ONE IN SPIRIT

A person encounters an angel with a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. Puzzled, they ask, Why do you have a torch and a bucket of water? The angel responds, With the torch I am going to burn down the mansions in heaven, and with the water I will put out the fires of hell. If there is no reward or punishment, then we'll see who loves God more.

Do we seek to keep God's commandments in the hope of a heavenly reward or to avoid eternal damnation, or do we do it out of love?

We've just heard Jesus say to us, If you love me, you will keep my commandments...On that day you will realize that you are in me and I in you.

God is in us...and we are in God. This is the truth, whether or not we realize it. We become more aware of this truth as we open our heart to one another.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote eloquently and passionately about this in his encyclical letter, Charity and Truth. Charity [love] is at the heart of God and the Church's social doctrine...It is at the heart of who we are....Only in truth can charity be authentically lived.  [And] the truth is that God is in us...and we are in Him. Let us then love one another.

Two weeks ago we spoke of hearing Jesus' voice and living a fulfilling life by focusing on our personal authenticity. Today we take a look at the other essential aspect of a fulfilling life - social responsibility...our love for one another, taking care of the poor, which is at the heart of Jesus' commandments.

The Bible is replete with references to social responsibility - 523 times in the Old Testament; 164 times in the New. Indeed one out of every 10 lines in the gospels is on the call to respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable; one out of six in Luke's.

And every Pope in the last 125 years has exhorted the Church to be conscious of and responsive to those in need, confirming that we are all children of God and that we are responsible for one another. This is what it mean to receive the Holy Spirit as we did at Baptism and as we heard in our first reading from Acts of the Apostles.

Let us remember that the reason we were baptized is to be part of Jesus’ team. He chose us to complete his work. The reason why he came was to announce and build the Kingdom of God. That’s our mission too. And we continue his mission by being socially responsible ...individually and as a community, such as through our many parish ministries and in the Neighborhood Groups we are forming.

To be socially responsible means more than serving a hot meal, offering a bag of food or providing gas money. It is to have compassion for the lot of the poor and suffering, and to throw our lot with them whatever the cost.

Cost is not an issue because as Pope Francis has said, It is the person of Jesus we see in the suffering. Further adding, The opposite of compassion is indifference...a cold heart.

Social responsibility involves understanding social structures that oppress the poor, asking questions about how people came to be poor; what makes them poor and keeps them poor. 

Our response to Christ’s call begins with the awakening of compassion within us, which leads to a change of heart, a personal transformation, a movement from perhaps numb, unfeeling, self-centered perspectives to a deepened capacity for solidarity with those who hurt.

Thus, our call to be socially responsible is about opening our heart to those who hurt. 

Last Sunday Jesus said, My house is your house; today he says, Make my heart your heart. Thus, the question for us is, To whom do I give my heart?

As we reach out to one in need, our heart becomes his...we become one with him.

At first blush, the problems of the world may seem insurmountable. Though as Mother Teresa would say, we attend to them one person at a time...doing what we can to give life. But first we have to be attentive...and then open our heart...and be generous and courageous with our check book. 

Recently I heard this story. A 10-year old boy told his parents before Christmas, I don't want any presents this year. Instead I want to use the money to buy malaria nets for children in Africa who might be stung by mosquitoes in their sleep...and die. 

With that money he bought 12 such nets and saved the lives of twelve people whom he would never meet, who would never say to him, Thank you. But he knew he had done the right thing. While his classmates would brag about the gifts they had gotten, he would have nothing to show them. He might be humiliated and laughed at, but could one be more courageous and generous. Could you be any prouder if he were your son or grandson?

Here's another story. A friend called to tell me of a little girl of about six on her knees, with her hands in prayer, outside her church in front of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The little girl was so pious and fervent, that my friend couldn’t take her eyes off her. 

My friend became so moved that she approached and noticed the little girl crying. She asked, Why are you crying?  What are you praying for?  She said, They have taken mi Mami and Papi to prison. I’m praying to la Virgencita to bring them home. Can you help me? What would you say? What would you do?

There's much to be done to build a more just and loving world. Social responsibility, love of neighbor, oneness with Christ - personal fulfillment - demand that we be attentive to the suffering in our world...and that we be one with them in spirit and heart.

Let's see what story opens our heart this week, so that Jesus knows that our love and our heart are his...and that we are one with him.