March 20, 2018 Love Bears All Things - Divine Mercy Wk 7
March 20, 2018 Love Bears All Things - Divine Mercy Wk 7
Have you ever received the advice, “Just grin and bear it?” It means to endure an unpleasant situation -- to accept something bad without complaining. The catholic advice -- given mostly by nuns -- is “Offer it Up”, meaning redemptive suffering for the sake of another or for a cause.
The topic of the Week 7 comes from Pope Francis’ reflection on “Love bears all things.”
“St. Paul says that love ‘bears all things’ . . . This is about more than simply putting up with evil; it has to do with the use of the tongue. The verb [St. Paul used] can mean ‘holding one’s peace’ about what may be wrong with another person. It implies limiting judgment, checking the impulse to issue a firm and ruthless condemnation: ‘Judge not and you will not be judged.’”
Have we ever found ourselves unable to bear a person or a situation and expressed ourselves in hurtful ways? Venting resentment to the degree that we speak ill of another person can become slander. It is a grave offense against God when it seriously harms another person’s good name and causes damage that is hard to repair. We must remember that love cherishes the good name of others, even one’s enemies.
If we are wrestling internally with someone who is slandering us, consider the following exercise. On a piece of paper, we should write a letter to Jesus, putting into words what we are really feeling and thinking without censoring anything. In the process, we may be able to identify with how Our Lord bore slander. We remember from scripture that Our Lord suffered taunts and hurtful accusations from religious leaders and people. Through this exercise Our Lord invites us to bear the pain that is poured upon us as a means to intercede for the healing of the person slandering us. We recall Our Lord praying while hanging on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they’re doing.” The prayer we offer becomes an act of love.
Love can change hearts. On the cross, Christ bore the pain that countless souls past, present, and future poured upon him. In his compassion, Jesus offered this pain as prayer to the Father and an act of love. In turn, his love transformed countless number of hearts and continues to provide that transformation. We can share in Our Lord’s miraculous transformation of hearts by doing our part by lovingly bearing hurts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to turn our injury into compassion and intercessory prayer. In the process, the Holy Spirit will purify our memory as he transforms our hurt into an act of love.
Can we do this today during our offering of Divine Mercy? Is there anyone that hurt us in the past whom we can forgive and lift them up to the Father praying sincerely, “Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity, of your dearly beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world...For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
Have you ever received the advice, “Just grin and bear it?” It means to endure an unpleasant situation -- to accept something bad without complaining. The catholic advice -- given mostly by nuns -- is “Offer it Up”, meaning redemptive suffering for the sake of another or for a cause.
The topic of the Week 7 comes from Pope Francis’ reflection on “Love bears all things.”
“St. Paul says that love ‘bears all things’ . . . This is about more than simply putting up with evil; it has to do with the use of the tongue. The verb [St. Paul used] can mean ‘holding one’s peace’ about what may be wrong with another person. It implies limiting judgment, checking the impulse to issue a firm and ruthless condemnation: ‘Judge not and you will not be judged.’”
Have we ever found ourselves unable to bear a person or a situation and expressed ourselves in hurtful ways? Venting resentment to the degree that we speak ill of another person can become slander. It is a grave offense against God when it seriously harms another person’s good name and causes damage that is hard to repair. We must remember that love cherishes the good name of others, even one’s enemies.
If we are wrestling internally with someone who is slandering us, consider the following exercise. On a piece of paper, we should write a letter to Jesus, putting into words what we are really feeling and thinking without censoring anything. In the process, we may be able to identify with how Our Lord bore slander. We remember from scripture that Our Lord suffered taunts and hurtful accusations from religious leaders and people. Through this exercise Our Lord invites us to bear the pain that is poured upon us as a means to intercede for the healing of the person slandering us. We recall Our Lord praying while hanging on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they’re doing.” The prayer we offer becomes an act of love.
Love can change hearts. On the cross, Christ bore the pain that countless souls past, present, and future poured upon him. In his compassion, Jesus offered this pain as prayer to the Father and an act of love. In turn, his love transformed countless number of hearts and continues to provide that transformation. We can share in Our Lord’s miraculous transformation of hearts by doing our part by lovingly bearing hurts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to turn our injury into compassion and intercessory prayer. In the process, the Holy Spirit will purify our memory as he transforms our hurt into an act of love.
Can we do this today during our offering of Divine Mercy? Is there anyone that hurt us in the past whom we can forgive and lift them up to the Father praying sincerely, “Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity, of your dearly beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world...For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
