Reflections of a beloved son

“I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.” Hosea 2:21-22 Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr   Today we remember and celebrate St. Maria Goretti, a young girl who was killed because she refused to sin. A young man had asked her for sexual favors and when she repeatedly said no, he became more forceful. He finally got fed up and stabbed her 14 times. On her deathbed, Maria forgave the young man. Maria Goretti knew that she was espoused to the Lord and that she belonged to Him, and so any acts of infidelity would be out of the question, even at the cost of her life.   We belong to the Lord. We are His. We are espoused to Him. Because we have been so loved, we ought to love others with this same kind of a love – a disinterested, non-possessive kind of love, a love that wants only the good of the other. We can and are called to love...

It is the clean of heart that will see God.  What does that mean?  Have you ever felt so disgusted by someone or something because of what they may have done or said that you couldn’t bear to look at them? I know I have.  Those are the moments when I have failed to see God.   You see, seeing God and Christ in others has nothing to do with what they do or say, even if it is the most horrendous or disgusting thing. They and we will have to face the appropriate consequences for our actions and words, but if we have failed to see Christ in the other, it is our problem.  “ Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.”  I have failed to see God in the other because of my tainted heart – my pride, my ego, my jealousy, my envy, my attachment to the world. All people are made in the image and likeness of God, and so no matter what someone may say or do, they remain a child of God, they remain a beloved son or daughter of the Father. Jesus came for the sin...