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Jesus reminds us to love: to love God and our neighbor. There is no question that the
Christian Catholic life is not easy. Our hearts, our soul, our spirit, and strength are chal-
lenged and broken on a daily basis. Sometimes love is not returned, or it may be re-
jected. As a result, we may feel pain, anger, despair, and a pouring of love towards God
and neighbor may not be possible. Today˅s readings challenge us to love.
Let us love unconditionally. Let us follow the ˈThe Little Wayˉ. Saint Therese based ˈher
little wayˉ on two fundamental convictions: (1) God shows love by mercy and forgive-
ness, and (2) she could not be ˈperfectˉ in following the Lord. In living out her life of
faith she sensed that everything that she was able to accomplish came from the gener-
ous love of God in her life. She was convinced that at the end of her life she would go to
God with empty hands. Her ˈlittle wayˉ seems to put holiness of life within the reach of
ordinary people. Live out your days with confidence in God's love for you. Recognize
that each day is a gift, in which your life can make a difference in the life of others. Put
hope in a future in which God will be all and love will consume your spirit. Saint Therese
knew the difference love makes by allowing love to be the statement she made each day
of her life. Let it be a statement in our daily lives:
ˈTake to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.ˉ
P
RAYER
Father in heaven, God of power and Lord of mercy,
from whose fullness we have received,
direct our steps in our everyday efforts.
May the changing moods of the human heart
and the limits which our failings impose on hope
never blind us to you, source of every good.
Faith, gives us the promise of peace
and makes known the demands of love.
Remove the selfishness that blurs the vision of faith.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
_______
Ramón B. Barreras and Veronica del Rio-Barreras
Parents of Sofia and Patrick