May 2015
Reflections of God's Goodness
He who is mighty has done great things! And Holy is His name.
The Easter Season continues and once again I remind you that “We are an Easter people!” Each day, we strive to live the joy Pope Francis proclaims. The joy of Resurrection! Our failure, our sin is not the last word! Jesus saved us and He calls us now to His mission - to be the love, grace and mercy the world needs.
His Mother, Mary, shows us the way. She is for all of us a sign of the inclusiveness of God’s tender love for the world. Her “yes” to God is an example of a heart in-tune with God. Mary invites us to follow the path of love given to us by her son. All of us, men and women, are called to this path!
Mary urges us with motherly love to embrace others, to stretch our hearts to meet them with tenderness and care. In a mother’s heart, there is always room for her children. In a mother’s heart, a child in need becomes her concern, her prayer. A mother learns to love forever and is a mirror of God’s love for those around her.
Jesus said,
Love one another, as I have loved you.
That can only mean that we are to give ourselves completely to others. When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus named two:
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
and
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
It sounds so simple, and often it is. When a family member is troubled or suffering, love has no trouble responding. When disaster strikes, our hearts want to respond in whatever way we can.
But giving ourselves completely? It gets harder when we are called to reach out to or accept the immigrant or the refugee, or the homeless person. How can we learn to love as Jesus did, as Mary did? How can we learn to say “yes” when God asks difficult things of us?
We can practice. We can pray.
Maybe today we can take some food to the homeless shelter, or some diapers to the pregnancy center. We reach out by thinking of those in need and doing what we can. We can continue to look into our own hearts to see how much room there is for tenderness toward suffering women and men.
..let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn
