other clothing she had made. Peter was impressed and, with a prayer, raised her from the dead to the jubilation of everyone present. Dorcas was an example of what happens to people who accept Christ and live by his Spirit. Their perspectives toward others become altruistic, with no consideration of merits or possibilities to reimburse. Charity is, in effect, a decision to do good to others with no conditions attached. Gospel love is not a matter of feeling. It does not look for reasons to justify its acts. A human person, as the image of God and brother or sister of Christ, is always worthy of one’s love. That can be someone close by or far away and, certainly, someone poor in any sense of the word.
Neighboring hearts are worth more than neighboring houses. (Peul)
No comments:
Post a Comment